Using definite article 'the' with ethnic groups

Question

Hello,Many kinds thanks in advance with the following question. I would like to know why we use the definite article 'the' when referring to certain ethnic groups but not others. For example, "I think the Japanese are very..." Conversely, we wouldn't say, "The Koreans are..." In the latter sentence, we would simply say, "Koreans are..." What is the rule/reason  for the aforementiond?Best regards.

AlpheccaStars · Accepted Answer

Hi;

It has nothing to do with the particular ethnic group, but the structure of the sentence:

Koreans are tall people.
Japanese are dark-haired people.
Americans are friendly people.
etc.

I think that the Americans are friendly.
etc.

And in either case, "the" is optional.

Cool Breeze · Answer

You can use a noun with or without the. The best option is determined by the context. Examples:

Koreans like that kind of food.
The Koreans I have met like that kind of food.

Of course Korean can also be used as an adjective: Korean people like that kind of food.

However, except for some idiomatic exceptions the is needed if you substantivize an adjective. The resultant noun is almost always a plural one:

The Irish live on an island.
The French are proud of their history.

Unlike Korean, these words cannot be used in the singular to denote an inhabitant of the country in question:

*~~He is an Irish.~~
*~~I met a French~~.
I met a Korean. OK, because Korean is a noun as well, not just an adjective.

Note that you can put the before all manner of adjectives and you get a plural noun that refers to people:

The rich like money, and so do the poor!

In formal style the + adjective can be used to refer to things, not just people. In that case the verb is singular:

The impossible interests him. = Impossible things interest him.

CB

Using definite article 'the' with ethnic groups

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions