Quote: | Originally posted by David K
Quote: | Originally posted by brewer
I think it is a California thing... like interstate 5 is called "the" 5 |
I think it proves the person saying "the Baja" either hasn't been there, or is a relative newcomer to Baja. I hate to say it, but it really irritates
me too... |
While I never say the phrase "The Baja" as in I am going to ...,
I do drop 'California' from it, as 'Baja' is just short for for Baja California.
To me, in the 70's and 80's, 'The Baja' was the short way to talk about a race... "The Baja" was short for the Baja 1000 or the Baja 500... "The Baja"
was my C.B. Radio handle back in those decades, too. It was also short for the Baja peninsula, as was said earlier.
The newer use of that term 'The Baja' was really something you heard from Canadians... and even I heard "On the Baja"... It is just a style of
speaking. British people say 'The Sudan' instead of just Sudan for the country in Africa.
We say 'The Congo' and The Yucatan (as mentioned earlier, too). The Sahara? I think that's okay, do you really need 'Desert' added? Baja is so famous,
it doesn't need California added!!!
Oh, as for the Jesuits, etc. ; BAJA was just 'CALIFORNIA'... Not until 1769, with the push by Spain to establish missions north of the peninsula was
there two Californias (Antigua or Old and Nueva or New)... eventually changing to Baja (Lower) and Alta (Upper) California... When we (USA) dropped
the ALTA, we basically forced Mexico to keep the BAJA attached to the peninsula... but IT WAS CALIFORNIA FIRST!
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