Definition | Meaning:
- A brand name which suggests or refers to the category of the good or service in question, but which does not actually describe it.
Compare | See:
- descriptive name
- allusive name
- metaphoric name
Category Archives: Uncategorized
sound symbolism
Definition | Meaning:
- 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.
sound pattern
Definition | Meaning:
- 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.
sociolinguistics
Definition | Meaning:
- The study of the sociological factors involved in the use of language, including differences in gender, race, class, etc.
Compare | See:
- linguistics
sociative morpheme
Definition | Meaning:
- An element of a compound brand name which does not normally occur outside of that compound.
Example | Illustration:
- Ocean Spray Cran•Apple brand juice
- Ocean Spray Cran•Cherry brand juice
- Ocean Spray Cran•Grape brand juice
- Ocean Spray Cran•Mango brand juice
- Ocean Spray Cran•Raspberry brand juice
- Ocean Spray Cran•Strawberry brand juice
- Ocean Spray Cran•Tangerine brand juice
Compare | See:
- morpheme
simile
Definition | Meaning:
- A figure of speech in which an explicit comparison is made between two unlike objects via a construction such as like, as, than, similar to, resembles, etc.
Example | Illustration:
- The former Chevy slogan ‘Like A Rock’ is a simile for ‘tough’.
shibboleth
Definition | Meaning:
- A brand name or word whose native pronunciation is difficult for a non-native speaker.
semantics
Definition | Meaning:
- The study of meaning in language, including the relationship between language, thought, and behavior.
root
Definition | Meaning:
- The semantic kernel from which a set of words is derived by phonetic, morphemic, and/or semantic change.
Example | Illustration:
- The shared semantic kernel of the words ‘black’, ‘blue’, ‘blond’, and ‘blush’ is the Indo-European root *bhel-, which originally referred (several thousand years ago) to the colors seen in a fire.
Compare | See”
- semantics
referent
Definition | Meaning:
- The concrete object or concept symbolized by a brand name.
Example | Illustration:
- The shared referent of Coca-Cola, Coke, and ‘The Real Thing’ is the Coca-Cola brand soft drink.