the former "the ukraine"

[Kristin E Hiller]

> Why not call the land "Ukrainia"? Nobody says "in _the_ Lithuania," "in
> _the_ Romania." The -ia ending would confer full-grown country status on
> (the?) poor, abused Ukraine. Note, by the way, the change from "the Argentine"
> to "Argentina." Ukrainia might keep both camps happy--at least
> until the next sociolinguistic dispute came along.

My apologies for adding a wrinkle to this thread, but this suggestion
reminds my of a discussion I heard last summer regarding the English name
for the Czech Republic: I was in Olomouc for a summer school in
generative grammar last summer where I met an American who had been
teaching linguistics in Germany for several years.  He felt that "the
Czech Republic" was too cumbersome, and said the suggestion of "Czechia"
in English was simply ridiculous and, therefore, insisted on referring to
this country as Czechoslovakia!

Need I say anything about old dogs and new tricks?

Kris Hiller
U of MN
hill0087 at gold.tc.umn.edu