Roadside Linguistics - Sign Semantics

A couple of months ago I noticed a new sign on the side of the road in a small town which I frequently visit.

Having no idea what the sign meant or what a "Jake Brake is, I asked my son to look it up on his phone. Thus began a brief lesson about genericide.

Apparently "Jake Brake" is a trademarked name for a type of engine brake (another term that was new to me) that is the Kleenex of tissues. Engine breaks are known for their loud, machine-gun-like sound.

Here are some excerpts from Truck Drivers News:

The term “Jake brake” comes from a Jacobs Engine brake, or engine retarder. It works when exhaust valves in the cylinder head open, releasing the compressed air that is trapped by the head and slows the truck down.

A “Jake brake” is used along with gearing down the truck to keep from overheating the service brakes that are used to stop the truck.

When the exhaust system on a truck is in proper working fashion, you barely can even hear the engine brake. But, thanks to “Jake brake cowboys” most communities have added no “Jake brake” use laws.

Images credits: Jake Brake, Engine Brake

Muzak Falls to Recession after Undergoing Genericide

The March issue of Fortune magazine pointed out that another victim of the current recession is Muzak, which filed for Chapter 11 in February. I always thought that Muzak was simply a made-up synonym for the term elevator music, I did not know that it is actually the name of a company. At least I was half right. The word Muzak was created by Major General George O. Squier, the inventor of the technology used to deliver music to restaurants, stores and offices(and the elevators in those buildings). Apparently, Squier so enjoyed the made-up, trademarked word Kodak, that he created the word Muzak, based on the "mus" sound from music and the "ak" sound from Kodak, for his technology and company.

Now that I know Muzak is actually a company, I think it should definitely be added to the list of brands that have gone through genericide. The word Muzak is so commonly used as a generic term for the type of music heard in waiting rooms and elevators that I am sure I am not the only person who thinks of elevator music and Muzak as synonymous.

Obama Accused of Promoting the Genericide of one Compound Word (Blackberry) while Inspiring a new Compound Word (Blackberry President)

Posted Friday, January 23, 2009 5:41 PM on Newsweek.com
Thanks to Obama, BlackBerry Becomes the Next Kleenex

The above headline is comparing Blackberry to Kleenex in the sense that Blackberry is a generic name for the product category of PDA's just like Kleenex is a generic name for the product category of tissues. This process is appropriately called genericide.

I'm not sure that I agree with the writer of the headline because I don't think that Blackberry is in the same league as Kleenex, Band-Aid, Xerox, and the like when it comes to the genericization of product names, though it could be in the near future.

At any rate, I found it interesting that this headline appeared just a week before the current Newseek magazine cover (note the top left corner).



The noun-noun compound word Blackberry President could well be on its way to becoming one of the most-used new words of the year; in fact, there is even a website called blackberrypresident.com. Furthermore, a google search of the word Blackberry President turns up too many results to list including the following cartoon.

Reader's Favorites - Zipper Falls Prey to Genericide

A zipper by any other name...is still a zipper. When the word zipper was first trademarked it was considered a proper noun that was capitalized, it was only through repeated usage that the word zipper became a generic name for any product that resembled and performed the same function as a zipper. The term genericide was coined to describe the process by which a trademarked or brand name becomes a generic name for the product category. According to the website WordSpy, the first recorded use of the word genericide was in an article in Legal Times in 1983.


Some other familiar brand names that have suffered from genericide include: aspirin, escalator, granola, heroin, yo-yo and linoleum. Aditionally, the San Fransisco Examiner lists the following brand names as endangered (though I would argue that some of them have already fallen prey to genericide): Band-Aid, Xerox, Realtor, Jeep, Rollerblade and Coke.

The Genericization of "Person" Names (Names as Generic, Descriptive Nouns)

A previous post mentioned the term genericide, which is defined as the process by which a brand name becomes a generic name for the product category. I would like to propose an expanded definition of genericide; I think it should also include the process by which a known "person" name becomes a generic, descriptive noun for anyone that has certain characteristics that are associated with that name.

Consider the following names that have already gone through genericide:

Melvin: an uncool person.
Bob: an imaginary friend.
Lolita: a sexually precocious young girl.
Poindexter: a brainy, nerdy boy.
Eugene: see Poindexter.
Velma: the female version of Poindexter.
And of course...
John Doe: an unidentified man.
Jane Doe: an unidentified woman.

I was always more of a Velma than a Lolita in high school.

Along with Zippers, Kleenex and Speedo Fall Prey to Genericide

The June 30th Newsweek had an article about Speedo's LZR suit. If you have not heard about it yet, it is the suit that is helping swimmers break a multitude of records. The article notes that Speedo is the number 1 swim brand in the world and reinforces this statistic by quoting analyst Marshal Cohen, "Speedo is the Kleenex of swimwear." I really got a kick out of seeing this quote as it fit right in with my previous post about brand name genericide (genericide being the process by which a trademarked or brand name becomes a generic name for the product category). While Kleenex was not on the list in my original post, a reader commented that it should have been and I fully agree. And certainly Speedo should be added to the list as the generic name for competitive swimwear and tank suits (which I grew up calling banana hammocks, ha ha).

Zipper Falls Prey to Genericide

A zipper by any other name...is still a zipper. When the word zipper was first trademarked it was considered a proper noun that was capitalized, it was only through repeated usage that the word zipper became a generic name for any product that resembled and performed the same function as a zipper. The term genericide was coined to describe the process by which a trademarked or brand name becomes a generic name for the product category. According to the website WordSpy, the first recorded use of the word genericide was in an article in Legal Times in 1983.

Some other familiar brand names that have suffered from genericide include: aspirin, escalator, granola, heroin, yo-yo and linoleum. Aditionally, the San Fransisco Examiner lists the following brand names as endangered (though I would argue that some of them have already fallen prey to genericide): Band-Aid, Xerox, Realtor, Jeep, Rollerblade and Coke.