The Ukraine

[CDW]

some of you argued about not to use 'the' Ukraine.

I was watching a film called 'Transporter 3' the other day and 'the ukraine' was mentioned!

[Muzh]

some of you argued about not to use 'the' Ukraine.

I was watching a film called 'Transporter 3' the other day and 'the ukraine' was mentioned!

That's because they are idiots.

[Jumper]

accurate information is always found in action adventure movies
 

[Hammer2722]

accurate information is always found in action adventure movies
 

Absolutely! LOL I highly recommend watching the Family Guy episode with Yanukovich and Ukraine. Its hilarious!!!!

[tfcrew]

accurate information is always found in action adventure movies
 

That's funny !

Be mindful no articles [the a an] in Russian language.

Karl [from the Texas].

[calmissile]

That's because they are idiots.

I would not call them idiots.  'The Ukraine' was in use for so many years, not eveyone has adjsuted.  Does not make them idiots.   Maybe the idiots are the ones that make a big stink about it!!

Also, in the past year I watched many documentaries that were done many years ago and they refer to Ukraine as 'The Ukraine'.  I doubt someone is going to go back and edit all the old newsreels just to make you happy.  LOL

[CDW]

That's because they are idiots.

Tell that to James Bond (Sean Connery) too !!

[Jumper]

::::in my best james bond voice:::::


Ukraine,
the Ukraine

[knighta]

The Ukraine was also mentioned in We Were Soldiers and War of the Worlds(2005).

[Anotherkiwi]

The Ukraine was also mentioned in We Were Soldiers and War of the Worlds(2005).

It was also said repeatedly in the television coverage of the Olympics by both New Zealand and Australian commentators, and it drove me up the wall.  I asked this in another thread, but nobody answered: what was the US Olympic coverage like in this area?  Can anyone remember? 

[Muzh]

I would not call them idiots.  'The Ukraine' was in use for so many years, not eveyone has adjsuted.  Does not make them idiots.   Maybe the idiots are the ones that make a big stink about it!!

Also, in the past year I watched many documentaries that were done many years ago and they refer to Ukraine as 'The Ukraine'.  I doubt someone is going to go back and edit all the old newsreels just to make you happy.  LOL

Well, the "idiots" who complain about it felt they were subjugated in their own country.

Tell me, how well do you think you will adjust after California is taken back by Mejico?

[Muzh]

It was also said repeatedly in the television coverage of the Olympics by both New Zealand and Australian commentators, and it drove me up the wall.  I asked this in another thread, but nobody answered: what was the US Olympic coverage like in this area?  Can anyone remember? 

Think about this, they still spell the capital as Kiev.

[Faux Pas]

Well, the "idiots" who complain about it felt they were subjugated in their own country.

Tell me, how well do you think you will adjust after California is taken back by Mejico?

You mean by The Mejico?

[Muzh]

You mean by The Mejico?

LMFAO

[tfcrew]

Think about this, they still spell the capital as Kiev.

In the Russian translation, it is.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiev

Tell me, how well do you think you will adjust after California is taken back by Mejico?

After ??
Only Hollywood and Chinatown is left [if you don't count landscapers]

[mendeleyev]

Those of us who make a big stink, and I'm gladly at the head of the class, do so because Ukraine has laboured hard to come out from under the idea that they are simply an extension of Russia.

A few years ago the Ukrainian parliament petitioned the countries of the United Nations that their country was named with only one word, Ukraine, and asked each country to change their official websites, documents and Embassy signs to take "the" out and replace it with "Ukraine."

In the modern world calling this proud country "the Ukraine" makes as much sense as "The Canada" or "The France" or "The Texas" or as was mentioned previously, "The Mexico."

Lima, Ohio and Lima, Peru are pronounced differently depending on which place you are describing. To decide for ourselves that we'll called them the same no matter what those who call it home have named would be disrespectful. To think that we know better than Ukrainians on how to name their country is equally disrespectful.





http://www.president.gov.ua/en/

http://www.beedictionary.com/common-errors/the_ukraine_vs_ukraine

http://www.mfa.gov.ua/usa/en/

http://www.infoukes.com/faq/the_ukraine/
   
In my profession as a journalist, the use of "the" Ukraine is a grammatical error and editors are free to remove "the" should I ever be drunk enough, and I rarely drink, to make that mistake. Every international professional style guide for journalists lists the use of "the" in front of Ukraine as an error.
   

[SANDRO43]

In my profession as a journalist, the use of "the" Ukraine is a grammatical error and editors are free to remove "the" should I ever be drunk enough, and I rarely drink, to make that mistake.

Editors...does the human variant still exist ?

I'm afraid that the electronic alternative has made them mostly extinct, in books I'm noticing an increasing number of 'correct' misprints, for instance recently a my instead of a by that made the sentence meaningless but obviously passed electronic scrutiny .

[ML]

Thanks Mendy, and it is even more simple . . .

There are only two groups of countries which require the article in English:

Those with plural names such as the United States, the Netherlands, the Philippines.

The others have names with adjectival or compound forms which require the article, such as the United Kingdom.

Another situation would be when the country itself decides to incorporate 'the' as part of its official name.  In this case, The is capitalized.

Thus we have,  The Gambia.


On a somewhat related note:

I am strongly in favor of all persons everywhere in the world spelling and calling the countries and cities as the persons in those countries do.

For instance (and natives correct me where I am wrong) we should all be saying Italia, Roma, Sverige, Norge, Ukrayina, etc.

I just checked, and the 'correct' names are readily available here:

http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/countrynames_italian.htm

[SANDRO43]

I am strongly in favor of all persons everywhere in the world spelling and calling the countries and cities as the persons in those countries do.
For instance (and natives correct me where I am wrong) we should all be saying Italia, Roma, Sverige, Norge, Ukrayina, etc.

ML, nationalising foreign toponyms is an old habit in many languages.

For instance, we say/write Londra, Parigi, Lisbona, Berlino, Vienna, Mosca, Varsavia, etc. and don't use their original alien names. We also used Nuova York up to the 1950s, before abandoning it in favour of New York. We just gave up in the case of Washington, too complicated to bother .

It was probably the result of trying to adapt foreign sounds to those of one's national language, e.g. Florence for Firenze and Venice for Venezia, our hard Z sound (ts) being hard to manage for English speakers.

[Anotherkiwi]

...It was probably the result of trying to adapt foreign sounds to those of one's national language, e.g. Florence for Firenze and Venice for Venezia, our hard Z sound (ts) being hard to manage for English speakers.

Rubbish - everyone who speaks English can pronounce "pizza"! 

[SANDRO43]

Rubbish - everone who speaks English can pronounce "pizza"! 

...and forgets how to write everyone in the process ? Everone looks almost Italian .

[Anotherkiwi]

...and forgets how to write everyone in the process ? Everone looks almost Italian .

It's fixed now - you can delete your post! 

[SANDRO43]

It's fixed now - you can delete your post! 

No gumbā, it will stand forever as indelible proof of your as yet undisclosed alien heritage .

[Hammer2722]

Those of us who make a big stink, and I'm gladly at the head of the class, do so because Ukraine has laboured hard to come out from under the idea that they are simply an extension of Russia.

Yeah, and the way the country is headed under Mafia Boss Yanuk, it soon may well be again someday soon..... 

[jone]

Careful on the Mafia Quote.  You'll wind up poisoned or thrown in jail!  (Where is Yulia when we need her?)

-j