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I came across this sentence on an ESL teaching website while preparing for my English Corner:
"What holidays have disappeared in your country?"
Shouldn't it be "disappeared from"? I was quite certain that "from" was the correct preposition in this case, but it seems that Google doesn't support me on this. I'm a little confused now...
The following is correct, assuming a neutral tone:
"What holidays have disappeared in your country?"
It's true that disappear does not need a preposition to function, as both @J.R.♦ and @Jawel have already stated in this thread, but disappeared from creates a nuance that something or someone that was there but now isn't, and its absence creates an often weird or eerie feeling, and to rectify this feeling, he/she/it should be back where he/she/it is. Other prepositions don't create this nuance.
The notebook disappeared from my desk.
(The notebook was on my desk, and now it's not. But it should be. How weird.)
The notebook on my desk disappeared.
(The notebook was on my desk, and now it's not. Oh, well.)
What holidays have disappeared from your country?
What holidays were there, and now aren't (but should be reinstated because you're not used to them being gone)?
What holidays have disappeared in your country?
As @Ronald Sole indicated, "In your country, what holidays have disappeared?"
I am sorry to say that you are wrong, but indeed, you are..
The linking verbs "disappear" and "appear" don't need any proposition to function.
Why did you disappear at the party yesterday?
Oh, my mother called me and mentioned some important things causing me to go home.
I think both versions are fine.
As you point out, "disappear from" is idiomatic speech:
Why has so much money disappeared from my bank account?
The turtles disappeared from the beach.
However, many other prepositions can also follow disappear:
The moon disappeared behind the cloud.
She disappeared into a thick fog.
The spider disappeared under the bed as soon as I turned on the light.
And, of course, you don't need any preposition at all:
After Belgium scored two quick goals, Germany's two-goal lead had quickly disappeared.
So, as other answers and comments have indicated, try parsing your sentence differently:
INSTEAD OF: [What holidays] [have disappeared in] [your country]?
THINK OF IT AS: [What holidays] [have disappeared] [in your country]?
But:
What holidays have disappeared from your country?
would be fine, too.
