another bloody yank

Notice the captions where it says the person's name and then "Formerly of xxx". Can you be "formerly" of a place? Aren't you always from there even after you gain citizenship somewhere else?


http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/5000-s...147d817a9f2e90

Sally Redux

I've seen it used a lot in that way, as in formerly residing in.

robin1234

I agree with you that it seems wrong. But I think that it is to do with the theory of becoming a US Citizen, that it is like some mystical baptism process.. you were from Egypt but now you are American.

I think most new citizens politely accept the rhetoric, but of course they still retain & value their citizenship of birth. Unless they are from North Korea, Zimbabwe or some other place that they are happy to get shot of. Some countries (I believe Zimbabwe is an example) deem you to have abandoned you citizenship if you become a citizen of another country. So for them, the "formerly of" may be accurate.

meauxna

As far as the US government is concerned, she's a US citizen and 'of' here now.
She's still 'from' Egypt, in one use of the word.

another bloody yank

Right, after looking at it again I think I was reading the "of" as "from".

Carry on.