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Thread: colloquial

  1. #1
    Ju
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    Default colloquial

    For colloquial way to express :

    eg
    1. kleenix (tissue)
    2. adhesive bandage (band-aid)
    3. Kotex (sanitory napkin)

    What others words that I should learn in common?


    Ju

  2. #2
    riquecohen's Avatar
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    Default Re: colloquial

    Quote Originally Posted by Ju View Post
    For colloquial way to express :

    eg
    1. kleenex (tissue ) Kleenex is a brand-name for a variety of paper products manufactured by Kimberly-Clark. Although it is a registered trademark.it is often used generically to refer to any brand of facial tissue.
    2. adhesive bandage (band-aid)Band-Aid is a brand-name of Johnson & Johnson, often used to refer mto any brand of adhesive bandage.
    3. Kotex (sanitary napkin) Kotex is a brand name of a group of feminine hygiene products. The name is often used generically for any brand of sanitary napkin.

    What others words that I should learn in common?
    In my opinion, these words that you have asked about are not essential to the average learner. You might concentrate more on improving your grammar.

    Ju
    The way to refer to these products is by using the brand name or the generic name of each product. As far as I know, there is no colloquial expression for any of these products.
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  3. #3
    Ju
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    Default Re: colloquial

    Quote Originally Posted by riquecohen View Post
    The way to refer to these products is by using the brand name or the generic name of each product. As far as I know, there is no colloquial expression for any of these products.

    Thank you.............Ju

  4. #4
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    Default Re: colloquial

    Quote Originally Posted by Ju View Post
    For colloquial way to express :

    eg
    1. Kleenix (tissue)
    2. adhesive bandage (Band-aid)
    3. Kotex (sanitory napkin)

    What others words that I should learn in common?


    Ju
    You've got #2 back to front. (unless #1 and #3 are).
    There are a lot of brand names that have become commonly used for the generic item. You can find more be doing a web search for "brand name as generic name." But be aware that these brand names are not sold everywhere. For example, I don't know Kotex.

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    Default Re: colloquial

    Quote Originally Posted by Raymott View Post
    But be aware that these brand names are not sold everywhere. For example, I don't know Kotex.

    That's probably because you're a male. Kotex is sold in Australia and New Zealand - it is a feminine hygiene product. Back in the old days when there were only two or three companies that sold these types of products, "Kotex" became synonymous with "sanitary napkin." Of course today there are a dozen different competing brands of this product line and "Kotex" no longer has that instant recognition factor.

    Anyway, the technical term for the phraseology OP is looking for is "proprietary eponym." Some of the more common examples in the US are:

    plastic wrap/cling film - Saran Wrap
    facial tissue - Kleenex
    photocopy - Xerox
    cola-flavored soda pop - Coke
    transparent adhesive tape - Scotch Tape
    hook-and-loop fabric fastener - Velcro
    adhesive bandage - Band-Aid
    flavored drink powder - Kool-Aid
    digital video recorder - TiVo (often used as a verb, as in "Don't tell me how the ballgame ended, I TiVo'd it and haven't watched it yet.")
    petroleum jelly - Vaseline
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  6. #6
    SoothingDave is offline Key Member
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    Default Re: colloquial

    I hear that in Britain all vacuum cleaners are "Hoovers."

  7. #7
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    5jj
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    Default Re: colloquial

    Quote Originally Posted by SoothingDave View Post
    I hear that in Britain all vacuum cleaners are "Hoovers."
    See search, google, browse

  8. #8
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    Default Re: colloquial

    Quote Originally Posted by Ouisch View Post
    British English in blue:
    transparent adhesive tape - Scotch Tape, sellotape
    adhesive bandage - Band-Aid, elastoplast
    5

  9. #9
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    Default Re: colloquial

    Quote Originally Posted by Ouisch View Post
    That's probably because you're a male. Kotex is sold in Australia and New Zealand - it is a feminine hygiene product. Back in the old days when there were only two or three companies that sold these types of products, "Kotex" became synonymous with "sanitary napkin." Of course today there are a dozen different competing brands of this product line and "Kotex" no longer has that instant recognition factor.

    Anyway, the technical term for the phraseology OP is looking for is "proprietary eponym." Some of the more common examples in the US are:

    plastic wrap/cling film - Saran Wrap
    facial tissue - Kleenex
    photocopy - Xerox
    cola-flavored soda pop - Coke
    transparent adhesive tape - Scotch Tape
    hook-and-loop fabric fastener - Velcro
    adhesive bandage - Band-Aid
    flavored drink powder - Kool-Aid
    digital video recorder - TiVo (often used as a verb, as in "Don't tell me how the ballgame ended, I TiVo'd it and haven't watched it yet.")
    petroleum jelly - Vaseline
    It's similar in Portuguese, where "gilette" means 'razor.'
    And in French, where "scotch" means 'tape.'

  10. #10
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    Default Re: colloquial

    Quote Originally Posted by konungursvia View Post
    And in French, where "scotch" means 'tape.'
    I don't know about today, but when I worked in Germany many years ago, it was Tesafilm.

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