The#Definite article

In most dialects, "the" is pronounced as {{IPAc-en|ð|ə|audio=En-us-the-unstressed.ogg}} (with the voiced dental fricative {{IPA|/ð/}} followed by a schwa) when followed by a consonant sound, and as {{IPAc-en|ð|iː|audio=En-us-the-stressed.ogg}} (homophone of the archaic pronoun thee) when followed by a vowel sound or used as an emphatic form.{{cite web|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the|work=Merriam Webster Online Dictionary|title=the – definition}}

Modern American and New Zealand English have an increasing tendency to limit usage of {{IPA|/ðiː/}} pronunciation and use {{IPA|/ðə/}}, even before a vowel.{{cite book|last1=Ladefoged|first1=Peter|author-link=Peter Ladefoged|last2=Johnson|first2=Keith|year=2010|title=A Course in Phonetics|edition=6th|place=Boston|publisher=Wadsworth|page=110}}{{cite book|last1=Hay|first1=Jennifer|year=2008|title=New Zealand English|url=https://archive.org/details/newzealandenglis00hayj|url-access=limited|place=Edinburgh|publisher=Edinburgh University Press|page=[https://archive.org/details/newzealandenglis00hayj/page/n56 44]}}

Sometimes the word "the" is pronounced {{IPAc-en|'|ð|iː}}, with stress, to emphasise that something is unique: "he is {{em|the}} first", not just "one of the" first.{{cn|date=July 2024}}

{{see also|Wiktionary: the#Etymology 2}}

Definite article principles in English are described under "Use of articles". The, as in phrases like "the more the better", has a distinct origin and etymology and by chance has evolved to be identical to the definite article."the, adv.1." OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2016. Web. 11 March 2016.

The and that are common developments from the same Old English system. Old English had a definite article {{wikt-lang|ang|se}} (in the masculine gender), {{wikt-lang|ang|sēo}} (feminine), and {{lang|ang|þæt}} (neuter). In Middle English, these had all merged into {{lang|enm|þe}}, the ancestor of the Modern English word the.{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=the&allowed_in_frame=0|title=The and That Etymologies|dictionary=Online Etymology Dictionary|access-date=18 June 2015}}

{{more|Thorn (letter)}}

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In Middle English, the Th (digraph) was written using the letter thorn, {{char|þ}}. During the latter Middle English and Early Modern English periods, thorn (in its common script or cursive form), came to resemble a y shape. With the arrival of movable type printing, the substitution of {{angbr|y}} for {{angbr|Þ}} became ubiquitous, leading to the common ye, as in 'Ye Olde Curiositie Shoppe'. One major reason for this was that {{angbr|y}} existed in the printer's types that William Caxton and his contemporaries imported from Belgium and the Netherlands, while {{angbr|Þ}} did not.{{cite book |title=The Routledge Handbook of the English Writing System |isbn=9780367581565 |chapter=Chapter 25: Typography and the printed English text |first=Will |last=Hill |date=30 June 2020 |chapter-url=https://arro.anglia.ac.uk/id/eprint/703215/1/25HillFinalDV.pdf |page=6 |publisher=Taylor & Francis Limited (Sales) |quote=The types used by Caxton and his contemporaries originated in Holland and Belgium, and did not provide for the continuing use of elements of the Old English alphabet such as thorn <þ>, eth <ð>, and yogh <ʒ>. The substitution of visually similar typographic forms has led to some anomalies which persist to this day in the reprinting of archaic texts and the spelling of regional words. The widely misunderstood ‘ye’ occurs through a habit of printer's usage that originates in Caxton's time, when printers would substitute the (often accompanied by a superscript ) in place of the thorn <þ> or the eth <ð>, both of which were used to denote both the voiced and non-voiced sounds, /ð/ and /θ/ (Anderson, D. (1969) The Art of Written Forms. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, p 169) |access-date=1 December 2022 |archive-date=10 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220710022857/https://arro.anglia.ac.uk/id/eprint/703215/1/25HillFinalDV.pdf |url-status=dead }} Historically, the article was never pronounced with a y sound even when it was so written.

The word þe (the) was frequently written as {{char|þͤ}}, a {{angbr|þ}} with a small {{angbr|e}} above it. (Similarly, þat (modern that) was abbreviated using a {{angbr|þ}} with a small {{angbr|t}} above it, as can be seen in the sample illustrated here.) As a result of the {{angbr|y}} for {{angbr|þ}} substitution practice, the use of a {{angbr|y}} with an {{angbr|e}} above it ({{char|yͤ}},10px) style became common. It can still be seen in reprints of the 1611 edition of the King James Version of the Bible (in places such as Romans 15:29) or in the Mayflower Compact.

An area in which the use or non-use of the is sometimes problematic is with geographic names:

• Notable natural landmarks – rivers, seas, mountain ranges, deserts, island groups (archipelagoes), etc., are generally used with a "the" definite article (the Rhine, the North Sea, the Alps, the Sahara, the Hebrides).
• Continents, individual islands, administrative units, and settlements mostly do not take a "the" article (Europe, Jura, Austria (but the Republic of Austria), Scandinavia, Yorkshire (but the County of York), Madrid).
• Beginning with a common noun followed by of may take the article, as in the Isle of Wight or the Isle of Portland (compare Christmas Island), same applies to names of institutions: Cambridge University, but the University of Cambridge.
• Some place names include an article, such as the Bronx, The Oaks, The Rock, The Birches, The Bog, The Harrow, The Rower, The Swan, The Valley, The Farrington, The Quarter, The Plains, The Dalles, The Forks, The Village, The Village (NJ), The Village (OK), The Villages, The Village at Castle Pines, The Woodlands, The Pas, Wells-next-the-Sea, the Vatican, the Tiergarten, The Hyde, the West End, the East End, The Hague, or the City of London (but London). Formerly e.g. Bath, Devizes or White Plains.{{cite journal| url = https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2009/10/why-do-we-use-definite-articles-for-some-place-names-like-the-hague.html| title = Why is it called The Hague?| journal = Slate| date = 27 October 2009| last1 = Palmer| first1 = Brian}}
• Generally described singular names, the North Island (New Zealand) or the West Country (England), take an article.

Countries and territorial regions are notably mixed, most exclude "the" but there are some that adhere to secondary rules:

• Derivations from collective common nouns such as "kingdom", "republic", "union", etc.: the Central African Republic, the Dominican Republic, the United States, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, the United Arab Emirates, including most country full names:{{cite web| url = https://style-guide.europa.eu/en/content/-/isg/topic?identifier=7.1.1-designations-and-abbreviations| title = Countries: Designations and abbreviations to use}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.fao.org/countryprofiles/iso3list/en/|title=FAO Country Profiles|website=www.fao.org}} the Czech Republic (but Czechia), the Russian Federation (but Russia), the Principality of Monaco (but Monaco), the State of Israel (but Israel) and the Commonwealth of Australia (but Australia).{{cite web| url = http://www.cambridge.org/grammarandbeyond/newsletter/2011/11/using-the-with-the-names-of-countries| title = Using 'the' with the Names of Countries}}{{cite web| url = https://style-guide.europa.eu/en/content/-/isg/topic?identifier=annex-a5-list-countries-territories-currencies| title = List of Countries, Territories and Currencies}}{{cite web| url = https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65aa8531698722000d374130/FCDO_Geographical_Names_Index_Jan2024.csv/preview| title = Country names| date = 25 March 2024}}{{cite web| url = https://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/geonames/| title = UNGEGN World Geographical Names}}
• Countries in a plural noun: the Netherlands, the Falkland Islands, the Faroe Islands, the Cayman Islands, the Philippines, the Comoros, the Maldives, the Seychelles, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and the Bahamas.
• Singular derivations from "island" or "land" that hold administrative rights – Greenland, England, Christmas Island and Norfolk Island – do not take a "the" definite article.
• Derivations from mountain ranges, rivers, deserts, etc., are sometimes used with an article, even for singular (the Lebanon, the Sudan, the Yukon, the Congo).Swan, Michael How English Works, p. 25 This usage is in decline, The Gambia remains recommended whereas use of the Argentine for Argentina is considered old-fashioned. Ukraine is occasionally referred to as the Ukraine, a usage that was common during the 20th century and during Soviet rule, but this is considered incorrect and possibly offensive in modern usage.{{Cite news |date=2012-06-07 |title=Ukraine or the Ukraine: Why do some country names have 'the'? |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-18233844 |access-date=2022-07-08}}{{Cite magazine |last=Steinmetz |first=Katy |date=2014-03-05 |title=Ukraine, Not the Ukraine: The Significance of Three Little Letters |url=https://time.com/12597/the-ukraine-or-ukraine/ |access-date=2022-07-08 |magazine=Time |language=en}}{{Cite news |last=Mellen |first=Ruby |date=2019-10-01 |title=It's Ukraine, not 'the' Ukraine. And Ukrainians want you to get it right. |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2019/10/01/its-ukraine-not-ukraine-ukrainians-want-you-get-it-right/ |access-date=2022-07-08 |issn=0190-8286}} Sudan (but the Republic of the Sudan) and South Sudan (but the Republic of South Sudan) are written nowadays without the article.

Ohio State University registered a trademark allowing the university to use "THE" on casual and athletic clothing. The university, often referred to as "The Ohio State University", had used "THE" on clothing since 2005, but took steps to register the trademark in August 2019 after the Marc Jacobs company attempted to do the same. In August 2021 Ohio State and Marc Jacobs agreed the high-end fashion retailer could use "THE" on its merchandise, which was different from what the university would sell. Still, the university took almost an additional year to convince the United States Patent and Trademark Office that the use of "the" was "more than ... ornamental".{{cite news|url=https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/local/2022/06/22/ohio-state-secures-trademark-word-the-clothing/7699879001/|title=Ohio State University secures trademark for use of the word 'THE' on clothing|last=Skubby|first=Aaron|work=The Columbus Dispatch|date=June 22, 2022|access-date=June 25, 2022}}

The word "The" itself, capitalised, is used as an abbreviation in Commonwealth countries for the honorific title "The Right Honourable", as in e.g. "The Earl Mountbatten of Burma", short for "The Right Honourable Earl Mountbatten of Burma", or "The Prince Charles".'The Prefix "The"'. In Titles and Forms of Address, 21st ed., pp. 8–9. A & C Black, London, 2002.

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• {{Merriam-Webster|The}}

Category:English grammar

Category:English words