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It's weird how we say "go to sleep" as if sleep is a place

⁨170⁩ ⁨likes⁩

Submitted ⁨⁨20⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨FreshParsnip@lemmy.ca⁩ to ⁨showerthoughts@lemmy.world⁩

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  • leadore@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    The word “go” has lots of meanings besides physically moving to a place. It also means to change state (“the milk went bad”, “he’ll go crazy when he finds out”) and to indicate immediate future tense (“I’m going to read this book now”). Not to mention some other less relevant uses.

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  • Stillwater@sh.itjust.works ⁨20⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    We “go” to lots of things that aren’t places. Im going to prove it with this sentence.

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    • whimsy@lemmy.zip ⁨20⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      Can you do it after we go to lunch?

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      • expatriado@lemmy.world ⁨19⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

        …into space. go figure

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    • deegeese@sopuli.xyz ⁨19⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      In English, ‘go to’ can be used as the future subjunctive tense of the verb being conjugated.

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      • hoshikarakitaridia@lemmy.world ⁨17⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

        Sounds fancy. I hope it’s not expensive to use.

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    • TranquilTurbulence@lemmy.zip ⁨13⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      Planning to go into detail, or was that it?

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    • samus12345@sh.itjust.works ⁨4⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      Different usage. You wouldn’t say “I’m going to prove.” or tell someone “Go to prove.” Are there any examples of “I’m going to [word].” or “Go to [word].” where the [word] is not a physical place?

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      • OutlierBlue@lemmy.ca ⁨2⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

        Yes. We regularly say “go to [verb]”.

        Go to eat
        Go to learn
        Go to exercise

        Saying “go to sleep” is exectly the same.

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      • Stillwater@sh.itjust.works ⁨4⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

        Not many… Heres what i came up with though: Go to great lengths
        Go to an extreme
        Go to bat for something
        Go to town on something

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    • Empricorn@feddit.nl ⁨18⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      Go to ass.

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      • IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world ⁨17⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

        if you insist ;-)

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    • megane_kun@lemmy.zip ⁨17⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      I’ve got to go think about it for a second, and then I get to realize what it meant.

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    • pruwybn@discuss.tchncs.de ⁨15⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      I’m going to go to sleep.

      Double going!

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  • hedge_lord@lemmy.world ⁨5⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    Yeah I think it’s going to make me go insane

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  • Schwim@lemmy.zip ⁨7⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    “It’s time to achieve unconsciousness, kiddo.”

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    • stupidcasey@lemmy.world ⁨6⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      Image

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    • Agent641@lemmy.world ⁨6⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      The void calls ceaselessly, child.

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  • moonburster@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    In Dutch “go” means to go do a thing as well and I use it English in a similar fashion. Never thought of it weird before

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  • Nemoder@lemmy.ml ⁨15⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    If you have trouble going to sleep then try falling asleep instead.

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  • Fiivemacs@lemmy.ca ⁨20⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    you don’t go places when you sleep?

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    • Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world ⁨19⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      As a stress sleepwalker, yes I do.

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    • TheWeirdestCunt@lemmy.today ⁨19⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      I wish I did, I don’t dream so for me it’s pretty much just skipping anywhere from 6 to 10 hours and suddenly it’s the next morning.

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    • TranquilTurbulence@lemmy.zip ⁨13⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      I sure do. Just last night, I went to a store that was closed. The shopkeeper had hired a very tall and furry troll to guard the store at night. She said the shop is closed, and seemed a bit irritated. We shook hands for no apparent reasons, and then I went away. I sat into a car, we drove off, accidentally drove off road, plowed through the 1 m thick snow, fell off a cliff. We nearly crashed into a house, but somehow managed to land on a road right next to it.

      That’s why you don’t try to do your shopping in the middle of the night.

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  • Zachariah@lemmy.world ⁨19⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    Image

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  • EndlessNightmare@reddthat.com ⁨19⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    In Spanish, they talk about hunger and thirst as if they are physical objects.

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    • Deconceptualist@leminal.space ⁨18⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      German too. Ich habe Hunger. Sie haben Durst.

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      • roofuskit@lemmy.world ⁨5⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

        You can have feelings too.

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      • LogicalDrivel@sopuli.xyz ⁨16⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

        Sie haben Durst

        Durst

        Heh, Fred Thirst

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    • teft@piefed.world ⁨18⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      I think that's more that tener doesn't always mean a physical thing.

      As an example in spanish they use tener for age. As in "tengo 20 años" literally is "I have 20 years" but it means "I am 20"

      Or ten cuidado means "take care" or "be careful". Both phrases use tener in a nonphysical sense in the same way as in english we use "to have". Like to have compassion or to have doubts.

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      • IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world ⁨17⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

        but it works because abstract concepts are things an individual can own.

        Like “Tengo quidado” is “i own the the abstract concept of care”.

        it could work in English, but it just sounds strange or poetic, like “i have hunger”

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    • roofuskit@lemmy.world ⁨5⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      Feelings are things we have.

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    • shalafi@lemmy.world ⁨17⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      J’ai froid.

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  • apfelwoiSchoppen@lemmy.world ⁨18⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    Well then take a piss.

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    • PineRune@lemmy.world ⁨17⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      I’d rather leave a piss.

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    • spongebue@lemmy.world ⁨18⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      Go poop.

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      • TachyonTele@piefed.social ⁨17⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

        That's what i say in the bathroom, like it's a team sport.
        Goooo Poop!

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  • WhatGodIsMadeOf@feddit.org ⁨20⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    I wish it was. I wish it was…

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  • roofuskit@lemmy.world ⁨19⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    I’m going to go, to my bed, to sleep.

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  • neatchee@lemmy.world ⁨15⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    I’m 90% sure that it was originally in the form of “to go <there/place> and <verb>” and has just been shortened over time. A refined colloquialism, if you go for that sort of thing

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  • RizzRustbolt@lemmy.world ⁨18⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    It’s a state.

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  • davidgro@lemmy.world ⁨12⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    The Dreaming

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  • Bigfishbest@lemmy.world ⁨13⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    Tel’aran’rhiod

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    • gilgameth@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      Instructions unclear, summoned Cthulhu.

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  • Goldholz@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨12⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    In german we say either say “go” or “laying to sleep/rest”

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    • 9point6@lemmy.world ⁨12⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      Huh that’s funny, “laying to rest” in English is an expression for burying someone after they have died

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      • Goldholz@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨12⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

        Yeah we also say “they are not yet under the world of the living” if someone is still asleep

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      • Duke_Nukem_1990@feddit.org ⁨11⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

        We also call the event of publicly watching soccer matches etc. “public viewing” so…

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  • GuyFawkes@midwest.social ⁨16⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    Naw, just a state of mind.

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