[TimG]

I think the poll question says it all.

[mgoetze]

What's "state"? What's "neighboring"? What's a "border"? What kind of "sharing"?

Let's say we are talking about sovereign states such as India and China. From a common-sense point of view, I would say they are "neighboring states". Now, India has an idea of where its border with China is. China has an idea of where its border with India is. These ideas do not coincide. Would you call that a "shared border"?

[gwnn]

tricky one. I'd say for all intents and purposes France and the UK are neighbouring since they are very very close and you can cross the Channel by car or train. But in the strictest sense of the word I guess they aren't. mgoetze raises an interesting point, but I am not sure it's interesting to me personally.

[kenberg]

I voted no, they need not share a common border. But I think that the real answer is that not all words have, or even should have, precise boundaries. I have neighbors that do not live next door to me. Is that relevant to "neighboring states"? I dunno. It's how I chose my answer but I would not go to war with someone who said my thought process is flawed.

In mathematics, where I live, definitions are precise. Let f be defined by f(x)= (x^2)*(sin(1/x)) for non-zero x and f(0)=0. The function f either is or is not continuously differentiable. The answer is that it isn't. Replace x^2 by x^3 and then the answer is that it is continuously differentiable. Mathematicians who try to apply this rigor to common language are not popular. Ben Franklin said something caustic along these lines about us although I have lost track of the quote.


Added: Also, I think that the word "contiguous" unambiguously describes having a common border (online MW says: touching along a boundary or at a point), freeing up "neighboring" for more casual use.

[Zelandakh]

What is a neighbouring state? Alaska and Washington are neigbouring states of a kind. North ans South Korea are neighbouring states, and there is a theoretical linked border; but in practise they do not share a border. Countries that border on each other across water that is wider enough to have international waters (USA and Ireland perhaps) are neighbouring but have no border. Some countries are neighbouring but have mobile borders due to conflict (Israel-Palestine, India-Pakistan). Other countries have a border, or not, depending upon who you ask (Taiwan-China-Tibet).

You need to refine your question.

[TimG]

The statement that prompted my post was:

"New Hampshire neighbours Rhode Island".

Seemed a strange statement to me since Massachusetts separates the two states so that they share no common border (established, conflicted, moving, disputed or otherwise).

I do consider England and France to be neighboring countries, presumably there is a little dashed line down the middle of the English Channel, but would not consider Ireland and the US to be neighboring. Nor would I consider Washington and Alaska to be neighboring because of that stretch of Canada that separates them.

[Zelandakh]

TimG, on 2010-November-04, 05:49, said:

The statement that prompted my post was:

"New Hampshire neighbours Rhode Island".

Seemed a strange statement to me since Massachusetts separates the two states so that they share no common border (established, conflicted, moving, disputed or otherwise).

I do consider England and France to be neighboring countries, presumably there is a little dashed line down the middle of the English Channel, but would not consider Ireland and the US to be neighboring. Nor would I consider Washington and Alaska to be neighboring because of that stretch of Canada that separates them.

This would seem to depend on how you define your neighbourhood, no? The lady 2 doors down the street from me is a neighbour. It might be how the statement regarding NH and RI was intended. On the other hand it might just be that the person in question failed geography (was it Fox News?). There is indeed a dotted line down the English Channel - Germany is also one of our European neighbours though and as far as I know there is no dotted line in the German Bight (not 100% though ).

I would not normally consider USA and Ireland to be neighbours either but within the context of a discussion of North Atlantic countries then it would not be difficult to talk about neighbours across the ocean. Indeed it is not that an uncommon expression for English people to say "our neighbours across the Pond" meaning Americans. And finally, within the context of America you might link from Alaska to Washington by saying "moving to our nearest neighbours" or some-such. Context is everything.