Re: [silk] Ford Figo (was sociolinguistic query)
Giancarlo Livraghi [16 April 2012 15:17]: The Ford Figo story is quite intriguing. Apparently the name was chosen because Figo means 'cool' in Italian. Nobody in Detroit or Chennai appears to be aware of the anatomical-sexual implications (though maybe someone is in Brazil, where this model is conservatively called Fiesta). This thread seems to say figo - the masculine - is cool while the feminine, figa is vagina, and by extension, hot, sexy etc? http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=13790
Re: [silk] Ford Figo (was sociolinguistic query)
Suresh Ramasubramanian [today] This thread seems to say figo - the masculine - is cool while the feminine, figa is vagina, and by extension, hot, sexy etc? No, it doesn't work that way (though someone in Ford seems to think so). It starts with the fact figa is jargon for vagina - therefore sexy. From what used to be a rude male expression it has (strangely) extended to a broader meaning, such as attractive or nice - even in a non-sexual context. A quaint result is that figo (though the word never existed in the language, not even in jargon) can be said of a male - or of anything called with a masculine word. Anyhow, everyone in Italy, even when using the word freely in extended ways, is well aware of its original meaning. It would be ridiculous for a car, or any other product, to be branded figa or figo in Italian. Giancarlo
Re: [silk] Ford Figo (was sociolinguistic query)
On Mon, Apr 16, 2012 at 12:46 PM, Giancarlo Livraghi g...@gandalf.it wrote: The Ford Figo story is quite intriguing. Apparently the name was chosen because Figo means 'cool' in Italian. Nobody in Detroit or Chennai appears to be aware of the anatomical-sexual implications (though maybe someone is in Brazil, where this model is conservatively called Fiesta). I wonder how a woman driving a Figo in India, Mexico or South Africa would feel if she knew the meaning of her car's name. There is also the Mitsubishi Pajero ... which I dont believe they sell with the same name in Spain and Latin america since Pajero isnt a pleasant word.
Re: [silk] Ford Figo (was sociolinguistic query)
On Mon, Apr 16, 2012 at 3:09 PM, ashok _ listmans...@gmail.com wrote: There is also the Mitsubishi Pajero ... which I dont believe they sell with the same name in Spain and Latin america since Pajero isnt a pleasant word. Public service message - the relevant bits of wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi_Pajero The Mitsubishi Pajero ( /pəˈdʒɛroʊ/; Spanish: [paˈxeɾo]; Japanese パジェロ [padʑeɽo])[1][2] is a sport utility vehicle manufactured by Mitsubishi Motors. It was named after Leopardus pajeros, the Pampas cat which is native to the Patagonia plateau region of southern Argentina.[3] However, since pajero is an offensive term for wanker in Spanish,[2] alternative names have been used for many markets overseas. It is known as the Mitsubishi Montero (meaning mountain hunter[4]) in Spain, India, and the Americas (excepting Brazil), and as the Mitsubishi Shogun in the United Kingdom. Discontinued in the United States in 2006, the vehicle continues to be sold in the rest of the world in its fourth-generation iteration.
Re: [silk] Ford Figo (was sociolinguistic query)
On Mon, Apr 16, 2012 at 6:39 PM, ashok _ listmans...@gmail.com wrote: There is also the Mitsubishi Pajero ... which I dont believe they sell with the same name in Spain and Latin america since Pajero isnt a pleasant word. Having fallen in love with the vehicle in the 90s, looked for it when I landed in the US. Finally discovered it was sold as Montero and picked up the sport variety. The Montero sport is now available in India as Pajero Sport and the older ones were called Challenger, I think. --Venkat
