[Ads-l] emigrate vs. immigrate

[Dan Goncharoff]

All I know is that "immigrate to" clangs in my ear. If I wanted to use
"to", I would choose "emigrate".

On Mon, Dec 3, 2018, 8:46 AM Barretts Mail <mail.barretts at gmail.com wrote:

> I vaguely recall from elementary school that “emigrate” means to leave a
> country and “immigrate” means to enter a country. No matter how many times
> I’ve thought about this, though, it seems like each entails the other and
> that “immigrate" is the preferred form, perhaps because Americans like
> talking about their immigration history.
>
> The English OLD (https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/us/emigrate
> <https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/us/emigrate>) provides a
> usage note in line with what I learned in elementary school:
>
> ——
> To emigrate is to leave a country, especially one's own, intending to
> remain away. To immigrate is to enter a country, intending to remain there:
> my aunt emigrated from Poland and immigrated to Canada
> ——
>
> This matches advice such as at
>
> https://www.vocabulary.com/articles/chooseyourwords/emigrate-immigrate-migrate/
> <
> https://www.vocabulary.com/articles/chooseyourwords/emigrate-immigrate-migrate/
> >
>
> https://writingexplained.org/immigrate-vs-emigrate-what-are-the-differences-between-immigration-and-emigration
> <
> https://writingexplained.org/immigrate-vs-emigrate-what-are-the-differences-between-immigration-and-emigration>
> ('“Immigrate” and “emigrate” are two words that have similar meanings and
> can be easily confused. The differences between the two are subtle but
> important, especially if you want to keep your writing from looking
> sloppy.')
>
> Looking at the OLD’s sample sentences, the following seems to work
> according to the usage note because the to-be emigrants are talking to
> their neighbors in their home country:
>
> ——
> Suddenly they moved, telling neighbours they were emigrating to the US.
> ——
>
> But in the following example sentences, it seems that “immigrate” should
> be used:
>
> ——
> Herschel settled in the area after emigrating from Germany.
> In his early years, he emigrated to Leeds and after some years married and
> settled there.
> On emigrating to the US, he was actively involved in sporting
> organisations in the Big Apple.
> ——
>
> The OLD (https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/us/immigrate <
> https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/us/immigrate>) labels
> “immigrate” as North American, defining it as "Come to live permanently in
> a foreign country." Here are three sample sentences where “emigrate” seems
> to be better:
>
> ——
> Outcasts and refugees from throughout the world have immigrated to it and
> flourished as they could have nowhere else.
> It is also known that many European settlers first lived in Venezuela,
> only to immigrate to the United States.
> Instead, many Western Samoans seek to immigrate to American Samoa.
> ——
>
> Merriam-Webster (
> https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emigrate?utm_campaign=sd&utm_medium=serp&utm_source=jsonld
> <
> https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emigrate?utm_campaign=sd&utm_medium=serp&utm_source=jsonld>)
> has a more nuanced usage note:
>
> ——
> The subtle difference between them lies in point of view: emigrate
> stresses leaving the original place, while immigrate focuses on entering
> the new one.
> ——
>
> I remain unconvinced. My impression is that “immigrate” is the preferred
> form in the US and that on rare occasions Americans use “emigrate” when
> they want to focus on leaving the original country.
>
> Benjamin Barrett
> Formerly of Seattle, WA
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org