Re: The Ukraine explained

[robert <http://dummy.us.eu.org/robert>]

Wow, excellent explanation.

 > From: Noelle <noelle>
 > Date: Sat, 12 Mar 2022 18:40:24 -0800 (PST)
 >
 > from electoralvote.com
 > 
 > D.R. in Slippery Rock, PA, asks: I understand why we should not say 
 > "the" Ukraine. Should we also stop saying "the" United States?
 > 
 > V & Z answer: No. "United States" is a compound noun with a leading 
 > adjective. Per the rules of English grammar, it is supposed to have 
 > an article.
 > 
 > The problem with "The Ukraine" is that it is rather colonialist, in 
 > two ways. First, there are no articles in Ukrainian or Russian, so 
 > the use of "the" is an imposition from Western languages. Second, 
 > "Ukraine" means "borderlands." And putting "the" in front of the 
 > name somewhat implicitly defines Ukraine as an adjunct to Russia.
 > 
 > To give a crude comparison, "Canada" means "village" in Iroquois. 
 > But if the U.S. were to start calling it "The Canada," it would 
 > imply that the U.S. is the "big time" and that Canada is the 
 > under-developed sticks (i.e., "the village"). It may be true, mind 
 > you, but the Canadians still wouldn't like it.