society

Question

No need to explain any usage of the definite article regarding SOCIETY, and over the years I've read the whole entries for SOCIETY in the OALD, Longman, Macmillan etc. more than ten times.

When we use SOCIETY to refer to people in general, living together in communities or a particular community of people who share the same customs, laws, etc and this SOCIETY, which is NOT an organization like a club, etc, preceded by a national adjective like AMERICAN, ENGLISH, HONG KONG, RUSSIAN, and WESTERN, must not be used with THE. Recently a classmate of mine asked me whether we can say THE HONG KONG SOCIETY, my answer was, even without context, NO. My question is, can any native English speaker think of a situation in which we can say THE HONG KONG SOCIETY when it not an association but people in general, etc?

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

Not offhand.

Fivejedjon · Answer

This works:

The Hong Kong society I knew in the 1930s was very different from the one I found myself in fifty years later.

I think.

Johnson13 · Answer

Thanks.

Now mainland China and Taiwan claim themselves to be Chinese.

If, for example, I am writing an essay referring to the society of Taiwan, can I use THE to distinguish this Taiwan Chinese society from that mainland Chinese society?

eg Taiwan has achieved great economic success. However, there are still many problems facing the Chinese society.

Mister Micawber · Answer

Johnson13Taiwan has achieved great economic success. However, there are still many problems facing the Chinese society.

It is possible, but omitting 'the' there is still the more usual solution.

Fivejedjon · Answer

Johnson13Thanks.Now mainland China and Taiwan claim themselves to be Chinese.If, for example, I am writing an essay referring to the society of Taiwan, can I use THE to distinguish this Taiwan Chinese society from that mainland Chinese society?eg Taiwan has achieved great economic success. However, there are still many problems facing the Chinese society.

No, in my opinion. As both mainland China and Taiwan claim that they are 'China'. there cannot be one 'the Chinese society'.

The Chinese society that people from mainland China feel they are part of can be compared with the Chinese society that people from Taiwan feel they are part of. However, each of these 'Chinese societies' needs to be defined.

If, for example, a person from mainland China feels that his/her Chinese society is the only one (the other one being not truly Chinese), the s/he will refer to it as 'Chinese society'. It's countability/non-countability of the noun that determines the presence/absence of the article..

Johnson13 · Answer

Thanks.

In Free To Choose: A Personal Statement, by Mr Friedman, the writer seems fond of using THE SOCIETY when obviously it's not referring to an organization:
http://www.readbag.com/csunecon-books-and-readings-economics-friedman-milton-rose-free-to-choose-a-personal-statement-1980
eg By pursuing his own interest he frequently promotes that of the society more effectually than when he really intends to promote it.

eg The sovereign is completely discharged from a duty, in the attempting to perform which he must always be exposed to innumerable delusions, and for the proper performance of which no human wisdom or knowledge could ever be sufficient; the duty of superintending the industry of private people, and of directing it towards the employments most suitable to the interest of the society.

eg According to the system of natural liberty, the sovereign has only three duties to attend to; three duties of great importance, indeed, but plain and intelligible to common understandings: first, the duty of protecting the society from the violence and invasion of other independent societies.

eg secondly, the duty of protecting, as far as possible, every member of the society from the injustice or oppression of every other member of it, or the duty of establishing an exact administration of justice

eg The first two duties are clear and straightforward: the protection of individuals in the society from coercion whether it comes from outside or from their fellow citizens.

eg It took the form it did - of nonprofit hospitals, privately endowed colleges and universities, a plethora of charitable organizations directed to helping the poor - because of the dominant values of the society, including, especially, promotion of equality of opportunity.

eg It constitutes wealth for the people who own the certificates, but for the society as a whole it is a measure of the loss from government intervention, not a measure of productive capacity.

eg The general principles illustrated by tobacco money in Virginia remain relevant in the modern era, though paper money issued by government and bookkeeping entries called deposits have replaced commodities or warehouse receipts for commodities as the basic money of the society.

Is it any special usage?

Mister Micawber · Answer

Johnson13Is it any special usage?

He seems to be speaking of 'the society' of a particular (though not necessarily indicated) period.

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