Football talk: sociological reflections on the dialectics of language and football

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between football and language from a sociological point of view. This has often been couched in negative terms, but the paper argues that such a view distorts the majority of ‘Football Talk’. The discourse surrounding football within everyday interactions is often positive and integrative. ‘Football Talk’ acts as a lingua franca amongst football supporters. This language code is therefore both inclusive and exclusive.

Keywords:

• Football
• language
• social integration
• sociology

Notes

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank professors Alex Baroncelli, John Horne, Richard Giulianotti and Damon Berridge for their encouraging comments on an earlier version of this article as well as Mary Kiddy and the two anonymous reviewers at the EJSS for their helpful suggestions.

Disclosure statement

The author reports no conflicts of interest. The author alone is responsible for the content and writing of this article.

Notes on contributor

Roger Penn, is Professor of Sociology at Queen’s University, Belfast. Previously, he was a Visiting Professor of Sociology at University of California Los Angeles and the University of Bologna. Currently, he is a Visiting Professor at the International Centre of Research on International Management [ICRIM] at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan. He is the author of 14 books including Children of International Migrants in Europe: Comparative Perspectives and Skilled Workers in the Class Structure. He is a renowned economic sociologist and expert in visual sociology, particularly in the field of the sociology of sport. He is an active member of the EASS. In 2013, he published an article in the EJSS on ‘Football, Nationalism and Globalisation: A Comparison of England and Italy between 1930 and 2010’.

Notes

1 The traditional metonym ‘Lilywhites’ to characterizse Tottenham Hotspur has a dual significance. It refers simultaneously to the colour of the club shirt adopted in 1894 and also to the suppliers of this kit – the famous sports shop in Piccadilly, London with the same name.

2 Marsh et al (1978) explored the language used by their respondents at Oxford United in a critique of Bernstein’s earlier notions of working class ‘restricted codes’. Armstrong (1998) also analyzsed how Sheffield United fans used specific forms of language in relation to matters of gender.