Articles

[njanja]

I know that 'the' is used to refer to a whole group of people but should this rule always be followed?

- For example,is it possible to say 'The French and Irish instead of 'The French and the Irish' , 'The Germans,the Spaniards,the Poles' or 'The Germans,Spaniards and Poles'.
'They fought against the Germans' instead of 'They fought against Germans'.
'The French were victims of hatred','French were the victims of hatred' or 'The
French were the victims of hatred.'
The Americans say they are the peacemakers not the warmongers.
The Americans say they are peacemakers not warmongers.
Americans say they are peacemakers not warmongers etc.

-The nouns 'mother' and 'father' are countable but i`ve noticed that they are sometimes used without 'a'. When is this the case?
Do we say 'The mother and father (son)' or 'The mother and the father (the son),'The wife and husband' or 'The wife and the husband'...?

[Tdol]

'The Germans,Spaniards and Poles' This is OK
'They fought against Germans'- This doesn't work as it suggest they fought against Germans in general, not a specific group at a specific time.

The Americans say they are the peacemakers not the warmongers.
The are the only peacemakers
The Americans say they are peacemakers not warmongers.
They are peacemakers among others

Americans say they are peacemakers not warmongers etc.
This is Americans in general, while the first two suggest the government, authorities, etc

'The mother and father (son)' or 'The mother and the father (the son),'
You can use either form

[njanja]

Now it`s clearer to me.Thanks.
But what if we are talking about all Spaniards and Poles that live in America or in any other foreign country? Do we say American Spaniards,American Poles or the American Spaniards,the American Poles? The Spaniards that live in America or Spaniards that live in America?

[Tdol]

It depends:
American Poles are descended from... (talking in general about them)
The American Poles are dipleased with the current administration (here, I am thinking of them in more specific terms as a community here and now)