The battle over the words used to describe migrants

[Conniff]

Images of people scrambling over barbed wire fences in Calais or crossing the Mediterranean in fishing boats

have dominated the media over the last few months. And a debate has even emerged about the very words

used to describe people.

 

The word migrant is defined in Oxford English Dictionary as "one who moves, either temporarily or permanently,

from one place, area, or country of residence to another".

 

Well there you have it then. Are they migrating? answer, yes they are, so they are migrants.

[unclebulgaria67]

Migrations have happened since animal life started on the planet.

 

The argument is mostly about economics, then security, then humanitarian.

[mikeymack2002]

So does it mean you are a migrant if you move from Luton to West Ham then since this is a "new place" give me strength now I can be called a migrant simply because I moved? wow... (this was just an example BTW)

 

 

Please everyone you are really not a migrant just being exact in what was quoted in the final sentence post #1, don't you just love the good old Oxford?

[antone]

In this context, the connotation is as important as the denotation.