Semantics – Correct Usage of ‘Moving’ vs. ‘Shifting’ Next Month

differencesindian-englishmeaningsemantic-shiftsemantics

For changing one's home from one place to another, I've heard people in western part of the world using the sentence:

I'll be moving next month.

In India, even in the English news channels, I've heard many people using the phrase:

I'll be shifting next month.

Which one is the correct usage? Or are both of them correct and the difference in usage is regional?

Best Answer

In American and British English, "to move" is the standard verb to express the idea of relocating one's belongings from one dwelling to another (among other connotations):

I moved from Baker Street to High Street.

"To shift," when referring to objects, generally has more of a temporal sense associated with it:

I shifted my class from Monday to Wednesday.

or an internal reorganization:

I shifted the remaining funds from renovations to education.

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