Uncalled-for/ The Ukraine

[Nancy Condee]

Um, perhaps I should not speak for the Peter the What's-his-name, but I
think his remarks constitute the sense of the humor.  Patriotic though
the his comments may appear to the be, the Montana Freemen will not launch
the second revolution from the SEELangs.

On Wed, 27 Mar 1996, Kathy Paxton wrote:

> Dr. Cleminson wrote:
> >This is interesting.  I (as a speaker of British English) have always
> >felt that the definite article with these country names was
> >obligatory, and its absence from any of them (including the Ukraine)
> >grates on the ear.  I wonder whether it is Ukrainian familiarity with
> >American rather than British English (via the diaspora perhaps) that
> >has led them to consider the American norm as "correct" and to read
> >all kinds of non-existent political implications into the British
> >one.  Personally I feel rather affronted by Ukrainians telling me how
> >to speak my own language: I don't tell them how to speak theirs,
> >after all.  Wouldn't it be more civilised (with an s or a z (zed or a
> >zee)) just to accept it as another instance of Anglo-American
> >divergence and leave it at that?
> >
>
> To which "The Bohdan The Peter The Rekshynskyj" replied:
> > Well said!
> >
> >Cheers from the chap from THE BRITAIN!
> >
> >All give praise to THE ENGLAND!
> >
> >                        Cheers,
> >
> >                                                       The Bohdan
> >
> >
> >
> >PS - 'tis AMERICAN English which is NOW the "lingua franca" of the world.
> >         Sorry, old the chap!
> >
> >  ;-)
>
> Excuse me, but thatwas uncalled-for.  Dr. Cleminson made a very good point.
>  There was no need to resort to the "We are the best!" attitude that is all
> to prevalent, not to mention dangerous, these days.
>
> --Kathy Paxton (kathyp11 at aol.com)