The earth v. Earth (UNCLASSIFIED)

[Laurence Horn]

At 10:28 AM -0500 8/8/07, Mullins, Bill AMRDEC wrote:
>Classification:  UNCLASSIFIED
>Caveats: NONE
>
>I've heard folks in the rural South referring to having "the cancer"
>instead of what seems to me to be standard usage "cancer".

In the urban North it may not be "the cancer" but it's often "the big C".

LH

>
>>  -----Original Message-----
>>  From: American Dialect Society
>>  [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of Doug Harris
>>  Sent: Wednesday, August 08, 2007 9:08 AM
>>  To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>>  Subject: Re: The earth v. Earth
>>
>>  ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>  -----------------------
>>  Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>  Poster:       Doug Harris <cats22 at FRONTIERNET.NET>
>>  Subject:      Re: The earth v. Earth
>>  --------------------------------------------------------------
>>  -----------------
>>
>>  On a _much_ smaller scale (but similarly curious,
>>  language-wise), is the British practice of referring to
>>  certain countries with the 'the' article preceding their
>>  name. To wit, The Gambia, The Lebanon.
>>  I believe I know the historic logic for this, but there was a
>>  similar logic for their use of the 'aeroplane / aeroport'
>>  spellings, which The Sunday Telegraph (and others) persisted
>>  in using until at least the 1980's. Wisely, though, albeit
>>  with much kicking and screaming, I imagine, the latter paper
>>  seems to have come 'round to using 'airport' _except_ when
>>  referring to the French versions of places where aero...
>>  whoops, airplanes land.
>>  (the other) doug
>>
>>
>>
>>  I'm pretty sure - though I wouldn't bet money on it - that,
>>  back in the '40's and '50's - the earth was referred to as
>>  "_the_ earth." More recently, it seems to me, "the earth" has
>>  been replaced by "Earth."
>>  Here's an instance that's neither "the earth" nor "Earth." It
>>  could be a simple typo, however.
>>
>>  -Wilson
>>
>>  ------------------------------------------------------------
>>  The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>
>Classification:  UNCLASSIFIED
>Caveats: NONE
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org