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Re: Countries with needless definite article.



Michael: do Australians go "in the hospital," like Americans, or do they go "in hospital," like the English?


----- Original Message ----
From: "mje@xxxxxxxx"
To: XyWrite list
Sent: Tuesday, January 8, 2008 12:24:52 PM
Subject: Countries with needless definite article.

[Flash:]

      Well, yes, I guess that is one; but it isn't the one I had mind.  
  I've thought about it a bit further, and I believe "the Lebanon" is 
the one I was trying to think of (which I did mention earlier).
      I'm thinking of an A.B.C. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) 
current-affairs presenter who always says "the Lebanon", and I always 
found it curious and illogical - even the tiniest touch irritating, 
since it seemed to be utterly without reason.  I suppose it's some 
antique linguistic/historic fossil which is amazingly persistent even 
today.
      Perhaps it's a bit like people who refer to India and some of 
its neighbouring countries as "the subcontinent", even though they are  
talking about the political/social entities those countries represent,  
and even though I believe a subcontinent is only a geological entity, 
not a political or national one.  It just sounds strange to me.

                          Regards,
                          Michael Edwards.





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