CatchThis Blog / Language Use

Nationwide lockdowns are reshaping the world, and after just two months, our lives already bear little resemblance to what they once were. As we grapple to understand Covid-19 and its implications, we can’t help but see the vocabulary it is ushering in. Here’s a sampling of the lingo we’ve become all too familiar with.

Werner Brandl, a close naming partner of Catchword in Germany, wrote an interesting piece on the use of “smart” to characterize today’s intelligent home products. In particular, Brandl’s piece focuses on Google (including its Nest brand of home products) and considers the search giant’s communication shift away from “smart home” to “helpful home.” Here is […]

We all remember the California Milk Processor Board’s famous question. But before we can ask ourselves if we’ve got milk, we need to agree on what milk is. A fellowship of US Congresspeople is pushing a bill (the DAIRY Pride Act) that would ban non animal-based drinks from being called “milk,” “yogurt,” or “cheese.” Are you […]

As we learned last time, onomastics is the linguistic study of names. The impact of names in the political realm is a topic of recent studies and is right up our alley at Catchword. Kaysitch? Kahsick? Pronounceability of candidate names Given the lowest-common-denominator nature of national politics, unusual names are clearly something to overcome at […]

Onomastics is the branch of linguistics that deals with names. (Yes, “onomastics” — slip that one into your next cocktail party conversation!) But the influence of names in the political arena has an effect far beyond that of linguistic observation. Studies of elections in California, North Dakota, Ohio, and other states have shown definitively that the order […]

Today is the start of Hispanic Heritage Month, during which we celebrate the histories, cultures, and contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans. The first step in recognizing someone’s achievements is to know what to call him or her, and using someone’s name according to their preferred custom is a critical component of respect. Personal name […]

*Guest post by Werner Brandl, Munich* For an English speaker from the United States, a visit to Germany can be an exciting as well as amusing experience. Most items found in a US supermarket are branded with English words and phrases—if we disregard the Italian and French-heavy deli section. But in Germany, many English terms […]

Many companies offer tiers of products for the customers, but creating a coherent product naming scheme for the various tiers is difficult. The names of a hierarchical product line have to be distinct so as not to be confused, and yet part of an intuitive family so they appear obviously linked to the same product […]

YouTube just revealed the name of their new ad-free, paid subscription service: YouTube Red.  Eponymous of their eminently recognizable color scheme, I presume. But this namer who shall remain nameless couldn’t help but observe that, well, YouTube Red bears a striking resemblance to a well-known website of the adult variety, RedTube, which Alexa ranks as […]

President Obama officially reinstated Denali as the primary name for the highest peak in North America. In several Native Alaskan dialects, Denali means “the tall one” or “big mountain.” The people who have lived in its shadow for thousands of years call the mountain Denali, and it is just to restore the traditional name. And […]