For Openers

Wonderful World Of Words

affodils, turtles, nightingales.
These names for members of
our natural world conjure up
lovely mental images. They
would not, therefore, be suitable for a
team, an automobile or a strong cleaning
product.
SY
It all has to do with the connotative
MANELLO (emotional) value of a word. We employ
Editorial
connotation daily in our lives and it
Assistant
often colors what we say and the reac-
tions of those hearing us.
First, there is the connotation from perspective. My
child is active; yours is mischievous; his is a little brat.
My ideas are timely; yours are a bit radical; his are way
out in left field. See how that works?
Those who come up with team names try to find a
name that will instill confidence in
the team and "psych out" the
opponents. Therefore, Lions
and Tigers and Bears (oh, my)
will be successful names (regard-
: less of how the teams are
doing). The Pistons, Angels
(and Devils!) as well as the
Sharks, Panthers and Lightning
I convey the images of power,
1 goodness, quickness. Coming
up against a team named the
Polka Dots, the Lady Bugs or
the Tires would do little to
engender the "fear factor."
For years, automakers have
tried to win us over by what the
name of the car could convey.
You could easily picture yourself
I behind the wheel of the "force-
ful" Thunderbird, but not even
getting into a vehicle called the
1 Owl.

s r :Itt-gi-r-IV

You counter, what about the Rabbit? It is a soft, cud-
dly creature. Yes, but it is compact and very swift, fea-
tures to be desired in a car.
Extremes are good, especially words that suggest the
top, the peak such as Maxima and Ultima. (It almost
seems that anything that you can add an "A" to will
work.)
For those adventuresome souls, there is the Trail
Blazer; you can easily see why "Wanderer" would not
work effectively.
The same approach can be seen in the naming of
other products. Cleansers should have names that con-
vey the idea of cleanliness, quickness and effectiveness.
Tide and Mr. Clean are prime examples. Would you
I really consider doing your wash in a product named
"Soapy"? Or trying to rid yourself of marks on your tile
with "Scrub It"?
If you are shopping for new
windows, you, of course,
want to give a new look to
your home and Renewal
might do the trick; the
"Window Guy" just would
not have the same effect. It is
not just a fluke that the tool
manufacturer decided on the
name Performance. It almost
seems as if immediate results
are built in to the tools.
The next time you are in
the market for a car, go shop-
ping for a product for the
home or cheer for your
favorite team, keep in mind
that there is much psycholo-
gy behind the choice of
name. Remember that, in the
words of the bard, "A rose by
another name would smell"
or something like that.

LET 'S GO
POLKA DOTS!

Irt Know ©

2003

• •.• • ••

L

ike the sukkah, there is
another temporary structure
which Jews construct for a
religious purpose. Unlike the
sukkah, this structure has no legal
requirement as to its shape and
dimensions. What is it?

— Goldfein

.AdouED 2uIppam
TT:mai alp ctfecidny y uaAnstry

notables

"To see the history behind us, in front
of us, to see Judaism before us, to see
the Torah in front of us, living, was
something incredible."
• — William Miller,
director of ORT-Cuba and a counselor
for eight Cuban Jewish young adults
who took part in Birthright Israel —
the' first organized group from Cuba to
visit Israel since_the .1973 Yom Kippur
War, as quoted by JTA.

Yiddish Limericks

A man phoned Detroit from
Westminster,
Advising his shvester,* a spinster,
"This blackout's your chance
For love and romance.
The iron's hot. Strike while it's fin-
ster!'"

— Martha Jo Fleischmann

Shabbat Candlelighting

* sister
** dark

"I feel enlightened when I light the Shabbat candles. My Shabbat message is
for Hashem to grant blessings and success, peace, parnasah [a living], health
and happiness to all klal Yisrael [the Jewish people] and for the Messiah to
come in our time."

— Linda Rosenberg, Oak Park

Sponsored by Lubavitch
women's Organization. -
To submit a candlelighting
message or to receive
complimentary candlesticks
and information on Shabbat
candlelighting, call Miriam
Amzalak of Oak Park at
(248) 548-6771 or e-mail:

manizalakuno.com

Candlelighting

Candlelighting

Friday, Aug. 29, 7:54 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 5, 7:42 p.m.

Shabbat Ends

Shabbat. Ends

Saturday, Aug. 30, 8:56 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 6, 8:43 p.m.

Yiddish-isms

farchadat

Dizzy, confused, dopey; "punchy;"
having a headache; smitten, charmed,
beguiled; surprised, stunned, shocked.

Source: From The New Joys of Yiddish
by Leo Calvin Rosten, edited by
Lawrence Bush, copyright 2001, by
the Rosten Family LLC. Used by per-
mission of the Rosten Family LLC.

8/29 -
2003

