[Multilingual Monday] Brand Names
Today's rushed Multilingual Monday is all about brand names; more specifically, genericized trademarks. We've all done it; we've used a Xerox, blown our noses in a Kleenex, put together Legos, or cleared our ears with Q-Tips, even if these weren't the actual brands we were using. My uncle works for Johnson and Johnson and made it a point for me to not use "Q-Tip" ("it's not our brand!!!"), and i was fascinated to see this happening in other languages with more local brands.
For example Israel has תפוצ'יפס, tapuchips, which have now become the name for "potato chips" despite being a specific brand of chips; פלאפון, pelefon, is the general name for a cell phone in Hebrew (though Pelephone is actually the name of a manufacturer). In Japanese all game systems can be called a ファミコン, famikon, short for "family computer," but this in fact is a brand name (the Japanese Nintendo system had this brand name). 正露丸, seirogan, is the specific name of an herbal stomach medication but now any stomach pills are 正露丸 as well.
So, those who've lived abroad, natively speak another language, etc.: I'd love more examples!!!
For example Israel has תפוצ'יפס, tapuchips, which have now become the name for "potato chips" despite being a specific brand of chips; פלאפון, pelefon, is the general name for a cell phone in Hebrew (though Pelephone is actually the name of a manufacturer). In Japanese all game systems can be called a ファミコン, famikon, short for "family computer," but this in fact is a brand name (the Japanese Nintendo system had this brand name). 正露丸, seirogan, is the specific name of an herbal stomach medication but now any stomach pills are 正露丸 as well.
So, those who've lived abroad, natively speak another language, etc.: I'd love more examples!!!