Know Your English (Jan2001)

Know your English

What is the difference between ``emigrate'' and ``immigrate''?

If you, like thousands of people in this country, want to push off to the United States of America and settle down there, then you wish to ``emigrate''. When you ``emigrate'', you leave your country and settle down in another. If, on the other hand, you find an American wanting to come down and settle in good old India, then he is said to ``immigrate''. When you ``immigrate'' you come into another country. Let's look at the first example again - you leaving India to settle down in the US. As far as the Indians are concerned, you are emigrating - you are leaving the country for another. As far as the Americans are concerned, you are immigrating. You are coming into their country in order to settle down. An individual emigrates from the land he leaves and immigrates to the country he would like to settle down in. Remember, you emigrate from and immigrate to.

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``Beware of the man who goes to cocktail parties not to drink but to listen.'' - Pierre Daninos

Source:
The Hindu daily, Tuesday, January 09, 2001