Research on the Cultural Connotations in Chinese and Western Brands.doc

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1、中西品牌用词与其文化内涵关系的研究Research on the Cultural Connotations in Chinese and Western BrandsAbstract: Brand naming, a burgeoning linguistic industry derived in the US more than 20 years ago, with the development of IT industry and new economy centered around Silicon Valley, has been flourishing as an practi

2、cal business application of language with potential multi-disciplinary interests to linguistic community. With brisk development of science and technology, product publicity plays an important role in a countys expansion of international markets and the development of famous brand products, and cult

3、ural connotations in brands are an integral part of product publicity. Based on data of Chinese and Western brand names, this paper attempts to make an research on the brand naming from cultural aspects, elaborate the principles of classification in brand naming and offer some examples. For further

4、understanding on cultural connotations in Chinese and Western brands. This paper will first introduce the national and international literature review, second illustrates the basic types of brand names and principle of brand naming, and then focus on the main classification of brand naming and cultu

5、ral connotations, finally an overview of this study and future research.Key words: brand naming；cultural connotations；Chinese brand；Western brand摘要：品牌命名，二十多年前萌芽于美国的一个语言学新产业，随着以硅谷为中心的IT业及新经济的发展，今天己成为商界运用潜在的语言学多学科知识的一种重要形式。在科技高速发展的今天, 产品公共化在拓展国际市场和发展名牌产品中扮演重要角色，而品牌的文化内涵是必不可少的组成部分。基于所收集到的中西品牌名称，本文将从文化方

6、面研究品牌命名，详尽阐述品牌命名的分类原则并且附于实例。为了更好的了解中西品牌用词的文化内涵，本文将首先介绍国内外有关文献综述,其次说明品牌的基本类型及命名的原则，然后详述品牌命名的主要分类及其文化内涵，最后概述本研究和将来研究的设想。关键词：品牌命名；文化内涵；中国品牌；西方品牌ContentsI. Introduction .1II. Literature Review.1A. National research.1B. International research.2III. Relationship between Culture and Brand Naming.3A. Defini

7、tion of culture.3B. Definition of brand.3C. Relationship between culture and brand naming.4IV. Brand Names and Brand Naming.4A. Basic types of brand names.4B. Principles of brand naming.4V. The Main Classifications of Brand Naming.5A. Personal names or place names.6B. Animal names or plant names.6C.

8、 Numbers.7D. Lucky words8E. Hinting the products information.8F. Create new words.8VI. Conclusion.11 Work Cited.13 I. IntroductionA brand name is the representative and soul of a brand. It reflects the brands personality and characteristics. A good brand name can not only arouse consumers unique ass

9、ociation and distinguish the product from others, but also can boost consumers buying desire and stimulate the consumption. Besides, a good brand name is an aid to strengthen both corporate image and product image. Therefore, the study of brand name conduces to the establishment of a better brand st

10、rategy and it will increase the possibility of success. With brisk development of science and technology, the acceleration of economic globalization has greatly extended the scope of international economic cooperation. Economic and business contacts between different countries are becoming increasin

11、gly frequent. Faced with intensive market competition, most countries, especially developed countries are making much more efforts to expand international markets and increase their markets shares through developing hi-tech products, improving product quality, creating famous brand products, setting

12、 up product distribution system, perfecting after-sale service and intensifying product publicity. Product publicity is an important means of international competition and effective way of promotion. It plays an important role in a countys expansion of international markets and the development of fa

13、mous brand products, and cultural connotations in brands are an integral part of product publicity. Therefore, the cultural connotations in brand naming are of great significance to the development of international trade. Brand naming is a cross-cultural communication. It involves the study of langu

14、ages, regional cultures, consumers psychology and different manners of beauty appreciation. II. Literature ReviewA. National researchWhile in China, brand naming, especially the researches on brand naming theories are slower than its practical application. The systematic research of this field is al

15、most a blank. The related research focuses on peoples name and toponym. The important writings on this topic are the following: Xiao Yaotian The Research on Chinese Names, Wang Quangen Perspective of Chinese Naming, Wang Jianhua Image of CulturePeopless Names, Sun Benxiang On Toponym etc. Neverthele

16、ss, the writings on brand naming, especially the theories on brand naming are rarely seen, the related documents are only found in the writings of marketing, advertising and psychology. Cao Zhiyun analyzed the language structures and culture phenomena of Chinese brand naming, and illustrated the cha

17、racteristics of brand language such as distinction, explicit, art and social function (Cao 165). Wang Fengxin elaborated the cultural implications of Chinese brand naming, and thought brand naming included proper names, place names, animal names, plant names, physical phenomena, reiterative locution

18、s, homophones, color terms, figures, materials, functions, moral values, aesthetic judgment, special terms of Christianity, pseudo-foreign brands (Wang 376). He Chuansheng illustrated the motivation of brand formation from the perspective of psychology, marketing, sociology and culture; meanwhile, h

19、e analyzed the effects of brand verbalization to modern English (He 232). Meng Hua explored the meanings and traits of brand naming from the perspective of semiotic linguistics, held that the brand names are less restricted by the rules of language structure, but more embody the creativity and subje

20、ctivity of language (Zhu 28-29). B. International researchA nascent yet flourishing language industry in US, the brand naming industry, which was established as a new language profession and industry with the emergence of specialized naming companies more than twenty years ago, has attracted the att

21、ention of both the field of theory and the field of practice in the US On September 16, 1998, Naseem Javed, the initiator of the first naming company in the US made a speech entitled “Super Corporation Must Have Super Names”. He introduced in detail about the historical development of American namin

22、g industry, the problems in brand naming，the latest tendency of international brand naming, the structures of brand naming of global company, the power of names and the rules of naming. It was a summary that the field of practice made on the brand naming industry. Carrolls Whats in a Name? Arnolds W

23、hats in a Name: Famous Brand Names? Stilings Famous Brand Names, Emblems and Trade-Marks, Joness Whats in a Brand? Murphys Branding: A Key Markting Tool have made research on naming in their writings. Worth mentioning is The Omnipowerful Brand, the monograph of Delano, has discussed the rules and pr

24、ocesses of brand naming from the marketing perspective.Ingrid Pillers Ph.D dissertation American Automobile Names can be reckoned as one of the best literatures on brand naming which are available at present. The formal lingual items used as automobile names are simplexes, syntagmatic word-formation

25、s, non-syntagmatic word-formations, free syntactic phrases, proper nouns, non-established borrowings, and numerals in various portions. III. Relationship between Culture and Brand NamesCulture, which has been heatedly debated, is a multi-dimensional and all-encompassing subject. It is extremely comp

26、lex. Some scholars share the idea that culture consists of two components, one visible and the other invisible. And language, as apart of culture, is an important medium to pass down culture. Therefore, brand names, as an expression of language, definitely have a close relationship with culture. And

27、 the brand naming mustnt ignore the cultural elements. A. Definition of culture“People living apart from one another develop unique cultures, but elements of different cultures can easily spread from one group of people to another.” Language is the carrier, container and the instrument of culture. W

28、ithout language, it would be difficult to convert the cross-cultural communication goals to actions. The British cultural anthropologist, Edward Tylor, offers us the classic definition of culture: Culture or civilizationis that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom

29、s and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society (Miller 14). B. Definition of brand.One definition of brand is “a synthesis of all these elements, physical, aesthetic rational and emotional and cultural, which is a perception created in the mind of consumers who ascrib

30、e beliefs and values to the product” (J. M. Murphy 3). And according to the famous American economist Richard T.Hise, “a brand, i.e. trademark is a name term, sign, symbol, design or a combination of them which tells who makes it or who sells it, distinguishing that product from those made or sold b

31、y others” (Hise 257).C. Relationship between culture and brand namesAccording to Peter Newmark, culture refers to “the way of life and its manifestations that are peculiar to a community that uses a particular language as its means of expression” (Peter Newmark 94). “Language is intrinsically bound

32、up with culture. It expresses, embodies and symbolizes cultural reality” (Kramsch, Claire 3). It is believed that where there is language, there is culture hidden behind. Brand names, they are influenced by culture and in turn reflect culture. Therefore, culture has its understanding characteristics

33、 which can be associated with brand names.IV. Brand Names and Brand NamingA. Basic types of brand namesWith the expansion of many factories, more and more commodities come into being. So do brand NamesWherever we go，whatever we do，we will meet brand names of different categoriesThey are various and

34、can be classified from different angles. “From the angle of the linguistic structures of brand names，they can be roughly classified into the proper name brand names, the common word brand names and the coined word brand names”(He 34). The following will show examples.1. Proper name brand names: 长城(e

35、lectric appliance), 李宁(sport shoes), 杜康(alcohol), McDonalds(restaurant), Channel(cosmetics), Nike(sport shoes), and etc. 2. Common word brand names: 熊猫(electric appliance), 光明(milk), 红牛(drink), Crocodile(clothes), camel(cigarette), Apple(computer), and etc. 3. Coined word brand names: 健力宝(drink), 美加

36、净(cosmetic), 富达(dust collector), Kodak(camera and film), Nescafe(coffee), Rolex(watch) and etc. B. Principles of brand namingBeing an essential component of a product, brand naming is often invented on the basis of certain principles. No matter where a product is from, brand naming must follow and i

37、n turn reflect the following principles.1. The “KISS” principleThe “KISS” principle is the brevity principle，which refers to “Keep it short and Sweet”This principle is observed both in brand naming and in advertising. The “KISS” principle is carefully observed in brand naming and it is proved to be

38、effective in persuading consumers to make a purchase.2. The novelty principleThe novelty principle requires brand names to be “new”, “fresh”, and “distinctive” with eye-catching appeal. Why would the consumers choose this brand rather than others? The priority is the brand name that can leave a deep

39、 impression upon the consumers. 3. The readability principleThe readability principle indicates that a good brand name must be easy to be read and not likely to be mispronounced and misunderstood. To realize the function of brand names, peoples habits of reception, either in language or in culture,

40、must be taken into consideration in brand naming. 4. The extentionality principleThis principle indicates that a brand name should have the capability to cover products as many as possible. In this way, it is much easier for a new product to come into the market and be beneficial for the business ex

41、pansion of the company. 5. The protectivity principleThe protectivity principle refers to the fact that the brand naming should be registered and protected legally. When naming a new product, we must be sure whether it meets all the legal requirements. One of the great fears of commercial enterprise

42、s is that a carefully chosen brand name will fall into public domain. Moreover, there is another terrible condition. All in all，brand names are the medium and bridge between producers and consumers. The ideal brand name can convey information about the product and motivate the consumers to appreciat

43、e the product. However, if a brand name is not carefully designed，it will be a total abstraction, offering no clue to the product, and it will be a loss of the producer. Therefore, when naming a product, the designer must take these five principles into consideration in order that the brand name cou

44、ld be unique and distinctive, carrying favorable messages. And also it comply with the rules and guidelines rooted in sociology, psychology, semantics and the law.V. The Main Classifications of Brand NamingA. Personal names or place namesAt the initial stage of brand naming development, manufacturer

45、s usually employ the initiators of the firm, the inventors of the products or places of production as band names. With the rapid development of economy, buyers markets have been formed. Therefore, manufacturers flood the market with mass-produced goods of the same kind and have keen competition. At

46、the stage, brand names are in great abundance. Brand naming takes the central place in the marketers consciousness so as to defeat their rivals.There are some examples茅台(alcohol), 伊利(drink), 燕京(alcohol), 青岛(alcohol), 鲁花(oil), 石狮(cigarette), it makes it clear that the products are made in China, and

47、symbolizes it is a unique. To Western, band naming also has place name. KFC (fast food) naming by Kentucky state, Cologne(perfume) produce Cologne in the west country of Germany, Nokia(mobile phone) a small town in the north of Finland, the original company of nokia locates here, Marlboro(cigarette) a small town in the west of America; LANCOME(cosmetic) LANCOSME, the original in the middle of France, in order to easily read, substitute LANCOSME in LANCOME. Compared with Chinese brand names, western band names prefer personal names to place names.