Hey Britmericanbongs: Why do English schoolchildren do sport

>>74099611
>tfw no long legged gf with stockings and schoolgirl skirt
Post more please

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>>74099783
This thread is about dialect, fool.

>>74099611
English children do PE and Maths.

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>>74099611
It's physical education (PE) and maths.

>>74100632

we call it PE too.

>>74100734
So is OP just being stupid?

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>Americans think school shootings are a sport

>>74099611
i think we alternatively call it sports too i.e. sports day. i dont hear the activity called sport unless referring to a specific sport

>>74100582
I'm talking about the physical activity or games, not a specific class. E.g.:

England:
Humsbottom is good at sport. He is shit at maths.

America:
LaShawnya is good at sports. She is shitty at math.

>>74101055
We would say sports. You'd only use sport if it referred to a singular sport.

>>74100757

nah he's partly right (about math vs maths), just using sports a little out of context or rather he's providing no context.

We say PE or gym in the context of schooling. Sports would be more conversational, like someone asking if you play any sports or a sport.

>>74099611
if thu wis tae speer ilka folkit here, thae wid crie "sports" spor, an "math" coontin.

Ilk folkit hae thae ain byleid fir ilka hins

>>74101089

Then in England if say you are interested in an academic study of athletics you might "read a book on sport," whereas in America you would never say that and would instead "read a book on sports."

Do Americans say "Phys. Ed."?

It has to do with the level of abstraction. An abstraction is uncountable, so there is no singular/plural distinction. Typically this results in the form of abstract nouns resembling the singular form.

My suspicion, though I have no reference for it, is that Americans say "math" as the result of attempts at regularisation of the language, and that "maths" is the traditional form (as it corresponds with "mathematics", whereas no modern dialect uses "mathematic").

Regarding sport vs. sports, we can pluralise an abstract noun when we use it to refer to different concrete examples. We play sport in general; we play football and cricket in particular, so we play those sports. Thus "sport" and "sports" mean slightly different things, and even though they are used equivalently in certain contexts (but note: Americans do not say, "He hunts for sports"), this may reflect slight differences in assumptions.