The fashion for company name changes is fraught with danger. One of the latest is the conversion of the Norwich Union insurance company to Aviva (in anticipation of going global). There is one ugly rumour that there is a clothes shop with the same name in the city of Norwich (a subliminal influence?). Even if this turns out to be an urban myth, the name is odd. The word 'viva' is found in both Italian and Spanish and means 'live' (it is derived from the Latin 'vivat' meaning 'to live'). I appreciate that it is from the Greek (but Latin/Greek chimera words are quite common in Biology) but the prefix 'a' means 'without'. So one potential (if somewhat contorted) translation of Aviva is 'without life' i.e. 'death'. This doesn't fill me with confidence about the product but the rebranders may be hoping to get us to regard their insurance as inevitable as death and taxes.
This blog may help people explore some of the 'hidden' issues involved in certain media treatments of environmental and scientific issues. Using personal digital images, it's also intended to emphasise seasonal (and other) changes in natural history of the Swansea (South Wales) area. The material should help participants in field-based modules and people generally interested in the natural world. The views are wholly those of the author.
Saturday 24 January 2009
What's In a Name?
The fashion for company name changes is fraught with danger. One of the latest is the conversion of the Norwich Union insurance company to Aviva (in anticipation of going global). There is one ugly rumour that there is a clothes shop with the same name in the city of Norwich (a subliminal influence?). Even if this turns out to be an urban myth, the name is odd. The word 'viva' is found in both Italian and Spanish and means 'live' (it is derived from the Latin 'vivat' meaning 'to live'). I appreciate that it is from the Greek (but Latin/Greek chimera words are quite common in Biology) but the prefix 'a' means 'without'. So one potential (if somewhat contorted) translation of Aviva is 'without life' i.e. 'death'. This doesn't fill me with confidence about the product but the rebranders may be hoping to get us to regard their insurance as inevitable as death and taxes.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
What's In a Critter's Name? 2. Bloody-nosed beetle
The Bloody-nosed beetle ( Timarcha tenebricosa ) doesn't get into fights. The red fluid it exudes, when handled, is produced to deter p...
-
The UK government continue their quest to turn England's rivers back into sewers. They first facilitated the privatised water companies... -
Garden plants in France, The Netherlands, The UK and Sikkim (NE India).
No comments:
Post a Comment