NationStates Jolt Archive

One thing I've noticed about American culture compared to British culture is that Americans tend to call things via their brand name rather than the generic noun or verb in question eg. taking Tylenol if you have a headache, blowing your nose with a Kleenex, Fed-exing a parcel, Xeroxing a report, and so on. Whereas the British would take a paracetamol, use a tissue, post a parcel, and photocopy a report.

Then I came across one exception. The American's drive on asphalt whereas the British drive on Tarmac.

Odd... just thought I'd share that random thought of my day.

In attempt to prevent this thread being sent to spam - which do you call products by: brand name or generic name?

Generic name: I'm British. And if you're interested, Tarmac goes on roads, Asphalt goes on your roof.

Then I came across one exception. The American's drive on asphalt whereas the British drive on Tarmac.

And we do the hoovering :)

In attempt to prevent this thread being sent to spam - which do you call products by: brand name or generic name?

Depends on the product. I usually try to call something by its specific brand name for clarity; therefore, I say I am taking Advil for a headache rather than saying I am taking "pain reliever." Even if I am buying some generic ibuprofen, I don't call it ibuprofen; I call it Advil. Everyone knows what Advil is.

Right now, I am eating Doritos. I am not eating corn chips; I am eating Doritos. I suppose they would be "corn chips" if I were eating the store brand. Just as a cola would be a "cola" if it were the store brand, but it's a Coke when I am drinking Coke.

So really? I got nothing for you.

One thing I've noticed about American culture compared to British culture is that Americans tend to call things via their brand name rather than the generic noun or verb in question eg. taking Tylenol if you have a headache, blowing your nose with a Kleenex, Fed-exing a parcel, Xeroxing a report, and so on. Whereas the British would take a paracetamol, use a tissue, post a parcel, and photocopy a report.

Then I came across one exception. The American's drive on asphalt whereas the British drive on Tarmac.

Odd... just thought I'd share that random thought of my day.

In attempt to prevent this thread being sent to spam - which do you call products by: brand name or generic name?

I hadn't noticed that. I'm American, and I take some ibuprofen, use a Kleenex, mail a package (not a parcel), and copy a report. I also drive on asphalt or sometimes blacktop. I was unaware that Tarmac was a brand name - I've mostly seen it in the context of airplanes being "on the tarmac." Hooray for learning something new. :)

Beyond those brand/generic conflicts, I also put Band-Aids on cuts and google information on the internet.

Normally, I try to drive on the road...:)

I say I am taking Advil for a headache rather than saying I am taking "pain reliever." Even if I am buying some generic ibuprofen, I don't call it ibuprofen; I call it Advil. Everyone knows what Advil is.

Actually, before your post I'd never heard of it. I presume it's ibuprofen, then? I don't even know any brands for such things; I just get ibuprofen, paracetamol, whatever. I presume the branded ones contain the same ingredients, but I couldn't name any of them.

And we do the hoovering :)

Whereas Americans use the vacuum cleaner (Hoover being a brand name).

I suppose it depends on the specific item we're talking about. I'm more likely to say Kleenex than facial tissue, but I'm more likely to say snowmobile, than Ski-doo.

I try to use the generic name, and keep the product names specific. But the way people speak influences the way you speak, and before you realize it, 'Coke' becomes the name for all soft drinks, regardless of the actual brand. (Not me personally, but a big thing in the southern states.)

always the generic name. And i'm Polish.

Whereas Americans use the vacuum cleaner (Hoover being a brand name).

so they made the Hoover dam too :eek: :p

Actually, before your post I'd never heard of it. I presume it's ibuprofen, then? I don't even know any brands for such things; I just get ibuprofen, paracetamol, whatever. I presume the branded ones contain the same ingredients, but I couldn't name any of them.But surely you know Aspirin? ;)

Damn, they dont call asphalt by its original name? Damn those weird englishmen.

Around here we use brand names too, like gillete.

Whereas Americans use the vacuum cleaner (Hoover being a brand name).

Exactly!
My hoover was made by Black and Decker.

Edit:
But surely you know Aspirin? ;)

Is that a brand name, then?
That's even more genericised than "hoover"; at least I know that Hoover is a company.

Edit2: If Aspirin is a brand name, why can I buy Asda own-brand aspirin?
Edit3: *Reads Wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspirin, understands*

so they made the Hoover dam too :eek: :p

Different Hoover, silly.

http://www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam/History/articles/naming.html
http://www.hoover.com/dbPages/History.asp

Sometimes it's unintentional because the brand is 'lost' into being identified with the product, which every new product hopes to happen. (Doing a documentary I was actually in on a meeting where they discussed how to do that...eek).

Tarmac is a good example because I had no idea that was a brand. I didn't know "pogo stick" was a brand either.

When I said "Coke," though (back when I still drank soda like it was mother's milk) it was because I wanted a Coke, not a soda. No, Pepsi was not okay...

If I'm conscious of it I'll use the generic unless it's something like Frisbee, 'flying novelty disc' just doesn't roll of the tongue.

I hadn't noticed that. I'm American, and I take some ibuprofen, use a Kleenex, mail a package (not a parcel), and copy a report. I also drive on asphalt or sometimes blacktop. I was unaware that Tarmac was a brand name - I've mostly seen it in the context of airplanes being "on the tarmac." Hooray for learning something new. :)

Beyond those brand/generic conflicts, I also put Band-Aids on cuts and google information on the internet.I just did a little wiking... Apparently Tarmac and asphalt aren't quite the same thing, but both are still used on roads and both are black. To Newer Burmecia: Asphalt is used on roads - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asphalt_concrete :p

Actually, before your post I'd never heard of it. I presume it's ibuprofen, then? I don't even know any brands for such things; I just get ibuprofen, paracetamol, whatever. I presume the branded ones contain the same ingredients, but I couldn't name any of them.Nurofen and Panadol are the respective UK brand names for Ibuprofen and paracetamol. I never by either of them, Panadol is 4 times more expensive than generic paracetamol you can buy in a chemist.

Whereas Americans use the vacuum cleaner (Hoover being a brand name).Indeed, though my family doesn't really use the word Hoover. We use vacuum cleaner and we vacuum the carpet. Meh.

One thing I've noticed about American culture compared to British culture is that Americans tend to call things via their brand name rather than the generic noun or verb in question eg. taking Tylenol if you have a headache, blowing your nose with a Kleenex, Fed-exing a parcel, Xeroxing a report, and so on. Whereas the British would take a paracetamol, use a tissue, post a parcel, and photocopy a report.

In attempt to prevent this thread being sent to spam - which do you call products by: brand name or generic name?

paracetamol??? In the states we don't always say Tylonal we say asprin. Or Byer, Motrin, ect.

Ps It depends on the product by which I say brand or noun

Sometimes it's unintentional because the brand is 'lost' into being identified with the product, which every new product hopes to happen. (Doing a documentary I was actually in on a meeting where they discussed how to do that...eek).

Tarmac is a good example because I had no idea that was a brand. I didn't know "pogo stick" was a brand either.

When I said "Coke," though (back when I still drank soda like it was mother's milk) it was because I wanted a Coke, not a soda. No, Pepsi was not okay...

If I'm conscious of it I'll use the generic unless it's something like Frisbee, 'flying novelty disc' just doesn't roll of the tongue.

"Frisbee" and "pogo stick" are good examples - if I remember correctly, "hula hoop" is another such. I wonder what it is about outdoor toys that lets their original brand names become their permanent names so easily? :p

WYTYG also makes a good point in mentioning aspirin - it's easy to forget that that was originally a trade name.

Has anyone forgot Cellotape and Pritt Sticks for us Brits?

Or are we talking verbs as well?

Edit2: If Aspirin is a brand name, why can I buy Asda own-brand aspirin?

Because it was never trademarked, presumably.

Aspirin's true generic name is acetylsalicylic acid; "aspirin" was the first name under which it was sold (by Bayer, I believe).

Speaking of drug names, I've never heard an explanation for the aceteminophen/paracetamol name difference. Anyone happen to know that? :)

Different Hoover, silly.

http://www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam/History/articles/naming.html
http://www.hoover.com/dbPages/History.asp

ar name after a person

Has anyone forgot Cellotape and Pritt Sticks for us Brits?

Or are we talking verbs as well?

I have never heard of "Pritt Sticks." What manner of thing are they?

ar name after a person

Yes, Hoover Dam after Herbert Hoover, an American president, and the Hoover vacuum cleaner after Sarah and W.H. Hoover.

Normally, I try to drive on the road...:)

yeah- well,I drive on the parkway and park on the driveway.

A sort of solid glue inside a plastic tube. You use it for sticking sheets of paper to other sheets of paper.

It could just be a Northern thing.

Because it was never trademarked, presumably.

Aspirin's true generic name is acetylsalicylic acid; "aspirin" was the first name under which it was sold (by Bayer, I believe).

Ah, ta. According to Wikipedia the trademark got declared generic in some places.

A Pritt-Stick, as Weccanfeld said, is a stick of paper glue. Wikipedia Knows (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pritt_stick), as usual, but they're usually white, not silver.

paracetamol??? In the states we don't always say Tylonal we say asprin. Or Byer, Motrin, ect.

Ps It depends on the product by which I say brand or nounTylenol's active ingredient is not aspirin, it's paracetamol.

Has anyone forgot Cellotape and Pritt Sticks for us Brits?

Or are we talking verbs as well?Damn, I forgot about those. I feel like a fool now.

Because it was never trademarked, presumably.

Aspirin's true generic name is acetylsalicylic acid; "aspirin" was the first name under which it was sold (by Bayer, I believe).

Speaking of drug names, I've never heard an explanation for the aceteminophen/paracetamol name difference. Anyone happen to know that? :)Aspirin was trade marked, but Bayer was a German company during WWII... suffice to say it lost its rights to the brand name after the war. The Allies weren't keen on the German's making money out of them through brand name royalties. Or something like that.

Oh and this is a Pritt Stick.
http://www.adamdorman.com/_images/3d_pritt_stick.jpgA glue stick that is non toxic and doesn't kill children or cause them to get high.

Ah, a glue stick. :)

"Frisbee" and "pogo stick" are good examples - if I remember correctly, "hula hoop" is another such. I wonder what it is about outdoor toys that lets their original brand names become their permanent names so easily? :pI think it's because the products are novelty items that are 1) brand-new concepts without precedent, 2) probably often patented and 3) too outlandish for any significant number of companies to follow suit until after the product is here to stay and the name already sticks.

WYTYG also makes a good point in mentioning aspirin - it's easy to forget that that was originally a trade name.I think I didn't know Aspirin was actually a brand name until a very few years ago.

Has anyone forgot Cellotape
Or Scotchtape for Americans and Tesa for Germans. *nods*

and Pritt Sticks for us Brits?Hee, we have Pritt sticks, too. Pritt Stift in German. :)


Edit2: If Aspirin is a brand name, why can I buy Asda own-brand aspirin?
Because it was never trademarked, presumably.

Aspirin's true generic name is acetylsalicylic acid; "aspirin" was the first name under which it was sold (by Bayer, I believe).
Ah, ta. According to Wikipedia the trademark got declared generic in some places.
Does Asda actually call their product "Aspirin"??
That's not allowed here. The generic versions of acetylsalicylic acid have different names, often something with ASS (German acronym of the acid). But I don't think there are a whole lot of generic versions, really.

Actually, before your post I'd never heard of it. I presume it's ibuprofen, then? I don't even know any brands for such things; I just get ibuprofen, paracetamol, whatever. I presume the branded ones contain the same ingredients, but I couldn't name any of them.

Jeez, I guess I don't have to tattoo "I'M AN AMERICAN" on my forehead after all. It's painfully obvious. Advil is an American product, of course; I have no idea what they call it overseasn.

I also notice the divide when it comes to computers. Hardware tends to be referred to by a generic name (computer, surge protector, etc.) but software seems to be referred to by brand name (Windows, Norton, AOL, etc.)

yeah- well,I drive on the parkway and park on the driveway.

It's not the watermelon or the props that make me hate Gallahger, it's that joke.

Yes, Hoover Dam after Herbert Hoover, an American president, and the Hoover vacuum cleaner after Sarah and W.H. Hoover.
thank you for the info i did learn something new
Ah, a glue stick. :)

oh we use that name here too

I use the only generic names. Except for Aspirin, it is too common :( .

Does Asda actually call their product "Aspirin"??
That's not allowed here. The generic versions of acetylsalicylic acid have different names, often something with ASS (German acronym of the acid). But I don't think there are a whole lot of generic versions, really.

Yeah, it does (Possible linky (http://www.asda.com/asda_shop/rc04_products/web_rc04_b_products_detail.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@2125349566.1176237949@@@@&BV_EngineID=cccjaddkifeefmgcfkfcfkjdgoodgmi.0&product_id=453550&from_panels=&trolley_page=/rc03_trolley/web_rc03_a_trolley_body.jsp&item_status=I&on_promo=No)), and so does Boots, it seems. Obviously their trademark means nothing here!

Yeah, it does (Possible linky (http://www.asda.com/asda_shop/rc04_products/web_rc04_b_products_detail.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@2125349566.1176237949@@@@&BV_EngineID=cccjaddkifeefmgcfkfcfkjdgoodgmi.0&product_id=453550&from_panels=&trolley_page=/rc03_trolley/web_rc03_a_trolley_body.jsp&item_status=I&on_promo=No)), and so does Boots, it seems. Obviously their trademark means nothing here!:o

Does Asda actually call their product "Aspirin"??
That's not allowed here. The generic versions of acetylsalicylic acid have different names, often something with ASS (German acronym of the acid). But I don't think there are a whole lot of generic versions, really.Yes, well, one would presume that Germany would want to preserve a german company's trademarks... but as I said earlier Bayer doesn't own the name Aspirin in Allied countries like the USA and the UK.

Yes, well, one would presume that Germany would want to preserve a german company's trademarks... but as I said earlier Bayer doesn't own the name Aspirin in Allied countries like the USA and the UK.

Maybe it's because of that 10 year law that makes medicine copyright not relevant after 10 years. Not sure if it is valid in the US, but I'm fairly sure there's a law like that in Britian.

Yes, well, one would presume that Germany would want to preserve a german company's trademarks... but as I said earlier Bayer doesn't own the name Aspirin in Allied countries like the USA and the UK.Yeah. Interesting, though. Didn't know that.

It's not the watermelon or the props that make me hate Gallahger, it's that joke.

I'm pretty sure it was George Carlin.

Its Gallagher's hair and hippy aura that I hate.

Maybe it's because of that 10 year law that makes medicine copyright not relevant after 10 years. Not sure if it is valid in the US, but I'm fairly sure there's a law like that in Britian.I don't think so. I think you've gotten patents and trademarks confused. Yes, medical companies only ownt the patent on a drug for 10 years or so, at which point it enters the public domain and any company can make the product.

Whereas a trademark doesn't have a time limit. Much like Coca-cola has been around for a lot longer than 10 years, but other companies cannot market their cola under the name of Coca-cola.

I don't think so. I think you've gotten patents and trademarks confused. Yes, medical companies only ownt the patent on a drug for 10 years or so, at which point it enters the public domain and any company can make the product.

Whereas a trademark doesn't have a time limit. Much like Coca-cola has been around for a lot longer than 10 years, but other companies cannot market their cola under the name of Coca-cola.

Ah, right. Your right, I did.

Asphalt? I've never heard an American call it that.

Asphalt? I've never heard an American call it that.

Really? I here it all the time here in Ohio; the other one is blacktop. I've never heard it called tarmac either.

And for that matter, I usually use brand names for most products. It's easier and avoids confusion since pretty much everybody has heard of the brands I consume.