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The English language word football may mean any one of several team sports (or the ball used in that respective sport), depending on the national or regional origin and location of the person using the word. Because of the existence of different codes — that is, sets of rules — of the game of football, confusion or controversy may result from unqualified usage of the word.

Where English is an official language, the word football generally means the most popular form of football in that region. The population of India (who use the word in relation to association football) has English as an official language[1][2] and is the largest nation in the world to do so, covering over 1 billion people. Of the seventy-five nations and territories who participate in any code of football internationally, the word "football" means association football in the overwhelming majority of them (at least sixty-four). The combined population of people in countries where English is an official language, and the word "football" means association football is around 1,790,000,000 people covered.1

Of countries with a population of atleast 1 million, Canada and the United States are the only FIFA affiliated nations to include the word "Soccer" in the name of their federation for the sport;[3] this is because in those nations American football and Canadian football are more popular. English speaking nations Australia and New Zealand previously called the sport of association football "soccer", however in the early 21st century the national governing bodies in both countries have renamed themselves to the more global usage of the word "football".[4]

In addition to association football, American football and Canadian football the word football, used in isolation, may refer to other codes, such as Australian rules football, Gaelic football, or one of the two codes of rugby football: rugby league or rugby union. Although with these it is common to name them "Aussie rules", "gaelic" and simply "rugby", particularly with the latter.

Around the word many nations have loaned the word "football" into their language to mean the association football code, for example with the widely spoken Spanish and Portuguese languages, while in the French language the word "football" is loaned without any alterations at all.

Contents

[edit] Etymology

While it is widely believed that the word football, or "foot ball", originated in reference to the action of a foot kicking a ball, this may be a false etymology. An alternative explanation has it that the word originally referred to a variety of games in medieval Europe, which were played on foot.[5] These sports were usually played by peasants, as opposed to the horse-riding sports more often played by aristocrats. This explanation is supported by the fact that the word football has always implied a wide variety of games played on foot, not just those that revolved around kicking a ball. In some cases, the word has been applied to games which involved carrying a ball and specifically banned kicking. For example, the English writer William Hone, writing in 1825 or 1826, quotes the social commentator Sir Frederick Morton Eden, regarding a game — which Hone refers to as "Foot-Ball" — played in the parish of Scone, Scotland:

The game was this: he who at any time got the ball into his hands, run [sic] with it till overtaken by one of the opposite part; and then, if he could shake himself loose from those on the opposite side who seized him, he run on; if not, he threw the ball from him, unless it was wrested from him by the other party, but no person was allowed to kick it.[6] [Emphasis added].

However, there is no conclusive evidence for either theory regarding the origins of the word.

The word "soccer" originated as an "Oxford '-er'" slang abbreviation of "association", and was popularised by a prominent English footballer, Charles Wreford-Brown. This origin is evident in the sometimes-heard variation, "soccer football."

[edit] Usage

[edit] Africa

The English language has a large official presence in Africa with numerous nations holding it as their official language.[7] Of these countries, the most popular footballing code in the west and east especially is association football,[8][9][10] though in the southern part of the continent rugby union is highly popular also, there is also a small rugby league presence.[11]

Children in English speaking African nation Ghana, playing association football.
Children in English speaking African nation Ghana, playing association football.

Due to the tribal nature of parts of Africa and hundreds of different languages been spoken, the English language acts as the lingua franca in many of them and holds official status.[12][13] In Western Africa, the modern day languages are post-colonial vartiations of West African Pidgin English, such as Nigerian Pidgin English, Cameroonian Pidgin English and Aku for example.[14] In these nations football means association football and it is by far the most popular sport on the continent,[15] with the likes of Nigeria, Cameroon and Ghana gaining international attention thanks to appearences at the World Cup and success in the Africa Cup of Nations.[16][17] English speaking West African nations compete in other codes of football internationally such as rugby union, though they are far less popular.[18][19] English speaking countries in East Africa have a similar situation to West in terms of what the word football refers to,[20][21] association football remains the most popular sport[20] but East African nations have had little success in any football code (including rugby union), unlike in atheltics especially in Kenya.[22]

South Africa is noted internationally for its contributions to rugby union with the Springboks, despite having the most international success in this code it is not commonly named just football in South African English, though the federation had rugby football union in its name before changing to just South African Rugby Union.[11] The sport is commonly known as just rugby or sometimes rugby union to distinguish it from rugby league which has a smaller presence.[11][23] Association football is very popular in the country, with the national side playing in several World Cups and set to host the 2010 competition, the sport is widely known as both soccer and football within the country, however football is used for the official South African Football Association.[24] Other official English speaking southern African nations have appeared at the Rugby World Cup such as Zimbabwe and Namibia, yet the sport is known as just rugby, while football means association football (the word soccer is used sometimes, but far less frequently) and is the most popular sport within these countries.[25][26]

[edit] Asia

Due to the history of British colonialism, the English language and with it British sports arrived in Asia at an early stage. A highly notable example of this is India, where the word football means association football,[27] this sport has a very long history and is highly popular, even though the country is better known for non-footballing sports such as cricket. The third oldest association football tournament in the world[27] is played in India in the form of the Durand Cup, notably two of the three largest capacity stadiums in the world are in India and are used primarily for hosting football, in the form of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and Salt Lake Stadium. The Indian federation known as the All India Football Federation and the countries population use football to refer to that sport, a legacy of the British English variations of the English language. The language is one of the official ones of the country to this day.[1][2] Other codes of football are not as popular within the country.[28]

There is a somewhat similar situation in the four other official English speaking countries of Asia, where British English is the variation which has had widest affect. The four official English language countries of Pakistan, Singapore, Hong Kong and Philippines all use the term football, to describe association football.[29][30][31][32] In the English speaking nations of Asia, the rugby football code of union has a small but visiable presence with Hong Kong, India, the Philippines and Singapore having national sides, they generally call the game just rugby and the official federations carry the name rugby football union.[33][34][35][36] Other codes of football have some popularity in Asia too such as American football, however this is generally confined to countries who do not have English as an official language such as Japan.[37]

[edit] Oceania

Within Australia the term "football" is ambiguous and can mean around four different codes of football in Australian English, depending on the context, geographical location and cultural factors; this includes Australian rules football, rugby league, association football and rugby union.[38] The most common useage of the word among the people is between the former two. In the states of Victoria, Western Australia, Tasmania and South Australia football commonly means the Australian rules variation with their league the Australian Football League,[39] the slang term footy is also used in an unofficial context,[40] while in these states the two rugby football codes are named league and rugby respectively. There is a different situation in New South Wales and Queensland, where rugby league is most popular and known as just football or the slang footy instead and Australian rules football is known as AFL or Aussie rules, while rugby union is known as just rugby.[38]

Prior to the 21st century association football was mostly known as just soccer in the country (with the exception of some), the national team is nicknamed the Socceroos.[41] However a period of official transition specifically related to the useage of the word football began in 2004 as the governing body changed its name to the Football Federation Australia from Australian Soccer Association and began refering to the sport exclusively as football.[42] Some high profile media outlets in the country followed in the form of Special Broadcasting Service, Fox Sports, the Sydney Morning Herald and several other Sydney-based organisations.[43][44] There is also a minority of rugby union fans who call their sport football, however rugby is usually used by them.[45] The small following of American football is known by the name gridiron, or in an unofficial context American football.[46]

Just south-east of Australia in New Zealand, the word football most commonly means rugby union due to the huge success and notoriety of the All Blacks national side, this sport is more well known as just rugby.[47][48] The word football is also used to a lesser extent to refer to rugby league or association football. The slang term footie generally only means either of the two codes of rugby football, while rugby league is traditionally known as rugby league or just league. Association football is usually known as soccer by the general population, however useage of the term is going through a period of transition in recent times as the federation changed its name to New Zealand Football from New Zealand Soccer and the nickname of its woman's team to Football Ferns from SWANZ.[4][49] Other codes are not traditionally popular but Australian rules football is known as Aussie rules, while American football is known as gridiron.[50]

[edit] Canada

In Canada, "football" can refer to either Canadian football or American football, often differentiated as either "CFL" (from the governing Canadian Football League) or "NFL" (from the US National Football League). Because of the similarity between the games, many people in both countries do not consider the two styles of football separate sports per se, but rather different codes of the same sport. If a Canadian were to say, "My brother plays football in the States", it would be clear from context that American football is meant. Association football, which is rapidly gaining in popularity, is called soccer.

The usage of football, to mean the local code, is so strong in Canada that Canadian football is referred to as le football among French-speaking Canadians, and Association football is le soccer.

[edit] The Caribbean

In the English-speaking Caribbean, football is most commonly used to refer to association football. Other are largely unknown apart from television. The nickname of the Trinidad & Tobago team, "The Soca Warriors", refers to a style of music, not the similar sounding word.

[edit] Ireland

 This article does not cite any references or sources. (January 2008)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

In Ireland, "football" can mean association football , Gaelic football or Rugby Union, depending on which code predominates within the speaker's community and political affiliation:

  • In urban areas of both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, "football" usually means association football.
  • Ulster Unionists in Northern Ireland never refer to Gaelic football as "football".
  • In rural areas, particularly the west of Ireland, "football" usually means Gaelic football.
  • For many people, either sport may be called "football" depending on the context; conversely, without context, "football" is avoided because of its ambiguity. This is the approach taken by most of the Republic of Ireland media.

Association football, when not called "football", is called "soccer". Gaelic football is often referred to informally as "gaelic" or "gah" (pronounced ([gæː]), or less accurately as "GAA" or "GAA football" after its governing body, the Gaelic Athletic Association (which also governs other Gaelic games). The use of football for Rugby is not as common and is disambiguated by usage of Rugby or Rugby football.

[edit] United Kingdom

As in other English-speaking countries, the unqualified use of "football" in the United Kingdom tends to refer to the most popular code of football in the country, which in the case of England and Scotland is association football. For fans who are more interested in other codes of football, within their sporting community, the use the word football may refer to their own code and they may call association football soccer for brevity and clarity. However even within such sporting communities an unqualified mention of football would usually be a reference to association football.[51]

A scene from the football hooligan themed movie Green Street is a clear example in popular culture of British people's antipathy for the word "soccer". Represented in a scene where a conversation is taking place between the newly arrived American Matt Buckner and the English football fan Pete Dunham.[52]

  • Pete: Fuck it. I will take you with me. You might learn something.
  • Matt: About soccer?
  • Pete: No, mate. Not about "soccer". And for fuck's sake, stop saying "soccer".

Irish nationalists in Northern Ireland may use "football" for Gaelic football (see above).[53] Outside the nationalist community in Northern Ireland, Gaelic football is usually known as Gaelic football.

Australian rules football and American football are not played or watched by many in the UK. Australian rules football is usually known as Australian football, or Australian rules. Likewise American football is usually known by that name, although Channel 4 popularised the use of the term gridiron when it showed American football on Saturday evenings in 1982-92, and this term is still used by some people.[54]

[edit] United States

In the United States, the word "football" refers to American football. Association football is called "soccer". Soccer is a less popular spectator sport, though it does have a considerable following, particularly among younger people and immigrants. Soccer is one of the most popular participatory sports in the United States among children (though its popularity is equalled or eclipsed by other sports in certain regions, especially baseball and ice hockey). Rugby union is generally known as rugby, with the "union" name rarely used. Gaelic football and rugby league have very small, albeit growing numbers of adherents. Australian rules football also has a very small following, but is known simply as "footy" by those who watched the Fosters highlights on ESPN and also by the sport's governing body in the country which often refers to itself "US Footy". Most people in the US are not usually aware of the distinction between rugby union and rugby league, and consequently both are referred to simply as "rugby". Because of the number of American players in the Canadian Football League, a small number of Americans follow Canadian football, which is occasionally broadcast on American cable channels. Because of the similarity between American and Canadian football, many people in both countries do not consider the two styles of football separate sports per se, but rather different codes of the same sport. If an American were to say, "My brother plays football in Canada", it would be clear from context that Canadian football is meant.

[edit] "Football" as a loanword

Main article: Names for association football

Many languages use the English word "football" and variations of it as loanwords for Association football. Examples include:

  • Czech: fotbal
  • French: football
  • Portuguese: futebol
  • Spanish: fútbol
  • Turkish: futbol

This has contributed to the adoption of the word football into the auxiliary language Interlingua.

The loanwords bear little or no resemblance to the native words for "foot" and "ball". By contrast, some languages have calques of "football": their speakers use equivalent terms that combine their words for "foot" and "ball". An example is the Greek ποδόσφαιρο (podósfero).

By contrast, in German, "Football" is a loanword for American football, while the German word Fußball, a calque of "football" (Fuß = "foot", Ball = "ball"), means association football.

[edit] Metaphorical meanings

A political football refers to a political issue that is used primarily as part of the 'political game', rather than as an issue to be addressed.

The nuclear football refers to the briefcase which accompanies the President of the United States, containing codes which would enable him or her to launch a nuclear attack, should the need arise.

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ The population figures are based on List of countries by population.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b "English in India", Adaniel, 8 January 2008. 
  2. ^ a b "Languages Of India", ILoveIndia.com, 8 January 2008. 
  3. ^ "Electronic Reachability of Football Associations", RSSSF.com, 8 January 2008. 
  4. ^ a b "Soccer gets the boot", The Press, 10 May 2007. 
  5. ^ (a.) ICONS Online (commissioned by the UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport; no date) "History of Football"; (b.) Bill Murray (sports historian), quoted by The Sports Factor, 2002, "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport" (Radio National, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, May 31, 2002) and Michael Scott Moore - American journalist, "Naming the Beautiful Game: It's Called Soccer" (Der Spiegel, June 7, 2006); (c.) Professional Football Researchers Association (U.S.A.), (no date) "A Freendly Kinde of Fight: The Origins of Football to 1633". Access date for all references: February 11, 2007.
  6. ^ William Hone, 1825-26, The Every-Day Book, "February 15." Access date: March 15, 2007.
  7. ^ "The Languages of Africa", InterSolinc.com, 8 January 2008. 
  8. ^ "Experts explain Kenya's losses", Daily Nation, 8 January 2008. 
  9. ^ "West is best and East is hopeless", Guardian.co.uk, 8 January 2008. 
  10. ^ "Sierra Leone", EveryCulture.com, 8 January 2008. 
  11. ^ a b c "History of the game", SARugby.co.za, 8 January 2008. 
  12. ^ "Nigerian Language and Nigerian Dictionary", EmbassyHomepage.com, 8 January 2008. 
  13. ^ "Ghana", Lou-Dayou Worldwide, 8 January 2008. 
  14. ^ McArthur, Tom. The English Language. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0521485821. 
  15. ^ "Fan Clubs for Education", FarmRadio.org, 8 January 2008. 
  16. ^ "History of the NFA", NigeriaFAOnline.com, 8 January 2008. 
  17. ^ "Football in Ghana", MyGhanaFootball.com, 8 January 2008. 
  18. ^ "Ghana", RugbyData.com, 8 January 2008. 
  19. ^ "Nigeria", RugbyData.com, 8 January 2008. 
  20. ^ a b "A brief overview of Football in Kenya", Kenya Football, 8 January 2008. 
  21. ^ "HIV/AIDS Awareness Football Coaching Project - Uganda 2007", Tackle Africa, 8 January 2008. 
  22. ^ "Athletics Kenya Museum - History", AthleticsKenya.com, 8 January 2008. 
  23. ^ "South African Rugby League: History", SARugbyLeague.co.za, 8 January 2008. 
  24. ^ "About the South African Football Association", SAFAGoal.net, 8 January 2008. 
  25. ^ "Records", NamibianRugby.com, 8 January 2008. 
  26. ^ "Namibia - Namibia Football Association", GFDB.com, 8 January 2008. 
  27. ^ a b "Football Tournaments", IndiaNetZone.com, 8 January 2008. 
  28. ^ "Football in India", ILoveIndia.com, 8 January 2008. 
  29. ^ "Constitution", PFF.com, 8 January 2008. 
  30. ^ "The Home of Singapore Football", FAS.org.sg, 8 January 2008. 
  31. ^ "Football development cooperation with Croatia", HKFA.com, 8 January 2008. 
  32. ^ "Philippines", The-AFC.com, 8 January 2008. 
  33. ^ "Hong Kong Rugby, A Game for All - Overview", HKRugby.com, 8 January 2008. 
  34. ^ "Bangalore Rugby Club - India", KRFU.com, 8 January 2008. 
  35. ^ "About Rugby", PRFU.com, 8 January 2008. 
  36. ^ "Singapore Rugby Union - About Us", SRU.org.sg, 8 January 2008. 
  37. ^ "Japan coach runs the rule at camp ahead of IFAF worlds", JapanTimes.co.jp, 8 January 2008. 
  38. ^ a b "Football in Australia", CultureandCreation.gov.au, 8 January 2008. 
  39. ^ "AFL History", AFL.com.au, 8 January 2008. 
  40. ^ "Footy FAQ", AFANA.com, 8 January 2008. 
  41. ^ "Features and Editorials", Socceroos Realm, 8 January 2008. 
  42. ^ "Soccer to become football in Australia", SMH.com.au, 8 January 2008. 
  43. ^ "The World Game - Craig Foster", SBS Sport, 8 January 2008. 
  44. ^ "Football raises voice over competing din", Sydney Morning Herald, 8 January 2008. 
  45. ^ "About Rugby", Rugby.com.au, 8 January 2008. 
  46. ^ "Gridiron in Australia", GridironAustralia.org.au, 8 January 2008. 
  47. ^ "Maori Personalities in Sport", TeAoHou.natlib.govt.nz, 8 January 2008. 
  48. ^ "Welcome to The Game - How To Play", NZRugby.co.nz, 8 January 2008. 
  49. ^ "Football Ferns step out with new name", YellowFever.co.nz, 10 May 2007. 
  50. ^ "Gridiron in New Zealand", Gridiron.co.nz, 10 May 2007. 
  51. ^ Tony Collins. Football, rugby or rugger?, BBC sound recording with written transcript, and a comment in prose by Jonnie Robinson, Curator, English accents and dialects, British Library Sound Archive.
  52. ^ "Hooligans (2005)", IMDB.com, 8 January 2008. 
  53. ^ Campbell, Denis. "My team - Derry City: An interview with Martin McGuinness", The Guardian, 8 April 2001. Retrieved on 2007-12-09
  54. ^ Matt Tench California dreaming The Observer September 2, 2001.

[edit] External links

Look up football in
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