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From: ellis@spar.UUCP (Michael Ellis)
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Subject: `the' and `a' ?
Message-ID: <338@spar.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 18-Jun-85 14:45:24 EDT
Article-I.D.: spar.338
Posted: Tue Jun 18 14:45:24 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 23-Jun-85 11:42:47 EDT
References: <27400001@gypsy.UUCP> <546@hou2b.UUCP> <2061@sdcrdcf.UUCP> <646@lll-crg.ARPA> <4479@mit-eddie.UUCP>
Reply-To: ellis@spar.UUCP (Michael Ellis)
Organization: Schlumberger Palo Alto Research, CA
Lines: 35

>> I would agree with previous posters, that it is "UNIX" rather than "the
>> UNIX" because of intangibility.  Just as we say "he has integrity" rather
>> than "he has the integrity."
>
>But we would say, "He has the integrity in the family."  This sentence seems
>to suppose that integrity is a tangible quantity and there's only so much in
>one family.-- Jeff Mattson

    I fail to see how `the' implies `tangible quantity'.

    Just because abstract nouns don't REQUIRE `the', that doesn't mean they
    ARE FORBIDDEN from using `the'. Note:

	He has the integrity in the family   vs  Integrity stinks
	The UNIX we run is 4.2		     vs	 UNIX stinks

    Note the similarity to mass nouns and even plurals:

	The scum is over there		     vs	 Scum stinks
        The men are over there	      	     vs  Men stink

    Plurals, of course, cannot use `a', but mass/abstract nouns are OK:

        He has an integrity that stinks
	We run a UNIX from North Dakota
	It was a scum with a difference

    Anyone care to define `the' and `a' in <25 words? While you're at it, we
    will need a brief rundown on all the categories of nouns pertinent to
    English article usage. That's what this VAX/UNIX debate is really about.

-michael