Ukraine grammar makes me sing and shout...

[Eliot Borenstein]

On behalf of what I suspect might be a "silent majority" who are sick to
death of this thread, I would like to beg all parties involved simply to
stop posting on this topic.  The discussion is degenerating rapidly, and
people are unlikely to convince each other of anything.

Look at it this way:  the official English term for "Ukraine" now lacks a
definite article.  Those who are happy about that, be happy. Those who are
not, well, you'll live with it.  In a few decades, the term "Ukraine" will
sound just as normal as "the Ukraine" did.  Of course, by that point, most
of us will be dead, but I must say a quiet grave is looks a good deal more
appealing than a continuation of this thread....

                                                Eliot Borenstein