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From: deb5@midway.uchicago.edu (Daniel von Brighoff)
Subject: Bronx [was: Re: the Argentine
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References: <33B2726E.1A94@mathworks.com> <5ou2kc$nat7@news.nist.gov>
Date: Thu, 26 Jun 1997 16:38:31 GMT
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In article <5ou2kc$nat7@news.nist.gov>,
John E Koontz <koontz@cam.nist.gov> wrote:
>In article <33B2726E.1A94@mathworks.com>, bill balint <balint@mathworks.com> writes:
>|> Someone recently asked me about English conventions regarding the
>|> definite article in front of place names.  We say "the Bronx," "the
>|> Congo," etc., but don't say "the India" or "the Argentina."
>|> 
>|> Does anyone have a description of when a 'the' is likely to be placed in
>|> front of a place name?
>
>I think it typically occurs where the present noun was
>originally an adjective modifying a locality noun now
>omitted, and the reduction is recent enough that the
>anomally hasn't been eliminated, or the anomally is one
>that is somehow treasured by users.
>
>So, the Bronx (district?), 

the Bronck's [family/house].  They were one of the first families to
settle in the area.  I don't think the name cum article was borrowed
wholesale from Dutch, but I could be wrong.

>the Congo (region?), the
>Argentine (province?), etc.  Sometimes whole classes of
>names take the article for this reason, e.g., (most? all?)
>rivernames in English.  In some cases the name with article
>combination is actually borrowed from another language,
>e.g., "the Bronx."  Languages do not always agree on the
>article.  I think French uses the article with Colorado
>(Territory), for example.  Sorry - I've forgotten which
>gender!

-- 
	 Daniel "Da" von Brighoff    /\          Dilettanten
	(deb5@midway.uchicago.edu)  /__\         erhebt Euch
				   /____\      gegen die Kunst!
