"The" Tarot?????

I use that constructions sometimes. Maybe it is like "the calculus".

i.e. here:

the calculus used in a sentence

The calculus is a body of work, a field.

I need to see things in context. I would never say. "Some people think that THE Tarot is evil". I would omit "the."

I would say "in terms of divination, some people prefer tarot, others prefer runes" (without "the").

When would I say "The" tarot?? Not quite sure. Only when I want to specify a particular type, e.g The tarot of Marseilles, The Soprafino Tarot. I would say The Tarot of the Witches, but I'm sure others would say Tarot of the Witches. Aaaargh!

The tarot developed in the 15th Century? No, I wouldn't say that, I'd say "Tarot cards developed in the 15th Century"

"The tarot told me to do it"
"The gods told me to do it"
Escaping ownership by passing it onto tarot? By giving it a "The" we can pass off responsibility perhaps?


Not us here by the way, we as in people - sorry it's getting late here lol

There was an idea going around before the Rosetta Stone that "Tarot" was Egyptian for "Royal Road," TA + RO, although that is not remotely true. (I mean, Egyptian hieroglyphs have been deciphered and there is no such word or combination of words.) But maybe that's where a definite article would come from, you would say "I follow the royal road" vs. "I follow royal road" (no article) or "I follow a royal road" (indefinite article, it could be any old royal road...)

I see that using THE gives it some sort of high supremacy. It's labeling as being grandeur. Thats just the way I see it. Now, in my native toung (as well as other countries who share speak my native toung as their 1st language), adressing someone as THE can be discrispectful if the acquaintance is someone known. Now, I've heard people say THE tarot (El Tarot) in my native toung, and it doesnt sound so disrispectful.

But to each our own.

I'd have thought it was simply grammatical - just as we say "the bible"; "the supermarket". I think LeFanu has articulated that rather well. You'd use bible without the "the" as an adjective - bible stories - and you'd say tarot cards, in the same way. But not "I read THE tarot." "I read tarot CARDS" - and there it is an adjective. Even "I read tarot" - that works. But not "I read THE tarot" !

The dumping responsibility you can do just as well without it. "Tarot told me to"; "god told me to"; "my sister told me to...."

Hmmm...

I know I've used tarot with and without the article, but I'm not sure why.

Le Tarot means "the tarot"; that is a web site.

I like that "the tarot" is specific while "tarot" is a general concept that may or may not refer to actual cards...

I will have to look at how I use it from now on.

Hmmm...

Like I said this is just a curiousity for me. I'm enjoying reading everyone's take on it.

I tend to see, when others use "the", like some of you do.....as giving it power. But it really isn't a huge deal to me. Just a "huh" thing. LOL