SEELANGS Digest - 25 Mar 1996 to 26 Mar 1996

Wed Mar 27 14:50:36 UTC 1996

>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.

Is it not rather easy to get used to a new norm?  Hopefully it will cease
to grate.  Does anyone say Peking anymore?  We made those shifts (at the
request of the Chinese Government, if I'm not mistaken) quite readily.
Frank