| Football (word) |
Article Index for Football |
Website Links For Football |
Information AboutFootball (word) |
|
In countries where English Is A First Language , the word "football" generally means the most popular form of football in that country. Because of the large population of the United States , relative to other English-speaking countries, American Football is the game most commonly called "football", by native speakers of English. However, of the 45 national FIFA affiliates in which English is the main or official language, only the federations of Canada , Samoa and the United States have "soccer" in their names. This is because many countries, with relatively small populations of native English speakers, nevertheless have English as an official or main language, and favour British English usage, thus using "football" for Association Football . Also, use of the word football by the other 42 affiliates does not necessarily reflect popular usage of the word "football" in their countries. For example, controversy has arisen in both Australia and New Zealand , because — while the majority of people in both countries use the word "soccer" — the national governing bodies in both countries, in the early 21st Century , decided to rename themselves, using the word "football" instead of "soccer", and to insist on unqualified use of the word "football" for their code. In addition to American football and Association football, the word "football", used in isolation, may refer to other codes, such as or Rugby Union . There are also many non-English languages where the common term for Association football uses a phonetically similar word to the English term "football". (See the Football (soccer) Names article.) 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''. (a.) [http://www.icons.org.uk/theicons/collection/fa-cup/biography/history-of-football 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, "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. These sports were usually played by Peasant s, as opposed to the Horse-riding sports more often played by Aristocrat s. 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 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, 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". USAGE Australia In Australia , the word "football" has at least four different meanings, depending on geographical location and/or cultural factors. Australians usually mean Australian Rules Football or Rugby League and Rugby Union when they use the word football, although some people refer to association football (soccer) as "football" as well. Most Australians fall into five categories when it comes to using the word football:
In Australia, American football, which has a small following, is sometimes known as Gridiron , but is equally referred to simply as American football, without confusion. 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''. The Caribbean In the English-speaking Caribbean, with the exception of the Bahamas, "football" and "soccer" are both used to refer to association football, but use of the word "football" is far more common. American football is exclusively referred to as "American football" and is largely unknown apart from American television. The nickname of the Trinidad & Tobago Team , "The Soca Warriors", refers to a style of music, not the word soccer. Ireland In Ireland , "football" can mean association football or Gaelic Football , depending on which code predominates within the speaker's community and political affiliation:
Association football, when not called "football", is called "soccer". Gaelic football is often referred to informally as "gaelic" or "gah" (pronounced (), or less accurately as "GAA" or "GAA football" after its governing body, the Gaelic Athletic Association (which also governs other Gaelic sports). New Zealand In New Zealand , "football" usually refers to rugby union, but depending on context can also refer to rugby league or association football. It is, however, considered inappropriate to refer to "football" without supporting context as to which code the speaker means, so as to avoid confusion. Therefore while it is not uncommon for "football" (or the slang term "footie") to be used to refer to Rugby Union within context, it is usually not used otherwise. "Rugby", which almost universally refers to Rugby Union , is mostly used without any existing context. Rugby League is usually called "rugby league" or simply "league". Association football is usually called soccer. Australian rules football and American football are not very widespread, and are known as Aussie Rules and Gridiron respectively. South Africa In South Africa , the names "football" and soccer are both used for association football, however "soccer" is more common. Rugby union is called "rugby". 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. The term "soccer" is used by very few and is often frowned upon. It is understood by all as a name for association football in the same way that colloquial term Rugger is used for Rugby Union . OED :Soccer "The game of football as played under Association rules." and Rugger "Slang or colloquial alteration of RUGBY (in the sense of ‘Rugby football’). Freq. attrib. rugger-tackle" 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. |
|
|