I looked up the French rule for using 'en', 'au' or 'aux' to refer to a country. So, 'en France', 'au Japon' 'aux Etats-Unis'.
The rule is simple (and sexist) : Feminine countries require 'en',
masculine countries require 'au', and plural countries take 'aux'.
'Plural countries' intrigued me. The United States, United Arab Emirates
and the Philippines come to mind. There are also a host of island groups
(the Maldives, the Bahamas, the Cook islands etc.)
Any other obvious plural states I've missed?
https://lingoculture.com/blog/vocab/countries-in-french/--
occam <occam@nowhere.nix> posted:
I looked up the French rule for using 'en', 'au' or 'aux' to refer to aWhat about The Netherlands? OK, we usually treat it as singular in sentences like "The Netherlands is one of the Benelux countries", but on the other hand it is plural in form.
country. So, 'en France', 'au Japon' 'aux Etats-Unis'.
The rule is simple (and sexist) : Feminine countries require 'en',
masculine countries require 'au', and plural countries take 'aux'.
'Plural countries' intrigued me. The United States, United Arab Emirates
and the Philippines come to mind. There are also a host of island groups
(the Maldives, the Bahamas, the Cook islands etc.)
Any other obvious plural states I've missed?
I looked up the French rule for using 'en', 'au' or 'aux' to refer to a country. So, 'en France', 'au Japon' 'aux Etats-Unis'.
The rule is simple (and sexist) : Feminine countries require 'en',
masculine countries require 'au', and plural countries take 'aux'.
'Plural countries' intrigued me. The United States, United Arab Emirates
and the Philippines come to mind. There are also a host of island groups
(the Maldives, the Bahamas, the Cook islands etc.)
Any other obvious plural states I've missed?
https://lingoculture.com/blog/vocab/countries-in-french/
I looked up the French rule for using 'en', 'au' or 'aux' to refer
to a country. So, 'en France', 'au Japon' 'aux Etats-Unis'.
The rule is simple (and sexist) : Feminine countries require 'en',
masculine countries require 'au', and plural countries take 'aux'.
'Plural countries' intrigued me. The United States, United Arab
Emirates and the Philippines come to mind. There are also a host of
island groups (the Maldives, the Bahamas, the Cook islands etc.)
Any other obvious plural states I've missed?
https://lingoculture.com/blog/vocab/countries-in-french/
occam <occam@nowhere.nix> posted:
I looked up the French rule for using 'en', 'au' or 'aux' to refer to a
country. So, 'en France', 'au Japon' 'aux Etats-Unis'.
The rule is simple (and sexist) : Feminine countries require 'en',
masculine countries require 'au', and plural countries take 'aux'.
'Plural countries' intrigued me. The United States, United Arab Emirates
and the Philippines come to mind. There are also a host of island groups
(the Maldives, the Bahamas, the Cook islands etc.)
Any other obvious plural states I've missed?
What about The Netherlands? OK, we usually treat it as singular in sentences like "The Netherlands is one of the Benelux countries", but on the other hand
it is plural in form.
https://lingoculture.com/blog/vocab/countries-in-french/
On 2026-09-22, occam wrote:
I looked up the French rule for using 'en', 'au' or 'aux' to refer to a
country. So, 'en France', 'au Japon' 'aux Etats-Unis'.
The rule is simple (and sexist) : Feminine countries require 'en',
masculine countries require 'au', and plural countries take 'aux'.
Masculine singular countries that start with a vowel or "h muet" also
take "en"; I think l'Iran is one of them.
'Plural countries' intrigued me. The United States, United Arab Emirates
and the Philippines come to mind. There are also a host of island groups
(the Maldives, the Bahamas, the Cook islands etc.)
Any other obvious plural states I've missed?
https://lingoculture.com/blog/vocab/countries-in-french/
|etats-Unis mexicains, officiellement.
Les Pays-Bas, which is plural in both French and English because
historically the Netherlands was formed as a union of smaller entities.
But the name is singular in Dutch, presumably because the Dutch want to emphasise the country's unity.
On 22/09/2026 12:57, Peter Moylan wrote:
Les Pays-Bas, which is plural in both French and English because
historically the Netherlands was formed as a union of smaller entities.
But the name is singular in Dutch, presumably because the Dutch want to
emphasise the country's unity.
As a counter example of sorts, Le Royaume-Uni (United Kingdom - the
Union of Wales, Scotland, England, and NI) is singular hence "je vais au Royaume-Uni" (not 'aux').
Funny old world.
On 22/09/26 18:36, occam wrote:
I looked up the French rule for using 'en', 'au' or 'aux' to refer
to a country. So, 'en France', 'au Japon' 'aux Etats-Unis'.
The rule is simple (and sexist) : Feminine countries require 'en', masculine countries require 'au', and plural countries take 'aux'.
In this context "plural" means nothing more or less than "grammatically plural". The "aux" is used iff the name (in French) of the country is a plural noun, possibly compound. No judgement is made on whether the
country is united or fragmented. It's a purely grammatical criterion.
'Plural countries' intrigued me. The United States, United Arab
Emirates and the Philippines come to mind. There are also a host of
island groups (the Maldives, the Bahamas, the Cook islands etc.)
Any other obvious plural states I've missed?
https://lingoculture.com/blog/vocab/countries-in-french/
Les Pays-Bas, which is plural in both French and English because
historically the Netherlands was formed as a union of smaller entities.
But the name is singular in Dutch, presumably because the Dutch want to emphasise the country's unity.
I looked up the French rule for using 'en', 'au' or 'aux' to refer to a >country. So, 'en France', 'au Japon' 'aux Etats-Unis'.
The rule is simple (and sexist) : Feminine countries require 'en',
masculine countries require 'au', and plural countries take 'aux'.
'Plural countries' intrigued me. The United States, United Arab Emirates
and the Philippines come to mind. There are also a host of island groups
(the Maldives, the Bahamas, the Cook islands etc.)
On 22/09/26 18:36, occam wrote:
I looked up the French rule for using 'en', 'au' or 'aux' to refer
to a country. So, 'en France', 'au Japon' 'aux Etats-Unis'.
The rule is simple (and sexist) : Feminine countries require 'en',
masculine countries require 'au', and plural countries take 'aux'.
In this context "plural" means nothing more or less than "grammatically >plural". The "aux" is used iff the name (in French) of the country is a >plural noun, possibly compound. No judgement is made on whether the
country is united or fragmented. It's a purely grammatical criterion.
[...] In some languages the question might arise as to whether "USA", being an acronym for a phrase that is itself morphologically plural, should itself be deemed plural.
This caused me to look up the US in Finnish Wikipedia -- while I can't
read Finnish any more, I can recognize the morphology well enough.
That article *never* uses "USA" except to mention it once in the
intro. Interestingly, while "Yhdysvallat" is morphologically plural
(and remains so when declined in any of the 11 other cases) as a
subject it is often used, in that article anyway, with the 3sg copula
"on", which makes me wonder why it's not 3pl "ovat", and if the
Finnish standard took directly from the US practice of singular
agreement when speaking about the country as a whole.
Le 22/09/2026 |a 12:11, occam a |-crit :
On 22/09/2026 12:57, Peter Moylan wrote:
Les Pays-Bas, which is plural in both French and English because
historically the Netherlands was formed as a union of smaller entities.
I should think that's true of many countries - the UK, Germany, ItalyrCa.
But the name is singular in Dutch, presumably because the Dutch want to
emphasise the country's unity.
As a counter example of sorts, Le Royaume-Uni (United Kingdom - the
Union of Wales, Scotland, England, and NI) is singular hence "je vais au Royaume-Uni" (not 'aux').
Funny old world.
Perhaps the United Kingdom is more united than the Netherlands. Long may
it remain so!
Le 22/09/2026 |a 12:11, occam a |-crit :
On 22/09/2026 12:57, Peter Moylan wrote:
Les Pays-Bas, which is plural in both French and English because
historically the Netherlands was formed as a union of smaller
entities.
I should think that's true of many countries - the UK, Germany,
ItalyrCa.
On 22/09/26 22:29, Hibou wrote:
Le 22/09/2026 |a 12:11, occam a |-crit :
On 22/09/2026 12:57, Peter Moylan wrote:
Les Pays-Bas, which is plural in both French and English because
historically the Netherlands was formed as a union of smaller
entities.
I should think that's true of many countries - the UK, Germany,
ItalyrCa.
The difference, I think, is in the question of timing. In English terms
like "the low countries" and "the nether lands" were in general use long >before the nation of Nederland precipitated out of the mix. That's
because the regions in question were near neighbours of England and
Scotland.
As distance increases, people have a fuzzier understanding of the status
of remote regions. Even today, most people have a poor understanding of
the relationship between Germany and Prussia.
Until recently, most Americans (including me) spoke of "the Ukraine"
instead of "Ukraine" -- I saw an explanation once, but I forget it.
It might have been that Russians spoke of 'the Ukraine" like
Australians speak of "the Outback".
The custom in English is not to put an article on the name of a country,
Until recently, most Americans (including me) spoke of "the Ukraine"
instead of "Ukraine" -- I saw an explanation once, but I forget it.
It might have been that Russians spoke of 'the Ukraine" like
Australians speak of "the Outback".
rCLThe United States of America (USA) are a federal republic of fifty states,
which has[number unspecified] three branches of government: the judicial, the
Congress, and the executive. The president of the latter branch is elected
for four year periods, as head of state and commander in chief of the
military forces at the same time.rCY
Not how I would have chosen to open an article on the US, but it doesnrCOt annoy
me enough to change it.
Anyway, it uses the plural for United States of America and uses the singular for Meirice|i, used synonymously in the article. It barely uses the acronym and
not in a context where the verb is marked for number.
The Scots Gaelic Wikipedia article doesnrCOt open quite as oddly. It does uses
the plural throughout. It doesnrCOt seem to use a synonym (the equivalent would
be Aimearaga.)
The Persian Wikipedia article uses the singular; it doesnrCOt use the acronym.
Den 23.09.2026 kl. 05.50 skrev Peter Moylan:
The custom in English is not to put an article on the name of a
country,
What is it then?
On 23/09/26 15:33, Bertel Lund Hansen wrote:
Den 23.09.2026 kl. 05.50 skrev Peter Moylan:
The custom in English is not to put an article on the name of a
country,
What is it then?
This came up recently, although I've forgotten the context. English is flexible about the exact position of a "not".
If I'd been writing more carefully, I might have said "the custom ... is
to put no article ...". Still, I believe my original wording would be acceptable to most people.
On 22/09/2026 19:43, Aidan Kehoe wrote:
rCLThe United States of America (USA) are a federal republic of fifty
states, which has[number unspecified] three branches of government: the
judicial, the Congress, and the executive. The president of the latter
branch is elected for four year periods, as head of state and commander
in chief of the military forces at the same time.rCY
Not how I would have chosen to open an article on the US, but it doesnrCOt annoy me enough to change it.
Anyway, it uses the plural for United States of America and uses the singular for Meirice|i, used synonymously in the article. It barely uses the acronym and not in a context where the verb is marked for number.
The Scots Gaelic Wikipedia article doesnrCOt open quite as oddly. It does uses the plural throughout. It doesnrCOt seem to use a synonym (the equivalent would be Aimearaga.)
The Persian Wikipedia article uses the singular; it doesnrCOt use the acronym.
Does the latter it mention 'The Great Sheitan'. Just curious </smile>
The custom in English is not to put an article on the name of a
country,
What is it then?
This came up recently, although I've forgotten the context. English is flexible about the exact position of a "not".
On 23/09/26 13:06, Rich Ulrich wrote:
Until recently, most Americans (including me) spoke of "the Ukraine"
instead of "Ukraine" -- I saw an explanation once, but I forget it.
It might have been that Russians spoke of 'the Ukraine" like
Australians speak of "the Outback".
The Russian language doesn't have a definite article, so it's a
non-issue if you're speaking Russian (or Ukrainian). Similarly, nobody
is bothered by the article in the French name of the country, because
French puts an article in front of /every/ country name. It's
specifically a question of what you call the country in English.
The custom in English is not to put an article on the name of a country,
but we do often use an article when referring to a region inside a
country. So indeed we have the outback, the south-west, the Rockies, the
Gold Coast, the Midlands, and so on.
That means that "The Ukraine" sounds like a region, maybe part of
Greater Russia. So the Russians are happy with that, but the Ukrainians
are not.
Le 23/09/2026 |a 04:06, Rich Ulrich a |-crit :
Until recently, most Americans (including me) spoke of "the Ukraine"
instead of "Ukraine" -- I saw an explanation once, but I forget it.
It might have been that Russians spoke of 'the Ukraine" like
Australians speak of "the Outback".
"'The Ukraine' is incorrect both grammatically and politically, says
Oksana Kyzyma of the Embassy of Ukraine in London. / 'Ukraine is both
the conventional short and long name of the country,' she says. 'This
name is stated in the Ukrainian Declaration of Independence and >Constitution.' / The use of the article relates to the time before >independence in 1991 [...] Those who called it 'the Ukraine' in English
must have known that the word meant 'borderland', says Anatoly Liberman,
a professor at the University of Minnesota [...] So they referred to it
as 'the borderland'" -
<https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18233844>
"There are many other country names that are habitually referred to with >'the', such as Congo, Gambia, Yemen, Lebanon, Sudan, Netherlands, >Philippines and Bahamas. / But according to several authoritative
sources, such as the CIA World Factbook, the Times Comprehensive Atlas
of the World, and the US Department of State, only two countries, The >Bahamas and The Gambia, should officially be referred to with the article."
On Wed, 23 Sep 2026 06:48:02 +0100, Hibou <vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid> wrote:
Le 23/09/2026 |a 04:06, Rich Ulrich a |-crit :
Until recently, most Americans (including me) spoke of "the Ukraine"
instead of "Ukraine" -- I saw an explanation once, but I forget it.
It might have been that Russians spoke of 'the Ukraine" like
Australians speak of "the Outback".
"'The Ukraine' is incorrect both grammatically and politically, says >Oksana Kyzyma of the Embassy of Ukraine in London. / 'Ukraine is both
the conventional short and long name of the country,' she says. 'This
name is stated in the Ukrainian Declaration of Independence and >Constitution.' / The use of the article relates to the time before >independence in 1991 [...] Those who called it 'the Ukraine' in English >must have known that the word meant 'borderland', says Anatoly Liberman,
a professor at the University of Minnesota [...] So they referred to it
as 'the borderland'" -
<https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18233844>
"There are many other country names that are habitually referred to with >'the', such as Congo, Gambia, Yemen, Lebanon, Sudan, Netherlands, >Philippines and Bahamas. / But according to several authoritative
sources, such as the CIA World Factbook, the Times Comprehensive Atlas
of the World, and the US Department of State, only two countries, The >Bahamas and The Gambia, should officially be referred to with the article."
Nice.
Thanks.
Far be it from me to diasgree with such august sources as CIA World Factbook, >the Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World, and the US Department of State, >but I don't think I've ever seen "Netherlands" or "Philippines" written without
"The" or "the" (other than when used adjectivally). Probably "Congo" neither.
Far be it from me to diasgree with such august sources as CIA World Factbook, the Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World, and the US Department of State, but I don't think I've ever seen "Netherlands" or "Philippines" written without
"The" or "the" (other than when used adjectivally). Probably "Congo" neither.
"The Republic of the Congo" is arthrous, but "Congo-Brazzaville" is
not.
<https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arthrous> does not help me understand what you mean? Can you help a foreigner?
Congo is a special case because there are two of them.
Garrett Wollman hat am 23.09.2026 um 20:44 geschrieben:
"The Republic of the Congo" is arthrous, but "Congo-Brazzaville" is
not.
<https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arthrous> does not help me understand what you mean? Can you help a foreigner?
On 22/09/26 22:29, Hibou wrote:
Le 22/09/2026 |a 12:11, occam a |-crit :
On 22/09/2026 12:57, Peter Moylan wrote:
Les Pays-Bas, which is plural in both French and English because
historically the Netherlands was formed as a union of smaller
entities.
I should think that's true of many countries - the UK, Germany,
ItalyrCa.
The difference, I think, is in the question of timing. In English terms
like "the low countries" and "the nether lands" were in general use long >before the nation of Nederland precipitated out of the mix. That's
because the regions in question were near neighbours of England and
Scotland.
Hibou quoted:
<https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18233844> [:]
"There are many other country names that are habitually referred to with >>> 'the', such as Congo, Gambia, Yemen, Lebanon, Sudan, Netherlands,
Philippines and Bahamas. / But according to several authoritative
sources, such as the CIA World Factbook, the Times Comprehensive Atlas
of the World, and the US Department of State, only two countries, The
Bahamas and The Gambia, should officially be referred to with the article."
Far be it from me to diasgree with such august sources as CIA World Factbook, the Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World, and the US Department of State, but I don't think I've ever seen "Netherlands" or "Philippines" written without
"The" or "the" (other than when used adjectivally). Probably "Congo" neither.
On 24/09/26 05:38, Silvano wrote:
Garrett Wollman hat am 23.09.2026 um 20:44 geschrieben:
"The Republic of the Congo" is arthrous, but "Congo-Brazzaville" is
not.
<https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arthrous> does not help me
understand what you mean? Can you help a foreigner?
Don't feel bad about it. I suspect that the majority of native English speakers don't know the word.
"The Netherlands" or "the Low Countries" can, and sometimes does,
refer to Benelux. To avoid ambiguity one should speak of the Kingdom
of the Netherlands (Koninkrijk der Nederlanden).
Rich Ulrich <rich.ulrich@comcast.net> posted:
On Wed, 23 Sep 2026 06:48:02 +0100, HibouFar be it from me to diasgree with such august sources as CIA World Factbook,
<vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid> wrote:
Le 23/09/2026 |a 04:06, Rich Ulrich a |-crit :Nice.
Until recently, most Americans (including me) spoke of "the Ukraine"
instead of "Ukraine" -- I saw an explanation once, but I forget it.
It might have been that Russians spoke of 'the Ukraine" like
Australians speak of "the Outback".
"'The Ukraine' is incorrect both grammatically and politically, says
Oksana Kyzyma of the Embassy of Ukraine in London. / 'Ukraine is both
the conventional short and long name of the country,' she says. 'This
name is stated in the Ukrainian Declaration of Independence and
Constitution.' / The use of the article relates to the time before
independence in 1991 [...] Those who called it 'the Ukraine' in English
must have known that the word meant 'borderland', says Anatoly Liberman, >> >a professor at the University of Minnesota [...] So they referred to it
as 'the borderland'" -
<https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18233844>
"There are many other country names that are habitually referred to with >> >'the', such as Congo, Gambia, Yemen, Lebanon, Sudan, Netherlands,
Philippines and Bahamas. / But according to several authoritative
sources, such as the CIA World Factbook, the Times Comprehensive Atlas
of the World, and the US Department of State, only two countries, The
Bahamas and The Gambia, should officially be referred to with the article." >>
Thanks.
the Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World, and the US Department of State, but I don't think I've ever seen "Netherlands" or "Philippines" written without
"The" or "the" (other than when used adjectivally). Probably "Congo" neither.
Le 24/09/2026 |a 00:59, Peter Moylan a |-crit :
On 24/09/26 05:38, Silvano wrote:
<https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arthrous> does not help meDon't feel bad about it. I suspect that the majority of native
understand what you mean? Can you help a foreigner?
English speakers don't know the word.
I, for one, knew it not.
Arthrous: "Of a Greek noun: used with the article. Opposed to
/anarthrous/" - OED.
So, nothing to do with round tables, then. Just beware of Greeks in
the Congo.
let me submit a usage example, if it helps even if the OED probably won' accept it
%
The simple fact is that if you are ever mentioned on page 1 of a Dan
Brown novel you will be mentioned with an anarthrous occupational
nominal premodifier ("Renowned linguist Geoff Pullum staggered across
the savage splendor of the forsaken Santa Cruz campus, struggling to
remove the knife plunged unnaturally into his back by a barbarous
millionaire novelist"), and you will have died a painful and horrible
death by page 2, along with several curiously ill-chosen cliches and
mangled idioms.
-- Geoffrey K. Pullum
%
* Hibou <nhk18cFqgq9U2@mid.individual.net> :
Wrote on Thu, 24 Sep 2026 08:19:40 +0100:
Le 24/09/2026 |a 00:59, Peter Moylan a |-crit :
On 24/09/26 05:38, Silvano wrote:
<https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arthrous> does not help me >>> understand what you mean? Can you help a foreigner?Don't feel bad about it. I suspect that the majority of native
English speakers don't know the word.
I, for one, knew it not.
Arthrous: "Of a Greek noun: used with the article. Opposed to
/anarthrous/" - OED.
So, nothing to do with round tables, then. Just beware of Greeks in
the Congo.
let me submit a usage example, if it helps even if the OED probably won' accept it
%
The simple fact is that if you are ever mentioned on page 1 of a Dan
Brown novel you will be mentioned with an anarthrous occupational
nominal premodifier ("Renowned linguist Geoff Pullum staggered across
the savage splendor of the forsaken Santa Cruz campus, struggling to
remove the knife plunged unnaturally into his back by a barbarous
millionaire novelist"), and you will have died a painful and horrible
death by page 2, along with several curiously ill-chosen cliches and
mangled idioms.
-- Geoffrey K. Pullum
In my experience it's always "The United States of America" or "The
USA". Would anyone really say "I'm going to USA"?
Den 24.09.2026 kl. 17.44 skrev Radey Shouman:
In my experience it's always "The United States of America" or "The
USA". Would anyone really say "I'm going to USA"?
I'm always debating with myself whether to have the article or not.
On 9/23/2026 8:44 PM, Garrett Wollman wrote:
Congo is a special case because there are two of them.
Which makes it even more dubious to refer to either of
them as "the" Congo.
"The Republic of the Congo" is arthrous, but "Congo-Brazzaville" is
not.
In article <11916m0$2la1$1@usenet.csail.mit.edu>,
Garrett Wollman <wollman@hergotha.csail.mit.edu> wrote:
"The Republic of the Congo" is arthrous, but "Congo-Brazzaville" is
not.
Perhaps we should call them "Arthrous Congo" and "The Anarthrous Congo".
Madhu <enometh@meer.net> posted:
* Hibou <nhk18cFqgq9U2@mid.individual.net> :
Wrote on Thu, 24 Sep 2026 08:19:40 +0100:
Le 24/09/2026 a 00:59, Peter Moylan a ocrit :
On 24/09/26 05:38, Silvano wrote:I, for one, knew it not.
<https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arthrous> does not help me >>>>> understand what you mean? Can you help a foreigner?Don't feel bad about it. I suspect that the majority of native
English speakers don't know the word.
Arthrous: "Of a Greek noun: used with the article. Opposed to
/anarthrous/" - OED.
So, nothing to do with round tables, then. Just beware of Greeks in
the Congo.
let me submit a usage example, if it helps even if the OED probably won'
accept it
%
The simple fact is that if you are ever mentioned on page 1 of a Dan
Brown novel you will be mentioned with an anarthrous occupational
nominal premodifier ("Renowned linguist Geoff Pullum staggered across
the savage splendor of the forsaken Santa Cruz campus, struggling to
remove the knife plunged unnaturally into his back by a barbarous
millionaire novelist"), and you will have died a painful and horrible
death by page 2, along with several curiously ill-chosen cliches and
mangled idioms.
-- Geoffrey K. Pullum
Geoffrey Pullum's withdrawal from Language Log is one of the tragedies of
the age.
"The Republic of the Congo" is arthrous, but "Congo-Brazzaville" is
not.
Perhaps we should call them "Arthrous Congo" and "The Anarthrous Congo".
Yes, but we're not discussing Danish usage.In my experience it's always "The United States of America" or "The
USA". Would anyone really say "I'm going to USA"?
I'm always debating with myself whether to have the article or not.
Den 25.09.2026 kl. 10.48 skrev Richard Tobin:
"The Republic of the Congo" is arthrous, but "Congo-Brazzaville" is
not.
Perhaps we should call them "Arthrous Congo" and "The Anarthrous Congo".
It sound dirty.
On 26/09/2026 07:48, Bertel Lund Hansen wrote:
Den 25.09.2026 kl. 10.48 skrev Richard Tobin:On the other hand, I must thank this thread for sending me off on a long diversion to read about the River Congo. (200 metres deep in places!)
"The Republic of the Congo" is arthrous, but "Congo-Brazzaville" is
not.
Perhaps we should call them "Arthrous Congo" and "The Anarthrous Congo".
It sound dirty.
On 27/09/26 04:55, Sam Plusnet wrote:
On 26/09/2026 07:48, Bertel Lund Hansen wrote:
Den 25.09.2026 kl. 10.48 skrev Richard Tobin:On the other hand, I must thank this thread for sending me off on a long
It sound dirty."The Republic of the Congo" is arthrous, but "Congo-Brazzaville" is
not.
Perhaps we should call them "Arthrous Congo" and "The Anarthrous Congo". >>>
diversion to read about the River Congo. (200 metres deep in places!)
Then along that riverbank
A thousand miles
Tattooed cannibals danced in files;
Then I heard the boom of the blood-lust song
In article <11916m0$2la1$1@usenet.csail.mit.edu>,
Garrett Wollman <wollman@hergotha.csail.mit.edu> wrote:
"The Republic of the Congo" is arthrous, but "Congo-Brazzaville" is
not.
Perhaps we should call them "Arthrous Congo" and "The Anarthrous Congo".
On 2026-09-26, Peter Moylan wrote:
On 27/09/26 04:55, Sam Plusnet wrote:
On 26/09/2026 07:48, Bertel Lund Hansen wrote:
Den 25.09.2026 kl. 10.48 skrev Richard Tobin:On the other hand, I must thank this thread for sending me off on a long >>> diversion to read about the River Congo. (200 metres deep in places!)
It sound dirty."The Republic of the Congo" is arthrous, but "Congo-Brazzaville" is >>>>>> not.
Perhaps we should call them "Arthrous Congo" and "The Anarthrous Congo". >>>>
Then along that riverbank
A thousand miles
Tattooed cannibals danced in files;
Then I heard the boom of the blood-lust song
I had to look that up: "The Congo" by Nicholas Vachel Lindsay
(1915), subtitled "A Study of the Negro Race", part I "Their Basic
Savagery" --- lovely!
I was thinking of something more recent:
Through sixty-six and seven
They fought the Congo war
With their fingers on their triggers
Knee-deep in gore
For days and nights they battled
The Bantu to their knees
They killed to earn their living
And to help out the Congolese
On 2026-09-26, Peter Moylan wrote:
On 27/09/26 04:55, Sam Plusnet wrote:
On 26/09/2026 07:48, Bertel Lund Hansen wrote:
Den 25.09.2026 kl. 10.48 skrev Richard Tobin:On the other hand, I must thank this thread for sending me off on a long >>> diversion to read about the River Congo. (200 metres deep in places!)
It sound dirty."The Republic of the Congo" is arthrous, but "Congo-Brazzaville" is >>>>>> not.
Perhaps we should call them "Arthrous Congo" and "The Anarthrous Congo". >>>>
Then along that riverbank
A thousand miles
Tattooed cannibals danced in files;
Then I heard the boom of the blood-lust song
I had to look that up: "The Congo" by Nicholas Vachel Lindsay
(1915), subtitled "A Study of the Negro Race", part I "Their Basic
Savagery" --- lovely!
I was thinking of something more recent:
Through sixty-six and seven
They fought the Congo war
With their fingers on their triggers
Knee-deep in gore
For days and nights they battled
The Bantu to their knees
They killed to earn their living
And to help out the Congolese
On 2026-09-26, Peter Moylan wrote:
On 27/09/26 04:55, Sam Plusnet wrote:
On 26/09/2026 07:48, Bertel Lund Hansen wrote:
Den 25.09.2026 kl. 10.48 skrev Richard Tobin:On the other hand, I must thank this thread for sending me off on a long >>> diversion to read about the River Congo. (200 metres deep in places!)
It sound dirty."The Republic of the Congo" is arthrous, but "Congo-Brazzaville" is >>>>>> not.
Perhaps we should call them "Arthrous Congo" and "The Anarthrous Congo". >>>>
Then along that riverbank
A thousand miles
Tattooed cannibals danced in files;
Then I heard the boom of the blood-lust song
I had to look that up: "The Congo" by Nicholas Vachel Lindsay
(1915), subtitled "A Study of the Negro Race", part I "Their Basic
Savagery" --- lovely!
I was thinking of something more recent:
Through sixty-six and seven
They fought the Congo war
With their fingers on their triggers
Knee-deep in gore
For days and nights they battled
The Bantu to their knees
They killed to earn their living
And to help out the Congolese
On 27/09/2026 18:11, Adam Funk wrote:
I was thinking of something more recent:May all Thompson gunners be headless.
Through sixty-six and seven
They fought the Congo war
With their fingers on their triggers
Knee-deep in gore
For days and nights they battled
The Bantu to their knees
They killed to earn their living
And to help out the Congolese
P.S. The Wiki article on the Thomson gun lists the (many many) wars in >which it was utilised. The Congo was isn't mentioned, so Mr Zevon had >different sources.
And a little more modern:
They're rioting in Africa
They're starving in Spain
They're hurricanes in Cuba
And China needs rain
The whole world is festering with unhappy souls
The French hate the Germans, the Germans hate the Poles
The Yugoslavs hate Yugoslavs, South Africans hate the Dutch
And I don't like Governor Wallace very much
On Mon, 28 Sep 2026 08:37:57 +1000, Peter Moylan <peter@pmoylan.org>
wrote:
And a little more modern:
They're rioting in Africa
They're starving in Spain
They're hurricanes in Cuba
And China needs rain
There's hurricanes in Florida
And Texas needs rain (in the version I learnt).
The whole world is festering with unhappy souls
The French hate the Germans, the Germans hate the Poles
The Yugoslavs hate Yugoslavs, South Africans hate the Dutch
And I don't like Governor Wallace very much
Italians hate Yugoslavs
South Africans hate the Dutch
And I don't like anybody very much.
and to end with, more topically:
There's hurricanes in Florida
There's strife in Iran
What nature doesn't do to us
Will be done by our fellow person.
On Wed, 23 Sep 2026 10:31:15 +1000, Peter Moylan <peter@pmoylan.org>
wrote:
On 22/09/26 22:29, Hibou wrote:
Le 22/09/2026 |a 12:11, occam a |-crit :
On 22/09/2026 12:57, Peter Moylan wrote:
Les Pays-Bas, which is plural in both French and English because
historically the Netherlands was formed as a union of smaller
entities.
I should think that's true of many countries - the UK, Germany,
ItalyrCa.
The difference, I think, is in the question of timing. In English terms >like "the low countries" and "the nether lands" were in general use long >before the nation of Nederland precipitated out of the mix. That's
because the regions in question were near neighbours of England and >Scotland.
The difference between the Netherlands and the Kingdom thereof is
similar to that between America and the United States thereof, and
between South Africa and the Union (or Republic thereof).
"The Netherlands" or "the Low Countries" can, and sometimes does,
refer to Benelux.
To avoid ambiguity one should speak of the Kingdom
of the Netherlands (Koninkrijk der Nederlanden).
On 27/09/2026 18:11, Adam Funk wrote:
On 2026-09-26, Peter Moylan wrote:May all Thompson gunners be headless.
On 27/09/26 04:55, Sam Plusnet wrote:
On 26/09/2026 07:48, Bertel Lund Hansen wrote:
Den 25.09.2026 kl. 10.48 skrev Richard Tobin:On the other hand, I must thank this thread for sending me off on a long >>>> diversion to read about the River Congo. (200 metres deep in places!)
It sound dirty."The Republic of the Congo" is arthrous, but "Congo-Brazzaville" is >>>>>>> not.
Perhaps we should call them "Arthrous Congo" and "The Anarthrous Congo". >>>>>
Then along that riverbank
A thousand miles
Tattooed cannibals danced in files;
Then I heard the boom of the blood-lust song
I had to look that up: "The Congo" by Nicholas Vachel Lindsay
(1915), subtitled "A Study of the Negro Race", part I "Their Basic
Savagery" --- lovely!
I was thinking of something more recent:
Through sixty-six and seven
They fought the Congo war
With their fingers on their triggers
Knee-deep in gore
For days and nights they battled
The Bantu to their knees
They killed to earn their living
And to help out the Congolese
P.S. The Wiki article on the Thomson gun lists the (many many) wars in which it was utilised. The Congo was isn't mentioned, so Mr Zevon had different sources.
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