The World in Words 92: The language of the beautiful game
At the World Cup in South Africa, it’s not just Brazil vs Spain and Argentina vs Everybody Else. It’s Bafana Bafana vs Les Elephants, soccer vs football, cleats vs boots and the coach vs the gaffer. We have stories on the new adidas ball and its globally correct corporate name; on the race to rename streets in South African cities; on a few words rooted in South Africa’s eleven official languages that may go global after this tournament; and on the US-English confrontation off the field: the linguistic battle over soccer/football terminology.
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