March 3, 2005
The "The"
Why does "Bronx" have to be prefaced with "The?" Why not "A Bronx" or, most reasonably, just plain old "Bronx?"
Thanks, Blaney
The Vatican. The Hague. The Netherlands. The O.C. The Bronx. Unless you are a cartoon character, you can probably name on one hand the number of locations worldwide that are prefaced with the definite article "the." How the Bronx found itself in such esteemed company as the Holy See and the only county big enough for Peter Gallagher's eyebrows is an interesting bit of New York City trivia.
According to The Encyclopedia of New York City, the borough's name can be traced back to Jonas Bronck, a Swedish sea captain from the Netherlands, who settled in the area in 1639 and "eventually built a farmstead at what became 132nd Street and Lincoln Avenue." (Interestingly enough, if the home was still standing today it would only rent for about 25 shillings per month, due to Colonial rent-control laws.)
Bronck's name - Bronck, Bronck's, Bronx...note the pattern - would be given to the river that flows through the middle of the borough. Like the Mississippi, the Thames, and the Nile, most rivers have the function word "the" linked to their names. While no source gives an official date on when the "the" truly took hold, a visit to The Straight Dope tells us when people started referring to the general area surrounding the river's east and west in a more official capacity:
In 1874 about 20 square miles of mainland Westchester county was annexed to New York City. This region was known thereafter as the Annexed District of the Bronx, in apparent reference to the Bronx River, then the district's eastern border. In 1898 the Annexed District became part of the Borough of the Bronx - presumably still referring to the river. After a while, however, people forgot about the river and began casually referring to the entire borough as "the Bronx."
Some other cocktail chatter about the Bronx: not only is it the the only new York City borough connected to the mainland United States but it is also the only one to have a river run right through it. Despite its gritty reputation, about 24% of its land area is parkland, more than any other borough. It's also one of our favorite worlds ending in "x," along with "Jimi Hendrix," "Redd Foxx," and "Xbox."
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Love the Rumble In The Bronx poster. I also love that the film was shot entirely in Vancouver so you could see the mountains in the background.
FYI, I don't think I answered one part of Blaney's question. "Bronx" does not have to be prefaced with "the" all the time. In sending mail, one might address the envelope as simply "Bronx, NY." Still, in conversation, you'd get funny looks if you said, "I'm heading up to Bronx for a party tonight."
I think I have heard a trivia question asking you to put the boroughs in order. Most people forget to put the Bronx under "T" and get it wrong.
Also, note that The Hague, The Netherlands and The Bronx are all Dutch; I always thought that was why the Bronx had an article.
Other NYC names that are prefaced with the:
Jane studies art at the Cooper Union.
CBGB is on the Bowery.
And some things are referred to as on, not in:
Katz's Deli is on the Lower East Side.
Tony lives with his father on Staten Island.
"Also, note that The Hague, The Netherlands and The Bronx are all Dutch; I always thought that was why the Bronx had an article."
Yeah, but Harlem and Brooklyn are Dutch too. "The Bowery" is basically a bastadized form of Dutch for "The Farm" and "The Hague" comes from Den Haag, a variation of its original name meaning "The Hedge".
Okay, now that we're on the subject of New Yorkisms, why do New Yorkers stand "on" line instead of "in"?
For the same reason we order a slice "to stay" and not "for here."
That New Yorkers are crazy?
Nah, I've used "stay" in other cities too, and it makes sense because "to stay" is the natural opposite of "to go".
But standing "on line" is just plain silly. When you queue up, you and your fellow queuers form an imaginary line, a line which you stand in. There's no imaginary line you're standing on. That's just crazy.
The logic behind "on line". . . .
"On line" is a two-word phrase used as a descriptive state, rather than standing on or in a physical line. It's similar to being "on fire" rather than "in fire," "on time" versus "in time," or "on it" like Con Edison.