Ukraine

[Zenon M. Feszczak]

Pryvit,

>
>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.

One must then ask - is this unpleasant quality of the name due to some
aesthetic deficiency or innacuracy of content, or simply a matter of
habituation?

> 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.

I find this interesting.   Is it true that to British English speakers there is
no political or negative implication in the use of "the Ukraine" versus
"Ukraine"?

> 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.

One might as well answer that it's offensive to tell Ukrainians the
name of their country.  But all of this kind of readiness to take
offense just muddies the waters.

With all due respect:
I would dare to surmise you might feel otherwise if Ukrainian were to
utilize a condescending name for your land, and, in addition, Ukrainian
were to become one of the predominant languages of international
business, law, science, politics . . .

>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?
>
>


I would suspect that this solution is inadequate.
At this stage of a game, with Ukraine at the edge of some foreboding
precipice, the form of the name carries intrinsic and inevitable symbolism.

But this depends on your premise that "the Ukraine" lacks contemptuous
connotations to the British ear.   I, for one, would be curious to hear others
who are more knowledgeable as regards the Queen's English speak out.

Na vse dobre,

Zenon M. Feszczak
Mertvyj Filosof
University of Pennsylvania