BADEN-WURTTEMBERG-L Archives

From: "Carla Heller, M. A." <>
Subject: [B-W] What's the Difference? "Emigration," "Immigration," & "Migration" :-)
Date: Sun, 25 Jan 2004 08:56:46 -0800

Dear Baden-Wuerttemberg List Friends,

The terms EMIGRATE [emigration], IMMIGRATE [immigration] and the related
English word, MIGRATE [migration] all have the potential to be very
confusing in terms of their meanings. Two of them are similar, while
another has the *opposite* meaning to the others. Getting this all
straight might not amount to a hill of beans for the average person.
However, it will usually have a significant impact on anyone who is
*researching an ancestor who had origins in another country.* Don't
feel bad if you're confused about these terms and their meanings---it's
one of the most common mix-ups in all of family history research! :-)

In respect to research in European countries, in particular, the English
term you will most often see used to refer to the departure of someone
from his or her native country with the intent of settling in another is
EMIGRATE. (MIGRATE may be seen as well, but not nearly as frequently.)

The "New World Dictionary of the American Language" defines:

1. EMIGRATE

"TO LEAVE one country to settle in another."

*My paternal grandfather emigrated FROM Diedesheim, Mosbach, Baden
[Germany].*

2. IMMIGRATE

"TO COME INTO a new country, region or environment, especially in order
to settle there: *opposed* to EMIGRATE."

*My same grandfather immigrated TO Sweden.*

3. MIGRATE

"TO MOVE FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER, especially to leave one's country
and settle in another: *synonym* [same meaning as], EMIGRATE; also, to
move from one region to another with the change in seasons to harvest
seasonal crops."

*My same grandfather later migrated from Göteborg, Sweden to Kalmar,
Sweden---traveling from Sweden's southwestern coast to its southeastern
coast.*

* * * * *
Although the term MIGRATE in English does have a very similar meaning to
EMIGRATE, MIGRATE is more commonly used in referring to movements
on a somewhat smaller scale than emigration, usually within a particular
region of the *same* country or general area (e.g., a person might
MIGRATE from Minnesota to Missouri). If you've ever seen the term
"migrant farm worker," that usually refers to a person who moves from
one region to another in order to find and perform farm labor, such as
seasonal fruit and vegetable harvesters. MIGRANT is the noun derived
from MIGRATE. Again, the *meanings* of MIGRATE and EMIGRATE *are
similar*----but the way they are *used* in the English language is not
always the same.

To sum up the two most important terms in relation to family research,
in conventional parlance, a person who LEAVES Germany or wherever and
SETTLES in the United States (for an example) is said to be BOTH:

1) A German EMIGRANT (because they are LEAVING Germany), AND
2) An American IMMIGRANT (because they are ARRIVING IN and SETTLING in
America.)

[You might remember [E]MIGRATION as the [E]XIT. . .and [I]MMIGRATION as
the entry [IN]TO].

Hope I have not created more confusion with my diehard English teacher's
explanation---and hope this helps! :-)

Warmest wishes,

Carla HELLER, M. A., Los Angeles, California USA
List Co-Administrator, ROOTSWEB'S Baden-Wuerttemberg Mailing List
& Assistant Professor of English. . .for a living ;-)

This thread:

• [B-W] What's the Difference? "Emigration," "Immigration," & "Migration" :-) by "Carla Heller, M. A." <>