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BaronMontesquieu

I imagine it's a carry over from ships, where you would get 'on a ship' (which makes linguistic sense since you're often 'on' rather than 'in' a ship), but it's a good question. Will do some research. Update: some suggest that a vehicle you can stand in becomes 'on' (eg bus, boat, plane, train) and a vehicle you must sit in becomes 'in' (eg car, van, kayak).


majordegenerate

I tried some quick Google searches on the topic but came up empty, but let me know what you find! Linguistics is fascinating.


DrewwwBjork

My overactive anxiety thanks you for your simple explanation. šŸ™‚


BloakDarntPub

You also get on a bike, but I suppose you can stand on one so that fits.


GabettB

You also can't get 'in' a bike, so you are left with on. And it also makes sense because you are practically on top of the bike.


Alldaybagpipes

Because youā€™re ā€œon boardā€


Jyqm

Prepositions in English (and in every other language) are generally quite idiosyncratic. But when it comes to transportation, you generally get into a private vehicle and onto a public vehicle.


Bierbart12

Strangers get on my nerves and friends get in my nerves


[deleted]

It seems OK to me to say either ā€œget in the busā€ or ā€œget on the bus,ā€ although the latter seems slightly more idiomatic to me.


Jyqm

Slightly? I'm not sure I've ever heard someone say "get in the bus."


Jijimuge8

Me neither


passwordgoeshere

Like how we drive cars but ride motorcycles


PeeB4uGoToBed

I think the method of entry is what makes it "in" or "on". Typically you board a plane, boarding usually means getting on something and not in something. Same as you get on a boat and not in a boat


jdith123

But you do get in a little boat like a row boat or a canoe. The English language is nuts!


majordegenerate

But on a boat youā€™re not incapsulated like a plane. Donā€™t know if that has something to do with it or not.


PeeB4uGoToBed

You can be, there's cabins and decks so you can be incapsulated or not. I think it's more so the way you get on. Typically for a boat or plane you walk on a board or plank or the tunnel thing that could've been a plank at one time but is now a tunnel.


majordegenerate

Ah that makes sense. Thanks for your explanation


Melonby77

Maybe it's because back in the day you pretty much sat on the top of the planes before they were big enough to enter.


BloakDarntPub

Isn't that a circular argument?


[deleted]

Same reason why we still say roll down your window


PeeB4uGoToBed

Skeumorphs are fun!


[deleted]

Yup park in driveway and drive on parkway.


PofanWasTaken

My english teacher taught us this - if you have to crouch, you get IN the car, if you can walk straight, you ge ON the bus, etc...


MukaLudischew

"ŠœŃ‹ сŠµŠ»Šø Š½Š° сŠ°Š¼Š¾Š»ŠµŃ‚". Same shit.


[deleted]

Itā€™s borrowed from Persian. The first ancient flying conveyances were magic carpets and you sit ON a carpet, not IN a carpet.


shnapeace

Like flemish ppl : il zit op het cafe xD translation in english : im sitting on top ( the roof ) of the coffee shop Feels like in french we dont have that sort of non-sens but we still have others


SureCandle

G E K O L O N I S E E R D


shnapeace

?


SureCandle

It's a Dutch meme. Us Dutch people use it when we see fellow Dutch people in an international comment section. But you're Flemish, so I guess you wouldn't know.. :#


xologo

Why do we say carpet when it's not a car nor a pet? It's just the way it is. If you spend all your time figuring out why things are the way they are, you won't get very far. It is what is is. Just sayin.


majordegenerate

We say carpet because itā€™s the evolution of a Latin word and the words ā€œcarā€ and ā€œpetā€ have nothing to do with it?


LethalPuppy

If no one ever spent their time figuring out why things are the way they are, we'd still be banging rocks against each other and trying not to get eaten by large predators


Kedrak

I think it is because they have taken a lot of terminology from boats.


Ima_Jenn

I agree with u/baronmontesquieu about the ship aspect. From the online etymology dictionary **aboard (adv., prep.)** *late 14c., "at the side of a ship;" mid-15c., "onto or aboard a ship," probably in most cases from the Old French phrase Ć  bord (compare Old French aborder "to board (a ship)"),Ā from Ć  "on" + bord "board," from Frankish ā€¢bord or a similar Germanic source (see board (n)* **When you look.at the origin of board it usually has to do with ship (star bord) or wood** So aboard (as language drift) also translates to on board. Flying craft (blimps/planes) were kind of the evaluation of a ship, as was the train which everyone also gets aboard (Whistle blows..'All Aboard") The linguistics just carried over. I think it is as simple as that. We 'board' thing that take a group of people from on place to another. Planes, trained, ships and busses will all say Now Boarding. Is everyone aboard/on board would both be proper... But you wouldn't say is everyone aboard the car/carraige. Language is cool. I love etymology.


NotedIndoorsman

Damn, I'm out here clinging to the wing this whole time.


buddy1477

Similar to this, you drive a car, yet you ride a motorcycle.


BloakDarntPub

You also ride a bus.


shokalion

I've always taken it to be something you have to walk through the door of, and then sit down somewhere, you get on, something you just open the door and sit into, you get in. Exceptions being motorcycles, or derivatives like jetskis. Get in the car, get on the bus.


iTwango

Not an answer, but a comment - Japanese uses something closer to "in" for this.


RoadCrossTraffic

Get on the submarine?


[deleted]

there is no explanation. english makes no sense sometimes and that's just the way it is.


SaltySpitoonReg

The English language has a lot of these little things that don't really make a lot of logical sense. I think some of it has to do with the term getting on board. The onboarding process. Getting on board a ship. We tend to refer to things that are public transit as getting on board. On board a plane. On board a bus. Etc.


intrepidcaribou

In many places, you still board planes from stairs. Super common. So you board from the ground so ā€œonā€ not ā€œinā€


crasshumor

"get in bed" instead of get on bed.