Brand Names Used As Generic Terms

Many brand names are used as generic terms. Some are so common that people may not even be aware that they are brand names. Here are ten:

band-aid (adhesive tape)
chapstick (lip balm)
jacuzzi (hot tub)
kleenex (tissue)
ping-pong (table tennis)
plexiglass (acrylic glass)
rollerblades (inline skates)
sharpie (permanent marker)
xerox (photocopy)
zamboni (ice resurfacer)

The word zamboni is so common that ice resurfacer is seldom used. Other brand names such as jacuzzi and ping-pong are used interchangeably with hot tub and table tennis. The use of brand names in language is extensive.

The Use of We for Solidarity

The first person plural pronoun can be used to express solidarity. This is especially common in informal situations. Here are examples of solidarity with the pronoun we:

How are we today?
Where are we from?
Do we know the answer?
We look great.
We have a great voice.

In the examples the pronoun you is normally used. However, the use of we not only attempts to establish solidarity with the hearer but also sounds friendly and indirect. The speaker wants to develop a good rapport with the hearer.

The use of we instead of you is less direct. It is especially common in informal conversation. In contrast to the pronoun you, the pronoun we does not project power over the hearer, but rather aims to establish solidarity.

Two Official Norwegian Languages

Norwegian has two official languages. They are New Norwegian and Book Language. They are especially common in writing because many Norwegians speak dialects which differ signficantly from these two. New Norwegian is most common in the west, and Book Language dominates in the east and north. Here are ten words which differ in the two languages:

English Book Language New Norwegian

church kirke kyrkje 
east øst aust
I jeg eg
not ikke ikkje
they de dei
water vann vatn
way vei veg
week uke veke
what hva kva
where hvor kvar

In the examples we notice a few patterns. New Norwegian has more palatalization than Book Language. Compare the words for church and not. In Book Language we see examples of lenition. The words for what and where have an h in Book Language because the original k of New Norwegian weakened. The word for they has a diphthong in New Norwegian, a word which developed from the monophthong of Book Language. Despite the differences between the two official languages, they are nevertheless very similar.

Maieutics

Answering questions with questions is known as maieutics. This can also be termed the Socratic method. The question is an indirect answer which can be determined with critical thinking. The following are examples of questions answered with questions:

Did you take your medicine? Do I ever forget?

Can you help me? Have I ever refused?

Can I have some water? What kind of question is that?

Are you tired? Did I sleep well last night?

Did you like the food? Did you?

Questions can be answered with questions. The implication is often that the person who asks the question should know the answer. This method of answering questions tends to be used in informal situations.

Hungarian Definite Article

The Hungarian definite article has two variants. The variant a occurs before consonants and az before vowels. In English the indefinite article also has two variants, a and an.

Here are examples with the Hungarian definite article:

a bor (the wine)
a hegy (the mountain)
a kulcs (the key)
a leves (the soup)
a sonka (the ham)

az alma (the apple)
az egyetem (the university)
az iskola (the school)
az orvos (the doctor)
az utca (the street)

The underlying form is az. This is also the demonstrative that. The form a can be derived with a rule which deletes the /z/ before a consonant. This can be viewed as a syllable structure process which results in the basic VC sequence.

Canadian Eh

The interjection eh is used in many varieties of English. These include American, Scottish and New Zealand. However, the extensive use in Canadian English leads many to think of it as a feature of Canadian English.

In Canadian English, eh can be used in many ways. Here are examples:

You enjoyed it, eh? (interrogative)
We had fish, eh, and salad. (narrative)
Really, eh? (confirmation)
How's it going, eh? (greeting)
You want to see the movie, eh? (tag)
Tell me, eh! (intensifier)

The interjection eh is not exclusive to Canadian English. However, Canadian English uses the interjection in many contexts, especially informal. This is the reason eh is often associated with Canadian English.