Ukraine/The Ukraine

[Charles E. Townsend]

The question of the distribution of "v/na" in Czech and elsewhere in 
Slavic and the (in the case of Ukraine parallel) deletion or retention 
of the definite article "the" in English pales beside the broader issue 
of the need we feel to submit to language policing.  I guess I have to 
get used to just "Ukraine" by now, but who has mentioned the equally 
egregious loss of "the" in the case of "the Crimea," an entity which is 
certainly not a whole country.  It was always, at least in America, "the 
Crimea" until the Russians recently plucked it off.

The French don't seem to mind referring to their country as "la France" 
just as Peruvians seem content with "el Perú."  Let's hope article 
deletion won't affect "the Bronx."  They have enough problems there as 
it is.  But Americans, I think, may be particularly prone to language 
policing.  One of my pet peeves is the quite widespread replacement of 
"personnel" by the idiotic "human resources."  This type of inane 
prettification cheapens and impoverishes language.

Charlie Townsend
On 6/20/14 3:24 AM, Michele A Berdy wrote:
> The question is, if they can tell us how to speak English, can we tell them how to speak Ukrainian?
>
> You probably meant to write: If they can ask us to use a form that is, in their view, more respectful, can we ask them the same?
> I guess so. Why not?
> If someone asks me to call her Ms., I don't call her Miss; if someone asks me not to call him a Gypsy, I call him Roma; if someone prefers to be called an African-American instead of a Negro, I comply. I don't have to, but why would I want to offend someone?
>
> (Never in a million years will I get why this is a big deal.)
>
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