MUSCOVITE Posted 12 years ago
Grammar
to be an envoy FOR (some country)
Hi,
The popular collocation dictionary (ozdic_com) only mentions "to be an envoy TO (some country, etc.)".
On the other hand, the variant "an envoy FOR ...", too, seems to be quite common?
Below are some examples from COCA:
an envoy TO:
(1) Kofi Annan, the U.N. special envoy to Syria, said in a statement he is gravely concerned.
(2) Former President Bill Clinton, the U.N.s special envoy to Haiti, was recently promoting investment opportunities in the country.
(3) Richard Holbrooke, Obama's special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan said that the US isn't going to abandon Afghanistan.
an envoy FOR:
(1) Malick points out that Marc Grossman, US Special Envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan, arrived in Islamabad yesterday to start high-level negotiations with the...
(2) Haitian president Ren Prval (left) and UN Special Envoy for Haiti Bill Clinton at the international donors' conference in New York, March
(3) Haron Amin, a Washington-based envoy for the northern alliance, said Monday that the anti-Taliban forces will try to surround...
(4) The United Nations says its special envoy for the Middle East will meet with Syrian officials later this week.
What do YOU think of the alternative ("an envoy FOR...")?
Is it "compromised" in any way?
mus-te
The popular collocation dictionary (ozdic_com) only mentions "to be an envoy TO (some country, etc.)".
On the other hand, the variant "an envoy FOR ...", too, seems to be quite common?
Below are some examples from COCA:
an envoy TO:
(1) Kofi Annan, the U.N. special envoy to Syria, said in a statement he is gravely concerned.
(2) Former President Bill Clinton, the U.N.s special envoy to Haiti, was recently promoting investment opportunities in the country.
(3) Richard Holbrooke, Obama's special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan said that the US isn't going to abandon Afghanistan.
an envoy FOR:
(1) Malick points out that Marc Grossman, US Special Envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan, arrived in Islamabad yesterday to start high-level negotiations with the...
(2) Haitian president Ren Prval (left) and UN Special Envoy for Haiti Bill Clinton at the international donors' conference in New York, March
(3) Haron Amin, a Washington-based envoy for the northern alliance, said Monday that the anti-Taliban forces will try to surround...
(4) The United Nations says its special envoy for the Middle East will meet with Syrian officials later this week.
What do YOU think of the alternative ("an envoy FOR...")?
Is it "compromised" in any way?
mus-te
Top answer
It means something different. You are an envoy to the country you go to. You are an envoy for the country you represent.
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It means something different. 
You are an envoyto the country you go to. You are an envoy forthe country you represent
You are an envoyto the country you go to. You are an envoy forthe country you represent
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ElanguestIt means something different. You are an envoyto the country you go to. You are an envoy for the country you represent.That's what logic would seem to tell us. It doesn't seem to work, however:
1) Malick points out that Marc Grossman, US Special Envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan, arrived in Islamabad yesterday to
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