Why do some countries like Iraq need a definite article in front of them, and others don't?
"the" Iraq?
Josh Lalonde, "the Ukraine" is an outdated term. In modern Ukraine, it is considered to be almost derogatory because that's how it was referred when it was a part of the Soviet Union, as "just a region." I think modern textbooks are already excluding "the."
Ivory Coast is sometimes called the Ivory Coast, though they prefer to be called Côte d'Ivoire. The United Kingdom (or "the UK") is usually prefixed with the article. Generally, when a place name has a noun like "Kingdom" or "Islands" or "Coast" or whatever, then it takes an article. Note that this rule doesn't always apply to "Island", only "Islands" in the plural. For instance, a local landmark in our city is called "Ski Island" (not "The Ski Island").
I never heard Sudan, Lebanon, or Gambia with the definite article before. I'd guess that I hear "Ukraine" with an article about half the time. And, on that note, it's "the USSR" (and, for that matter, "the USA").
- Kef
I never heard Sudan, Lebanon, or Gambia with the definite article before. I'd guess that I hear "Ukraine" with an article about half the time. And, on that note, it's "the USSR" (and, for that matter, "the USA").
- Kef
<<Generally, when a place name has a noun like "Kingdom" or "Islands" or "Coast" or whatever, then it takes an article.>>
What about Long Island? Coney Island? Ellis Island? None of them take an article.
What about Long Island? Coney Island? Ellis Island? None of them take an article.
Interesting, my guess is that article comes for names like "the Sudan" (for which, btw, I think not putting the article doesn't sound right) or "the Ukraine" is that those names are from terms in those countries' native languages and the translations for those terms are words that would normally take an article in English. It's also like saying, "the XXX region" or the "country that represents [that]."
furrykef:
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Iraq doesn't. These ones do:
the Netherlands [I use this]
the Czech Republic [That's because "republic" is at the end, also just saying "Czech" to refer to the country itself is weird, and there doesn't seem to be any easy way of converting to a name that a country would have, like "Czechia," which would be the height of weirdness.]
the Ukraine [I use this]
anything with "Islands" in the name
These ones used to, but don't always now:
the Sudan [I use this]
the Lebanon [never heard of it like this; I guess perhaps it was related to the word "Levantine," etc., and it was seen as representing this sort of region?]
the Gambia [I use this]
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Also, "the Bahamas."
furrykef:
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Iraq doesn't. These ones do:
the Netherlands [I use this]
the Czech Republic [That's because "republic" is at the end, also just saying "Czech" to refer to the country itself is weird, and there doesn't seem to be any easy way of converting to a name that a country would have, like "Czechia," which would be the height of weirdness.]
the Ukraine [I use this]
anything with "Islands" in the name
These ones used to, but don't always now:
the Sudan [I use this]
the Lebanon [never heard of it like this; I guess perhaps it was related to the word "Levantine," etc., and it was seen as representing this sort of region?]
the Gambia [I use this]
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Also, "the Bahamas."
<<That's because "republic" is at the end, also just saying "Czech" to refer to the country itself is weird, and there doesn't seem to be any easy way of converting to a name that a country would have, like "Czechia," which would be the height of weirdness.>>
No, actually the term "Czechia" has some currency, and it's use has been suggested by the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs (or at least it was from 1993 to 2005, according to Wikipedia). It's not weird at all - it's perfectly analogous to other Slavic country names like Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, etc. I really prefer "Czechia", and I use it every chance I can get.
No, actually the term "Czechia" has some currency, and it's use has been suggested by the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs (or at least it was from 1993 to 2005, according to Wikipedia). It's not weird at all - it's perfectly analogous to other Slavic country names like Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, etc. I really prefer "Czechia", and I use it every chance I can get.
Which is how often? ;P I've never heard Czechia before, and honestly, given the state of Eastern Europe these days, I can never remember which countries are going by which names anymore. (Gosh, I miss the Cold War -- geography was so much simpler back then!)
Dingbats, Josh said you had to have an article before any name including ISLANDS. Plural. As in the Hawaiian Islands, the Virgin Islands, the Barrier Islands, etc. Not as in ISLAND, singular.
I grew up with THE Sudan and THE Ivory Coast and THE Ukraine. We in the US were referring to Lebanon without the article when I was a kid, but that Human League song from the eighties was still calling it the Lebanon, so maybe it survived longer in the UK. I've noticed people switching to Sudan and Ukraine in the last 10-15 years or so.
Dingbats, Josh said you had to have an article before any name including ISLANDS. Plural. As in the Hawaiian Islands, the Virgin Islands, the Barrier Islands, etc. Not as in ISLAND, singular.
I grew up with THE Sudan and THE Ivory Coast and THE Ukraine. We in the US were referring to Lebanon without the article when I was a kid, but that Human League song from the eighties was still calling it the Lebanon, so maybe it survived longer in the UK. I've noticed people switching to Sudan and Ukraine in the last 10-15 years or so.
I am glad to read that Americans know the names of such countries like Sudan and Lebanon. ;)
Is it correct to omit the article in the case of names of countries such as The Netherlands? I particularly find it worse to omit "the" than saying The Canada for example, so if I'm not completely sure it would be ok to simply omit it?
I heard someone from Korea say "The Korea" last week. Ouch! Is there ANY justification for using a definate article with Korea. I've never heard it.
Adding to "the Lebanon and the Sudan", Yemen was also called "the Yemen" in some old books. I think the reason for "the Sudan" and "the Yemen" is that this is how they are called in Arabic, i.e. with a definite article, i.e. "Al-Sudan", "Al-Yaman". For Lebanon, the reference here is to "Mount Lebanon" and in English mountains have definite articles, cf the Alps.
<< For Lebanon, the reference here is to "Mount Lebanon" and in English mountains have definite articles, cf the Alps. >>
Mountain *ranges* take the article, but individual mountains rarely do.
Mountain *ranges* take the article, but individual mountains rarely do.