request for the yankee's
 

For my A-Level english course I need to find out something about an american's perception of the word Abroad.

Does abroad mean over the sea, ie a country away from the USA continent? Or does it mean a foreign country such as Canada?

Cheers,
Caius

I would think it means over seas, because abroad seems to connote crossing a broad expanse, but dictionary.com only ranks that in third place. It says:

abroad

adj : in a foreign country; "markets abroad"; "overseas markets" [syn: overseas] adv 1: to or in a foreign country; "they had never travelled abroad" 2: far away from home or one's usual surroundings; "looking afield for new lands to conquer"- R.A.Hall [syn: afield] 3: in a place across an ocean [syn: overseas, beyond the sea, over the sea]

It means both, but your first definition is completely engulfed by the second. Abroad, to me, an American, means anywhere that isn't the United States of America.

"George Bush takes politics seriously, both at home and abroad."

OK, not true, but that how it would be used in a sentence here.

I already knew about the dictionary references, we as a class were just interested as what it meant to individual americans and whether it was accepted as meaning anywhere not in the US, or if it was anywhere not connected to the US physically.

Cheers all, you just got me a few extra marks on my english coursework :)

As an US citizen who lives abroad, I have always smirked at the "study abroad" opportunities that take college students to Canada. While technically, Canada is abroad, I always associated the locution "study abroad" with a much longer journey (physically and culturally). Granted, students from El Paso might have a long trip to get to Nipissing, or any of the Maritime Provinces, I still have a hard time seeing that as abroad in the same way that "studying" in Bielefeld or even the relatively benign Oxford is "abroad".

But that is just my two cents and is wrapped up in the trend of US students to "study abroad" to complement their educations.

Indeed, as I think about it more, the most common use of the term abroad that I encounter is the "study abroad" expression. I am, however, an academic, so I guess it's not surprising.

My 2¢.

Best,
darin

To me it means you're using an old word that nobody in this country uses any more.

Should not every British citizen consider travelling to Paris abroad?

Abroad is anywhere outside your citizenship borders and for Americans that includes Mexico and Canada although geographically adjoined with the U.S. If I were going to Hawaii I would not say I am travelling abroad although geographically detached. In my experience most Americans choose more accurate information to describe their plans. If I were travelling to France, I might not use the term "travelling abroad" unless it is a very non personal relationship, one in which I am reluctant to offer specific information.

There is also the exotic and very casual use of the term as well, which indicates the desire to just travel the world, anywhere, anytime to experience everything outside our borders, to just travel abroad (Europe, Asia, Africa) and absorb all the fascinating cultures around the world.

Reply for the Limey...

Wow, its amazing the different takes people have on the same word. And to think all this was unleashed by a little discussion and wondering in the minds of my english group..

lol. cheers all.

Some place I need a passport to get to. Not Canada (you only need a driver's license or photo ID) or Mexico (I think they're the same). To me they're neighbors not abroad.

Actually, what is so amazing about posing a question in a forum and getting a multitude of responses? The results should be quite obvious I would think, you do have over 300 posts...

Embrace the freedoms of diverse expressions. These are fundamental ideas of democracy that turned the U.S. into a Hyperpower while the British was losing most of its empire of India, Hong Kong and how many other key regions in the middle east and throughout the world...

Yeah i guess it is seeing as colonised america was created by settlers from britain..

Now its funny. :)

We are both democracies and therefore share an ideology but the cultural differences run deep.

No, we're a republic. We have limited democratic processes as allowed by the foundation documents of the republic. We were never supposed to be a democracy.

We are both democracies and therefore share an ideology but the cultural differences run deep.

When you are British, you are British. When you are French, you are French. When you are Russian you are Russian.

But when you are an American you are Irish, German, Scottish, Italian, Latin, English, French, Russian, Asian, Polish, Hungarian, Native American, African, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Eskimo to name a few...

Abroad is one little word and there will be alot of fantastic cultural ideas about its meaning... :D

This discussion needs to be kept on the word 'abroad', and all discussion or allusion to politcal ideaology needs to be forgotten. Something I too am guilty of. Please read your Coat Room forum FAQ.

http://forums.macosxhints.com/showthread.php?t=45

I don't think any politics have been discussed. The founding principles of the country lie in factual documents that can easily be researched and verified; it's neither opinion nor politics.

Then call it a preemptive warning, as it certainly looks like the path this thread was heading down.

From my school experience, "study abroad" was general enough to include Canada and Mexico.

I think my english teacher is happy with the results I have obtained from you all.

Thanks again!

... and I thought "abroad" was US slang for the female of the species.....

Heh. It is.. with a silent space inbetween a and b. :)

Well, that's what I was going to say . . . ;)

Seconding yellow's remark about political / ideological commentary. Right yellow . . . (ahem! ) :p

"Abroad", to me, means you definitely are flying and it's likely that you're crossing water/ocean to get there. Being from the US, Canada wouldn't count, but Mexico just might. But then again, going to Mexico you'd likely be flying over some sort of water - unless you're coming from Texas.

"A broad", to me, is a dame, lass, betty :) And you're probably looking to get smacked (at least where I'm from).

What...???

You're lucky I'm not your history-geography-sociology professor... :D

PS: Sorry I couldn't resist...

I have been warned very publicly by Rob and Craig so understand my tone...

PM me if you are so inclined Sao and I will gladly engage this at length but I will not get drawn into a public debate. My opinions are based on my personal experiences and need no approval from you...

So.. no one has ever, or ever will, emigrate to other countries, only the US?

You know..

If you had just ended your sentence after "experiences", there wouldn't be anything wrong. But tacking on the end gives your sentence a nasty tone.

And now that we've all provided some fine definitions of abroad, and iNemo is quite thrilled with the variety of responses ... it's time to move on. Otherwise, this will quickly and painfully turn into a personal debate over citizenship, race, politics, and who knows what else...

Hasta la vista, thread.

-rob.

Topic, topic; wherefore art thou, topic?

Hopefully Tiger will be announced soon. Both here and abroad. ;)