"The" Concorde
Mar 9, 2021, 8:17 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Los Angeles
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 22
"The" Concorde
Hi everyone, I know that in British English, Concorde is used without article. Is that true for American English, too? I'm currently writing a text (originally in German) about Concorde, and my (American) translator told me that in the US, it's commonly called "the Concorde". Would be thankful if someone could confirm that... I did find some articles (New York Times, CNN...) which use the article, but then, it could well be that the journalists just didn't know better.
Mar 9, 2021, 8:41 am
#3
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 579
US english does tend to use the article. It sounds odd, but it is normal in America.
British english, Concorde.
This said I think it is the only aricraft without an article. I've never heard 'I flew on Trident to Paris...' So actually American english is being consistant, if lacking in class!
British english, Concorde.
This said I think it is the only aricraft without an article. I've never heard 'I flew on Trident to Paris...' So actually American english is being consistant, if lacking in class!
Mar 9, 2021, 9:14 am
#4
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: London, UK
Posts: 5,656
US english does tend to use the article. It sounds odd, but it is normal in America.
British english, Concorde.
This said I think it is the only aricraft without an article. I've never heard 'I flew on Trident to Paris...' So actually American english is being consistant, if lacking in class!
British english, Concorde.
This said I think it is the only aricraft without an article. I've never heard 'I flew on Trident to Paris...' So actually American english is being consistant, if lacking in class!
Mar 9, 2021, 9:58 am
#5
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: LON, between FAB and EGTD
Programs: OWS - AA Lifetime Platinum, BA nobody (blue)
Posts: 864
But then no-one would say "I flew on the Trident to Paris". Oddly I think people DO say "the Concorde" in England. It's really short for "the Concorde service", like saying you took THE train to the airport.
Mar 9, 2021, 10:08 am
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2000
Location: TPA for now. Hopefully LIS for retirement
Posts: 13,703
Here too, Americans would tend to say "I flew on THE Concorde to New York" (even though there were more than one of them).
Mar 9, 2021, 10:15 am
#7
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: BRS
Programs: BA Gold, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 4,993
Mar 9, 2021, 10:20 am
#8
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,333
Definitely with article in the USA. There were twenty Concordes, so a lack of an article simply does not make sense in American English. In fact most people would probably go with the indefinite 'a' over the definite 'the' because there were more than one, but this would be affected by the context, as well. The would be referring to the category of airplane, while a would be for a be inferring a single member of that category. A proper name (sans article) would be alluding to one specific item/object/person/etc. If there was one specific Concorde that was named 'Concorde,' you could get away with omitting the 'the', but even then, 'the' still works perfectly well as a definite article and would probably be the preferred option.
Mar 9, 2021, 10:31 am
#9
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club, Marriott Bonvoy
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Englandshire
Programs: SPG LT Plat, BA G, BD*LG, MG Blue+ ...
Posts: 16,032
Mar 9, 2021, 10:53 am
#10
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 3,925
I see lots of English writing by overseas students and articles appear frequently where a native speaker (writer) would never use them. They are probably writing American English rather the proper English.
Maybe the ancient brits used that form and when taken to America by The Mayflower it persisted while here the usage died out?
Maybe the ancient brits used that form and when taken to America by The Mayflower it persisted while here the usage died out?
Mar 9, 2021, 11:01 am
#11
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 3,595
I flew Concorde to Barbados
I flew First Class to New York
I flew Club Europe to Paris
None of the above applied to me personally unfortunately but in the product and branding sense they are all correct.
Mar 9, 2021, 11:10 am
#12
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Westchester Co, NY or Rio Grande Valley, TX or ???
Programs: BAEC G, WN A-, Hyatt G, HH G, MAR T, Hz PC, was [UA2P, FL A+Elite, BD G]
Posts: 2,271
As someone who flew on Concorde, I don't think I ever used the phrase "the Concorde" - I would guess that more Americans would not use "the" in front of Concorde, but maybe it varies by region?
Mar 9, 2021, 11:48 am
#15
Join Date: Jun 2019
Programs: Marriott Titanium; WN A-list; UA Silver
Posts: 484
I see lots of English writing by overseas students and articles appear frequently where a native speaker (writer) would never use them. They are probably writing American English rather the proper English.
Maybe the ancient brits used that form and when taken to America by The Mayflower it persisted while here the usage died out?
Maybe the ancient brits used that form and when taken to America by The Mayflower it persisted while here the usage died out?