Timeline for How do you refer to a hyponym that is the same word as the hypernym?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
8 events
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| Jun 22, 2017 at 15:32 | comment | added | TripeHound | @J.R. I suspect part of the problem (as they perceive it) is that "Hoover" used to mean a vacuum cleaner made by Hoover Limited. If it becomes a generic term, and people use "hoover" to refer to any brand's vacuum cleaner, then when Hoover use it (in their ads), it doesn't necessarily make consumers think of buying a Hoover (they may think "that reminds me, it's time to upgrade the Dyson"). | |
| Apr 13, 2017 at 12:38 | history | edited | CommunityBot |
replaced http://english.stackexchange.com/ with https://english.stackexchange.com/
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| Nov 18, 2012 at 14:14 | comment | added | Edwin Ashworth | Oh, but they do. They consider the genericisation of a trademark to be a real problem - other brands can sell similar commodities using the same names without necessarily having the same quality controls in place, cashing in on the good reputation of the original and possibly devaluing the name. | |
| Nov 18, 2012 at 6:40 | comment | added | J.R. | I'm not sure that those brands would consider their genericized trademarks a "problem" that they "suffer from" – such "companyms" sound more like a marketer's dream. If I manufactured and sold Q-tips, for example, I'd love the fact that no one called them cotton swabs, but everyone called them Q-tips instead. | |
| Nov 17, 2012 at 18:19 | comment | added | Mitch | Yes, for those brands, they've become the generic. But I agree or your examples that someone is not really going to care if you get the particular brand or not. | |
| Nov 17, 2012 at 16:25 | history | edited | monex0 | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
added example
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| Nov 17, 2012 at 16:23 | comment | added | FumbleFingers | In the UK I think it would be perfectly possible to hear "Jimmy! Get the hoover out and clean your room!". [Jimmy goes and gets the Dyson vacuum cleaner.] "Not that one! The Hoover hoover!" | |
| Nov 17, 2012 at 16:07 | history | answered | monex0 | CC BY-SA 3.0 |