"The" Philippines

[Wilson Gray]

On Mar 31, 2005, at 10:58 PM, Barbara Need wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Barbara Need <nee1 at MIDWAY.UCHICAGO.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: "The" Philippines
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>
>> The Bronx is supposedly a way to refer to the family whose farm was
>> north of
>> Manhattan--the Bronck's farm.  Barry, is it a myth?
>>
>> After independence, Ukraine dropped the "the"
>
> After independence they told English speakers to drop the "the". As
> far as I know, there is no definite article in Russian.
>
> I still use the phrase, "the Ukraine"--I also still refer to the
> African country as the Ivory Coast, despite the government's
> declaration that it is to be called nothing but Cote d'Ivoire.
>
> I have long been fascinated by the notion that countries feel that they
> can tell speakers of other languages how to speak those languages.
>
> Barbara
>

And, in addition, I intend to continue to use "Burma" until it's pried
from my cold, dead tongue.

-Wilson