Samn! said:
Gorazd said:
Why not? Since "the Ukraine" is a pro-Russian wording, I wouldn't mind calling the UOC-MP OCtU
Only very, very fragile identities worry about silly things like an arbitrary question of English usage. I mean, how many Lebanese get annoyed when older Brits talk about "the Lebanon"?
Or indeed “the Yemen” or “the Sudan.” Or “the Czech Republic.” It would be anti-Czech to call the Czech republic something else, in English, in part due to Nazi terminology referring to the region and in part due to the independence of the Czech Republic from Slovakia. Several countries names are prefaced with the, and the Ukraine is one of them. This has always been the case, and does not deprecate the country so named; indeed it can signify great power. The Roman Empire, The British Empire, The Ottoman Empire, the Soviet Union, The United States of America, and so on. Countries that simply have a proper name with no definite article in common use tend to be smaller nation states.
For example, I propose that The Russian Federation sounds grander than just calling it Russia. Ukrainians should be thrilled and honoured their country by default has a definite article attaching to it, and Ukrainians protesting the definite article are making a huge error regarding how the English language works; having a definite article before your name is a good thing, a sign of honour, power, prestige or fear. For example, the two most dreaded freeways in North America are “the 401” in Ontario and “the 405” in greater Los Angeles; also on the list of fear-inspiring highways wouls surely be the Jersey Turnpike, or the Long Island Expressway, in New York City.
This is also why mountain ranges are prefaced with “the.”
Ukrainian members should trust me on this, as someone who desires a strong, independent Ukraine: you want the definite article in your name.