His father is gone.

[it-is-niaz]

Are both of the following OK and do they have the same meaning?

His father is gone (for 6 months).
His father is dead (for 6 months).

 

[emsr2d2]

Neither is correct because "is gone/dead" don't work.

"His father has been gone for six months" could mean that his father went away somewhere six months ago or that he died six months ago.
"His father has been dead for six months" can only mean that his father died six months ago.

 

[Tarheel]

I didn't pay close enough attention the first time I read Ems's post. Having read it a second time, I realize that we agree 100%. You can say "He's gone" meaning, in the right context, that he's dead, but don't add "for six months" to it. (Google "He's gone" and see if a song by The Grateful Dead pops up. ;-) )

 

[it-is-niaz]

So if I removed the duration, would the following be OK?
His father is gone.
His father is dead.

 

[Tarheel]

"His father is dead" is unambiguous. "His father is gone" means the same thing in the proper context.

 

[probus]

Personally I would say "His father has gone for six months" but "is gone for six months" nevertheless sounds correct and natural to me. Perhaps the latter is Indian dialect.