Linguistic Wonders Series: Fatherly Words Language Article

Media Alert:

A Father's Day Guide to Fatherly Words

A Celebration of the Word that Describe those who Nurture, Comfort and Protect our Children

DANVILLE, CALIFORNIA. June 13, 2002. yourDictionary.com, the world's leading language portal, today released “A Father’s Day Guide to Fatherly Words”. “The word ‘father’ is readily recognizable in scores of Western languages and dialects,” said Paul JJ Payack, President & CEO. “yourDictionary.com felt it appropriate to provide an exploration of the word as the US prepares to celebrate Father’s Day.”

“There are now more than half a trillion words on the World Wide Web. We asked our experts to examine how the word ‘father’ was being used in this exciting milieu and in the language in general, “ concluded Payack.

The complete online version of the yourDictionary guide can be found at: "/about/father2002.html">/about/father2002.html.

Father’s Day is celebrated in the United States this Sunday, June 16, 2002.

A Father's Day Guide to Fatherly Words Compiled by Dr. Audra Himes, Brad Ross-MacLeod, and Paul JJ Payack

Top English Words For Father on the World Wide Web

Rank Word Number 1 Father 4,500,000 2 Dad 3, 000,000 3 Daddy 1,500,000 4 Papa 1,000,000 5 Pa 200,000 6 Dada 150,000 7 Pop 50,000 8 Poppa 25,000 9 Pops 10,000 10 (my) old man 10,000 Bonus Word Number Pater Familias 1,000

Top 10 Father-Related Words In English

Rank

Word

Comment

10.

Fatherhood

A most exalted station in life

9.

Father Time

The father who teaches us the most.

8.

Fatherland

Founded by the Founding Fathers; nearly indistinguishable from the Motherland.

7.

Daddy long legs

A daddy that bugs us all.

6.

Founding Fathers

Who both found and founded the fatherland

5.

Father of Our Country

Though but a brother to the other founders

4.

Father Goose

He must have helped Mother Goose gain her experience in handling children.

3.

Old Man River

The Mississippi or Old Man Thames, who just keep rolling along (despite what is dumped in them)

2.

Father Christmas

The British symbol of Christmas who, alongside Santa Claus and Pére Noel, is a more dignified symbol of that holiday than Finnish Joulupukki, the Christmas goat.

1.

The Holy Father

The lovingest of fathers who keeps us, well, close to the straight and narrow.

Top ‘Father-related’ Songs in Contemporary Music

Rank

Song

Artist

10.

Papa, Can You Hear Me?

Barbra Streisand

9.

Papa Don’t Preach

Madonna / Kelly Osbourne

8.

The Child is Father to the Man

Blood Sweat and Tears

7.

Father

LL Cool J

6.

Oh My Papa

Eddie Fisher

5.

Papa's Got a Brand New Bag

James Brown

4.

Daddy Sang Bass

Johnny Cash

3.

Papa was a Rolling Stone

The Temptations

2.

Papa Loves Mambo

Perry Como

1.

Papa Oom Mow Mow

The Rivingtons

10 Most Notable TV Fathers in the US

10. Jim Anderson played by Robert Young in "Father Knows Best" 9. Ward Cleaver played by Hugh Beaumont in "Leave it to Beaver" 8. Mike Brady played by Robert Reed in "The Brady Bunch" 7. Howard Cunningham played by Tom Bosley in "Happy Days" 6. Heathcliff Huckstable played by Bill Cosby on "The Cosby Show" 5. Father Guido Sarducci played by Don Novello on "Saturday Night Live" 4. Tony Soprano played by James Gandolfini in "The Sopranos" (giving new meaning to “father-hood" 3. Archie Bunker played by Carroll O'Connor in "All in the Family 2. Homer Simpson playing himself in "The Simpsons" 1. Ozzie Osbourne playing himself in "The Osbournes"

Bonus: The Best Surrogate Dad On TV

Uncle Bill Davis played by Brian Keith in "Family Affair"

10 Most Notable Fathers in the Movies

10. Jack Butler played by Michael Keaton in "Mr. Mom" 9. Father Flannigan played by Spencer Tracy in "Boys Town" 8. Stanley T. Banks by Spencer Tracy (or Steve Martin) in "Father of the Bride" 7. Georg von Trapp played by Christopher Plummer in "The Sound of Music" 6. Atticus Finch played by Gregory Peck in "To Kill a Mockingbird" 5. Mr. Parker (The Old Man) by Darren McGavin in "A Christmas Story" 4. George Bailey played by James Stewart in "It's a Wonderful Life" 3. Geppetto, the father in "Pinocchio" who created his own son (animated feature) 2. Don Corleone played by Marlon Brando in "The Godfather" 1. Darth Vader voiced by James Earl Jones in "Star Wars"

BONUS: The Best Cross-dressing Dad in the Movies Mr. Daniel Hillard AKA Ms. Iphagenia Doubtfire played by Robin Williams in "Mrs. Doubtfire"

Four Most Widely Used Idiomatic'Dad' Phrases

1. Daddi-o 2. Big Daddy 3. Sugar Daddy 4. Mac Daddy

Top Father-based Art Movement Dadaism

Top Sunday Daddy in the Funnies Daddy Warbucks

Top Rap Daddies

1. Puff Daddy (P. Diddy currently) Sean "Puffy" Combs 2. Big Daddy Kane (influential in Golden Age of rap) 3. Daddy Freddy (world's fastest rapper at 500+ syllables per minute)

Appearances of the word "Father" in Noted Texts

1. Sigmund Freud's complete works 2700+ 2. The King James Bible 979 3. William Shakespeare's complete works 862 4. Decline & Fall of the Roman Empire 601 (Gibbon) 601 5. Ulysses (James Joyce) 276 6. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (Joyce) 150 7. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte) 102 8. Canterbury Tales (Chaucer) 68 9. Democracy in America (de Tocqueville) 33 10. Emily Dickinson's Complete Poems 30 11. Aesop's Fables 19 12. The Prince (Machiavelli) 18 13. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas 10

14.

Charles Darwin's Origin of Species 6 15. Beatrix Potter's Children's Stories 3

Top Ten Appearances of "Father" in the Works of Shakespeare (There are 862 mentions of "father" in Shakespeare, vs. 232 mentions of mother.)

Rank Play Number

1.

King Henry IV, Part 3

77 (Henry IV Cycle has 140)

2.

King Lear

66

3.

Taming of the Shrew

54

4.

Hamlet

52 (Was No. 1 with "mother")

5.

Winter’s Tale

44

6.

As You Like It

37

7.

Cymbeline

32

8.

Merchant of Venice

32

9.

King John

28

10.

King Henry VI, Part 1

26 (Henry VI Cycle has 47)

"Father" in Artificial Languages

• Esperanto (Language family that are among the easiest to learn in the world)
• Patro (vs. Patrino for mother)
• Klingon (Star Trek Language)
• Vav (vs. SoSoy for mother)
• Adûniac (the vernacular of Númenor -- J. R. R. Tolkien language)
• attû, attô
• American Sign Language
• The thumb of the open hand taps the side of the forehead