July 30th, 2006 at 4:21 pm
I was reading a good article from Beep.name that talked about Google being “considered” a verb and recently being included in the Merriam-Webster dictionary. It just made me think into how it relates to the modern day where proper verbs and nouns aren’t used, i.e. company names and trademarks are used (sometimes unknowingly) instead. Thus is the power of the company/ company brand to etch it deep into our subconscious mind. Most of the time, we say it almost unknowingly, associating the company name/ brand/ trademark with the action we are doing instead. In essence we are diluting the Trademark of the company. I do it all the time…. here are some examples:
- I am going to “XEROX” a copy of this article. Xerox is actually a big conglomerate who was one of the first companies to pioneer the document copying process. What I actually meant to say was “I am going to photocopy a copy of this article.”
- I am going to “Hoover” the carpet meaning “I am going to vacuum clean the carpet”.
- I am “googling” the web meaning “I am searching or researching the web using google”.
- Have you got a “Kleenex”? meaning “Have you got a tissue paper or napkin?”
- Have you got “Coke”? meaning “Have you got any soft drinks, soda or pop?
- Have you got a “Phillips” screwdriver? meaning “Have you got a 4 tip crosshead screwdriver?”
More obvious than not, these words are infact name of companies or company trademark brands. The last one i.e. Phillips screwdriver was actually a trademark of the American Screw Company but the legal usage of it now it currently unknown. This subconscious verb usage has prompted Adobe to put a legal notice out to make sure that its Photoshop software isn’t used and diluted in this way.
… I don’t claim to be an Language major (far from it) but the way we adjust our language to the modern world and technology is an intriguing one … just one of the many puzzling occurances of the English language and the subconscious mind.
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