Dumb language question

[Jill Strobridge]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Eric Siegerman" <erics at TELEPRES.COM>

> On Tue, Apr 20, 2004 at 08:19:29PM +0100, Alan Taylor wrote:
> > The Cathouse is near Central Station on Union Street [...]
> > Some of us may be in the Horseshoe Bar in Drury Street [...]
>
> OK, so what's the rule for "on" vs. "in" some street or other?
> I'd assumed it was always "in" in the UK.
>
Interesting question - no pun intended!   Myself, I'd say that a
building situated 'on' a particular street is more literally and
accurately correct since 'on' relates to both placement and a ground
surface.  So you can quite correctly say that a building is 'on' a
specific street.

'In' relates more to a surrounded or enclosed situation - but I guess
you could argue that a specific building is 'in' a street [of other
buildings that surround and enclose it]

This suggests that 'in' would be more generally used for narrow
claustrophobic streets and 'on' for broad thoroughfares.   I would
certainly always say 'on' Princes Street (which only has buildings along
one side!)

However looking at the dictionary I see the words have slightly
different roots so in the end (as always in the UK) it may depend on
whether your spoken language was absorbed from an area with a
Norse/Celtic background or a German/Dutch one.

Yrs logorrhoeacally
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Jill Strobridge <jill at theta-orionis.freeserve.co.uk>
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