ellis@spar.UUCP (Michael Ellis) (06/18/85)
>> 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
jeff@rtech.UUCP (Jeff Lichtman) (06/23/85)
> > 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 > In these examples, "the" indicates that the noun refers to a specific instance, rather than a general quality or class. Note the difference between: I drank the milk. and I drank milk. In the first case, "the milk" means a specific, known set of milk molecules. :-) The second case doesn't specify; it could be any milk. > 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 This isn't exactly a definition, but "the" indicates that the noun represents a single known instance of the class that the noun stands for. "A" indicates that the noun represents any single instance of the class. For example, The cow - a single, known cow A cow - any single cow When "the" is used with a plural noun, it indicates that the noun represents a single, known set out of the class that the noun stands for. The fleas - A known group of fleas Fleas - All fleas I believe the reason one says "UNIX" instead of "The UNIX" is that one isn't thinking of a specific installation of UNIX, but rather the class. If one were thinking of a specific instance of a UNIX system, one would use "the": "The UNIX I installed yesterday doesn't work." as opposed to "UNIX doesn't work on my system." Usually, when one talks about a VAX, it is about a specific instance. If one were to mean all Vaxes in general, one wouldn't use "the": "The VAX is up" refers to a specific VAX; "VAXes are reliable" refers to VAXes in general. -- Jeff Lichtman at rtech (Relational Technology, Inc.) aka Swazoo Koolak {amdahl, sun}!rtech!jeff {ucbvax, decvax}!mtxinu!rtech!jeff