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