Definite articles before a museum

[notnews]

I have read a report on the Manchester Evening News (M.E.N) website titled "Manchester Museum becomes first in country to hand sacred objects back to aboriginal communities in Australia".

In the title, the definite article in "the Manchester Museum" is omitted.That's reasonable because it is in the title. But I noticed that the editor uses "Manchester Museum" instead of "the Manchester Museum", which is the official name of the museum, throughout the article, like "Manchester Museum is one of a number of British institutions that...".

I wander why?

I searched the museum on the internet and found a picture of it. It shows that at the entrance of the museum, they use "THE MANCHESTER MUSEUM". I think it is the official name of the museum. And on their website they use "the" too.

The grammar books tell us to put a definite article before the name of a museum. And the museum's official website does so. But as a local media in Manchester, M.E.N does not.

Moreover, I checked many museums' official website to find that most of them use a definite article before their names, such as the Califonia Meseum, the Anchorage Museum, ect, but a few does not, like Bushey Museum. Please note, all the names above are in form of PLACE+MUSEUM. They are all in English-speaking countries.

Why do they use "the" differently? There must be something that common for native English speakers while the grammar books do not tell us.

Would you please explain the question?

 

[probus]

The newspaper article is below. I notice that "the" is omitted not only in the headline, but repeatedly and invariably throughout the piece. This makes me think that The Manchester Museum is habitually referred to without its definite article, at least in The Manchester Evening News. How widespread this omission may be elsewhere I cannot say.

Manchester Museum hands sacred objects back to aboriginal communities

"The repatriation of our sacred cultural heritage items is a fundamental part of the healing and reconciliation process"

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk

 

[notnews]

The newspaper article is below. I notice that "the" is omitted not only in the headline, but repeatedly and invariably throughout the piece. This makes me think that The Manchester Museum is habitually referred to without its definite article, at least in The Manchester Evening News. How widespread this omission may be elsewhere I cannot say.

Manchester Museum hands sacred objects back to aboriginal communities

"The repatriation of our sacred cultural heritage items is a fundamental part of the healing and reconciliation process"

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk

Thank you for your reply. Do you think the omission an acceptable mistake or a special grammar phenomenon?

 

[probus]

Given that it is consistent and invariable I think it must be an editorial decision by a respectable newspaper. Therefore it is hard to call it a mistake. They are clearly conscious that they are doing it.

 

[jutfrank]

I completely agree with probus. It's apparent that 'Manchester Museum' is the way that whoever wrote the article, and probably many others, refer to the institution. You can't call that a mistake. It doesn't matter what the museum's website says, and it isn't really anything to do with grammar.

 

[notnews]

Thank you jutfrank.
I've read a lot on the MEN website recently. I found the usage of the definite article before Manchester Museum is fluid, even in a single piece like this one.
https://www.manchestereveningnews.c...news/manchester-museum-home-stan-rex-21362439


Do "the Manchester Museum" and "Manchester Museum" make the same sense to native speakers?

 

[5jj]

Yes, in the contexts you have shown us.