Definition | Meaning:

1. The tendency for things of great interest to a community to attract a large number of colorful synonyms.

Definition | Meaning:

1. A brand name which uses one example of its category to stand for the entire category.

Example | Illustration:

• Staples is a synecdoche for office supplies.
• Red Lobster is a synecdoche for seafood.

Compare | See:

• metonym

Definition | Meaning:

1. Any distinctive element of the brand identity which calls to mind the brand as a whole.

Example | Illustration:

• The name ‘Google’ is a symbol of the Google brand.
• The ‘swoosh’ design is a symbol of the Nike brand.
• The unique design of its gass bottle is a symbol of the Coca-Cola brand.

Compare | See:

• brand identity

Definition | Meaning:

1. The semantic qualities a given sound or combination of sounds suggests in and of itself.

Example | Illustration:

• The high vowel /i/, as in the word ‘pea’, sounds small.
• The low vowel /a/, as in ‘father’, sounds large.

Definition | Meaning:

1. A permissible combination of distinctive sounds or phonemes in a given language.

Example | Illustration:

• ‘Sl-’ (as in the Slurpee slushy soft drink brand) fits the English sound pattern and is therefore considered not difficult for an English speaker to pronounce.
• ‘Sb-’ (as in the Sbarro Italian restaurant brand) does not fit the English sound pattern and is therefore considered by English speakers to be foreign and/or difficult to pronounce.

Definition | Meaning:

1. The study of the sociological factors involved in the use of language, including differences in gender, race, class, etc.

Compare | See:

• linguistics