[Vocabulary] Border vs Frontier vs Boundary

Status
Not open for further replies.

Christin93

Junior Member
Joined
Aug 15, 2010
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Albanian
Home Country
Albania
Current Location
Albania
border the line that separates two countries or areas; the land near this line: a national park on the border between Kenya and Tanzania
boundary a line that marks the edges of an area of land and separates it from other areas: The fence marked the boundary between my property and hers.
frontier (British English) the line that separates two countries or areas; the land near this line: The river formed the frontier between the land of the Saxons and that of the Danes.
which word?
The point where you cross from one country to another is usually called the border. In British English it can also be called the frontier, but this is often in a context of wildness, danger and uncertainty: The rebels control the frontier and the surrounding area. The line on a map that shows the border of a country can be called the boundary but ‘boundary’ is not used when you cross from one country to another: After the war the national boundaries were redrawn. ◇ Thousands of immigrants cross the boundary every day. Boundary can also be a physical line between two places, for example between property belonging to two different people, marked by a fence or wall: the boundary fence/wall between the properties


How can I tell the difference more simpler, like when we use prolong for time and extend for space despite the fact that they have the same meaning???

Thanks in advance.
 

SoothingDave

VIP Member
Joined
Apr 17, 2009
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
American English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
A simple rule:

Countries have borders.

Boundary is for other separations between geographical areas.

The only "frontier" this American would talk about would be historical between settled land and the untamed wilderness. Or metaphorical use, like "the frontiers of medicine" with the same idea of moving into uncharted territory.
 

birdeen's call

VIP Member
Joined
Jul 15, 2010
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Polish
Home Country
Poland
Current Location
Poland
A frontier is not a line. It an area along a border or or a boundary
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top