P&G wrote:
> Oh, and there is nothing rude in saying "The Ukraine". I believe the word
> means "south", and like a number of placenames with "the", it is simply a
> geographic term. Most of them lost the "the" over time. By the way, do
> you say "Netherlands" or "The Netherlands"? "Hague" or "The Hague"?
It means 'borderland' or 'land at the edge'. I personally can't see
anything offensive in using a definite article with what used to be a
descriptive geographical name. It's been traditional usage in English,
like "the Lebanon", for example, and I don't particularly care for the
modern viral obsession with verbal political correctness, or the
irrational passion with which totally innocent linguistic targets are
attacked for their alleged political incorrectness. But if the article
should hurt anyone's sensitivity, I can live without it.
Piotr