Trademarks

Jim   Tuesday, October 14, 2003, 01:08 GMT
Excuse me A.S.C.M. but I couldn't resist this one. You write "Perhaps we need to reform ourselves." I reckon it would be a good idea ... first stop using (non)words like "disregardless".

I used to call correction fluid "tipp-ex" too, until I started to see more bottles of "Liquid Paper" ... then I called it "liquid paper" for a while. As I recall, it think I called it "white-out" ("wite-out" if you prefer, I never wrote the word) thinking it was a generic term. Since I left high school I've hardly used it so never refered to it much at all (I used pencils at university).

Oh, the trademark maybe "wite-out" but this thread is about trademarks becoming regular words. In the process of turning into a regular word spelling could well change.

Trademarks are spelt however the manufacturers what them to be (within the law). However, why would a generic term have such a strange spelling as "wite-out". It would only be natural for the spelling to change to "white-out" if the trademark turns into an English word.

British Maria, are you sure that making a mess of the desks is what the planners in your school are frightened about? Correction fluid can make a mess of your brain too.

Julian's list is interesting. Some of them are used in Australia too. For example, here are the ones that I hadn't realised were trademarks.

Astroturf, Xerox, Cellophane, Boogie board, Popsicle, Styrofoam, Velcro, Thermos, Escalator, Hi-Liter, Jeep, Lycra, Granola, Valium, Novocaine, Vaseline, Frisbee, Hula Hoop, Ping Pong, Jacuzzi, Kitty Litter, Play-Doh, Skivvies, Fiberglass, Linoleum & Zipper.

Though the word "granola" is not used in Australia, we call it "muesli" (this word is from German). Here are the words that I knew were trademarks but use them as generic terms anyway.

Band-aid, Cola, Aspirin, Vaseline, Walkman & Polaroid.
A.S.C.M.   Tuesday, October 14, 2003, 01:10 GMT
Ah ha! "Regardless" is the correct word. Sorry for the sudden whim to create a new word.
Belle   Tuesday, October 14, 2003, 02:50 GMT
In certain parts of the Southern US, Coke is a generic term for any type of carbonated drink. So if you're ever in a restaurant in the South and you ask for a Coke, the response you're going to get is, "What kind?"

I'm also told that in certain parts of Southeast Asia, toothpaste is almost always referred to as "Colgate."
Richard   Tuesday, October 14, 2003, 03:14 GMT
What do you want to drink. Coke, What kind? I said coke, isn't there only one kind, no, of course there's a lot of kinds, Coca-cola, pepsi, mountain dew, Dr. pepper, Sprite. 7up, Mr. Pibb, root beer, ginger ale, Kountry mist, slice, etc. But I thought a was called a soda, what, are you making up new words it's called a coke, always has been. Now, it really would sound crazy to hear people asking what's you favorite coke, um, regular coke, vanilla coke, etc.
wassabi   Tuesday, October 14, 2003, 04:16 GMT
what the heck is Mr. Pibb, Kountry mist, and Slice? is it an american thing to call all kinds of pop Coke?
mjd   Tuesday, October 14, 2003, 04:20 GMT
Coke is Coca-Cola.....Usually if you go to a place and you don't know what kind of cola is served, one will say "I'll have a coke, please." (some may say Pepsi).

I say "Sprite" for all types of lemon-lime soda.
messire lavoisel   Tuesday, October 14, 2003, 07:25 GMT
Tip-Ex, Cellophane, Velcro, Thermos, Escalator, Jeep, Lycra, Vaseline, Frisbee, Ping Pong, and Jacuzzi are also used in France as generic terms.

Hula Hoop has become "hula-hop".

We use Veleda as well.
British Maria   Tuesday, October 14, 2003, 19:48 GMT
Hello A.S.C.M

Hmmm Mr. Pibb... What's the difference between that and Dr. Pepper? They both taste the same to me!
I go to the McAuley Catholic High School A.S.C.M...It's a comprehensive...just an ordinary one..but you're treated slightly better if you're Catholic (Even though this is an Anglican Country)..you get your bus trip to school free if you live over 3 miles away..which is great because it'd cost me £1.60 to get to school and back! We're also banned from chewing gum.because of the mess!....and we have to walk on the left..to prepare us to drive on the left perhaps!
I'm not sure whether tipp-ex (Sorry correction fluid) is banned because people actually want to see your mistakes. On exam papers they say they always like to see your crossings out if there are any...they don't even like those pens that can erase fountain pen ink. Tipp-ex would look suspicious on an exam paper, so maybe they just ban it so we'll get used to crossing things out!! But you have to make sure all your spellings and handwriting is neat, because no matter what type of exam you're doing, whether it be Biology or Drama, you get a mark for your spellings and handwriting.
Jaro   Tuesday, October 14, 2003, 20:32 GMT
Ah, that makes me remember of when I attended high school which was known for being quite conservative. We didn't have to wear a tie or a special dress, but we couldn't wear shorts, we had to wear jeans even on hot days! Class door was supposed to be closed even during the breaks. A friend of mine figured out how to connect his discman to a record player and use it as an amplifier to play music on speakers which were above the blackboard. And during the main break we used to play loud music, that you could hear in the whole wing of the building. They have tolerated it for 4 years! lol I guess noone dared to tell it to the principal. Then we left the school.
And cheating? Well, that was a common practice there. Invigilators weren't very watchful, so the usage of books and hidden papers during an exam was quite normal.
Ahh, those were the times!

And when I hear you have to wear a tie or a school dress in Brittain... Oh, I surely wouldn't like it! Well, at least you are taught to behave well.
Duck tape   Tuesday, October 14, 2003, 21:04 GMT
Duck tape is a trademark it should be duct tape.
A.S.C.M.   Tuesday, October 14, 2003, 23:18 GMT
Hello, British Maria:

I agree that correction fluid would look suspicious on an exam paper but I don't understand why the markers would want to see your mistakes. I entirely agree with your school rules. Gum and barging into people in the hallway are both major problems at my school. Every day in school, I have to navigate my way through throngs of students and prevent myself from touching the undersides of desks (because of the gum).

By the way, I attend Lynbrook High School (www.lhs.fuhsd.org) in San Jose, California.

Hello, Jaro:

I rather like wearing school uniforms. Even though there is no uniform policy at my current school, my everyday attire is still uniform-like. I wear long trousers (not jeans, not shorts) on hot and cold days.

Cheating with notes and books isn't common at my current school. What's more common is discussing the answers during outdoor breaks between sections of a long exam.

Loud music played during breaktime absolutely disgusts me. I find solace by taking refuge in a quiet classroom.
British Maria   Wednesday, October 15, 2003, 17:41 GMT
Hey A.S.C.M

Oh you'd love it our school..it is really crowded!! and although gum is banned kids still bring it in and stuff it under the desks! Our schools are alike!! Some unlucky detention kids though have the job of cleaning the undersides of the desks after every term. You have to barge your way through all the little year 7, 8 and 9 kids in the corridors! They all seem to walk round in a daze! lol...Up until year 12 we had to wait outside a classroom until the teacher came..they probably feared us trashing the place! Up until around 2 years ago all the girls had to wear skirts, no matter what the weather was like..it was hell on a cold, snowy day or when there was a force 10 gale! ..now we can wear trousers..but somehow I think us girls look better in skirts..the boys seem to think so anyway! lol We're not even allowed trainers :-(
I hate it though in an exam when all the teachers are walking up and down along the aisles and desks! It really puts you off.. especially when they pick a route lined with creaky floorboards! Someones mobile went off in one last June and he was disqualified from the subject...but it was only a Religious Studies exam!
Jack Doolan   Thursday, October 16, 2003, 01:33 GMT
"Kerosene" is a trade name from the middle 19th century. "Petrol" is a trade name from about a hundred years ago. In Australia the Coca Cola company insists that "Coke" is a tradename for their brown fizzy liquid (fit only to be drowed with rum), but I always think of it as a black solid made from coal.

School round the corner from me has no uniform policy except - No black clothes and no clothes with visible logos (trademarks!).
Rugger   Thursday, October 16, 2003, 08:23 GMT
I know someone who refers to all pasta as "macaroni". I say "Horlicks" for all types of malt powder and "Kutex" for all nail polish.

By the way A.S.C.M, I visited your school's website. Are those pictures showing somesort of school drama activity? Does a "distinguished school" differ in many ways from standard American high schools? Your site gave me a glimps into the curriculum and set out of an American high school.

I remember that when I sat my high school year 12 exams, the examination conditions were very strict. We had all these elderly volunteers in the examination hall supervising, and they kept on pacing along the isles and watching the students, which was extremely grating on the nerves when one is under so much pressure. They would also escort you to the toilets. They also make sure we clear our graphics calculators. This is standard practice here in Melbourne due to an incident in a Boys college, where a student programmed his graphics calcultor to solve certain maths, physics and chemistry problems and had then passed it on to this friends to also cheat. All year 11's and 12's here must also sit the GAT (General Assesment Task) exam, which the Board of Studies uses to compare whether a student has cheated on his/her internal and external school exam/assignment and if their results are reasonable. It has sections on Maths (no calculator allowed), Science, Humanities and Logic/Problem Solving. I knew a girl who got a really high score on her leagal studies exam but had a really bad GAT result and was therefore called up by the Board of Studies to analyse her legal studies result.
A.S.C.M.   Thursday, October 16, 2003, 23:05 GMT
To Rugger:

Those pictures on my school website are snapshots of "Homecoming Skits", which are some sort of drama activity. Each class (year level) is supposed to put on a play each year and the pictures on the web are of Year 11's (my class') production. The plays are supposed to enhance school spirit and tie somehow to social life in school. Participation is voluntary and therefore, I did not take part, since I am more of a student who goes to school just to learn.

In my opinion, the "distinguished school" status is bosh but it is true that my school's exam results are a notch higher than most Californian schools. Example: 60% of California's high school students FAILED the Maths section of the High School Exit Exam but 98% in my school PASSED the exam.

American standardised exam invigilators usually don't clear the memory of graphing calculators but my Australian physics teacher and my Canadian calculus teacher DO go around clearing calculator memories.

When I was in the UK, calculators were forbidden on most maths tests. Last week, my Canadian calculus teacher gave us a non-calculator test and I was the only one in the class who managed to finish the test on time. On the American AP Calculus exam, there is a calculator section and a non-calculator section.