Date:  Wed, 30 Nov 1994 18:33:57 -0800

From:  Birrell Walsh <birrell[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]WELL.SF.CA.US>

Subject: Re: 'the' in place names (Kaye)



On Wed, 30 Nov 1994, Scott Schwenter wrote:



> > ....San Francisco neighborhoods.

> >

> >The Mission

> >The Haight

> >The Ingleside

> >The Sunset

> >The Western Addition

> >The Richmond

> >The Castro

> >The Marina

> >

> >but

> >

> >Noe Valley

> >Hunters Point

> >Japantown

> >Chinatown

> >North Beach

> >Twin Peaks

> >

> >Bayview and the Bayview are both heard,

> >as are South of Market and the South of Market. The former is older;

> >when it was a largely Irish neighborhood it was called South of the Slot

> >because there was a cable-car (with a slot to grip the cable) running on

> >Market Street.

> >

>

> Aren't these differences due to the fact that those that take 'the' (except

> for 'The Western Addition') are shortened from a longer NP 'The X

> District'? On the other hand, the non 'the'-taking neighborhoods don't take

> 'District' : *'The Japantown District'.

>

> On local TV newscasts (e.g. KGO), those that take the article are always

> either 'The X District' or 'San Francisco's X District'

>

> Scott

>



In many cases, the "the" forms ARE shortened NP's, with the flonger form

being "the X district." "The Western Addition" is itself an NP.

Interesting it is to note that Japantown and Chinatown are NP's in the

languages of the immigrants (Nihonmachi, Wa Faau) but not in English.



Nice discerning, Scott.



Birrell