Monday, February 1, 2010

Is it Sonar or So-Gnar?

Because there is an interesting linguistic aspect to this picture, I have decided to share it with my readers (really...it has nothing to do with the fact that the picture is of my son, and I am a very proud mother).



If you look closely at the logo on the bottom right side of the picture, you will see that it reads -


So-Gnar is a site devoted to "snowboarding around the world wide web". It is also an example of word play based on its obvious homophone "sonar" (after all, the logo is shaped like a submarine).

Sonar, defined by thefreedictionary.com, is:
1. A system using transmitted and reflected underwater sound waves to detect and locate submerged objects or measure the distance to the floor of a body of water.
2. An apparatus, as one in a submarine, using sonar.
3. Echolocation.

So-Gnar, on the other hand, is a hyphenated blend of the adverb "so" and the shortened, version of the adjective "gnarly".

Gnarly, defined by thefreedictionary.com, is:
1. Gnarled; misshapen.
2. Slang
a. Remarkable; outstanding.
b. Unpleasant; disgusting.

Check out this very outstanding air. It is so gnarly.














2 comments:

Licia said...

You might like to know that any Italian looking at the logo would think of the verb sognare*, in English dream :-)

* in poetry and in song lyrics, or to convey a Spanish accent, the final -e of infinitive forms can be dropped

Laura Payne said...

Thank you Licia; that is very interesting.

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