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From: barryg@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Lee Gold)
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Subject: Re: Why the vax, but not the Unix??
Message-ID: <2061@sdcrdcf.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 9-Jun-85 10:04:58 EDT
Article-I.D.: sdcrdcf.2061
Posted: Sun Jun  9 10:04:58 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 11-Jun-85 08:42:30 EDT
References: <27400001@gypsy.UUCP> <546@hou2b.UUCP>
Reply-To: barryg@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Lee Gold)
Organization: System Development Corp. R+D, Santa Monica
Lines: 11
Summary: 

Unfortunately, answering that UNIX is an adjective doesn't solve the problem.
In this language, it's perfectly proper to use adjectives as nouns.  It's
called metonymy (I think) in poetics, but my Linguistics prof just called
it function shift to say stuff like "floating in the blue" or "Things are
sunny" or "Black is beautiful."

As you'll notice from the above example, SOME adjectives take "the" and
some don't.  Unfortuntely I only took a couple of classes in Linguistics.
Maybe someone else can summarize which adjectives do/don't and why.

--Lee Gold