A Study On Trademark Nomination From Linguistics Perspective

Trademark name is one of the commercial names, a commercial language, the study on which is that on language application. The trademark name in this thesis refers to character trademark attached to commodities and linguistic signals in combined trademark.We think trademark nomination process is that of behavior and cognition of referential relationship building. The relationship between linguistic signal (referent) and the thing (reference) represented by it is called as referential relationship. It is a dynamic pragmatic process. Trademark nomination generally includes five factors: main body of nomination, nomination object, name, consumer and context. The reason why trademark name is attached more and more importance in publicity and marketing of enterprises is trademark name has several functions. The more function it has, the more market effect it brings to managers. Trademark name mainly has six functions: referential function, the function of revealing object's attribute, distinguishing function, social function, advertisement function, and economic function. In another word, trademark name is a synthesis which applies all kinds of originality methods and indicates several functions on the basis of distinguishing function. Therefore, an ideal and successful brand should possess the above-mentioned functions, thus, it can be regarded as having complete function. It is very difficult to let trademark name have all the functions. If one trademark name can possess several of the functions, it is rare and good enough.In addition, trademark name is a linguistic signal composed of words and expressions to help consumers perceive special commodities. Its language connotation is the important composition of trademark image. The suitable aspect of language connotation should be chosen for the main body of nomination in line with information requirement. Trademark nomination shall be based on highlighting semantic aspect. Different main bodies of nomination choose different semantic aspects so trademark names are varied in meaning. These different semantic aspects form a big semantic domain. The thesis classifies semantic domain into four kinds of semantic models on the collected corpus: denotation connotation, attribute connotation, social connotation, and affective connotation. Attribute connotation, social connotation, and affective connotation connect names and objects together relying on association so they are called association connotation. Compared with denotation connotation, the four connotations are the basic connotations of trademark names. One of the suitable connotation should be chosen according to the information requirement of the main body of nomination. Additionally, some trademark names acquire other connotations from the main body of nomination and consumers in different contexts in the process of information transmission. Hence, the semantic choice of trademark name is a dynamic development process as well.Upon an analysis of functions and connotations of trademark names and under the guidance of the idea that trademark nomination is a dynamic process of signalization building of information transmission, the thesis makes a conclusion the principles for nominating trademarks with a consideration of five factors of behaviors involved in trademark nomination are as follows, i.e., relying on five nomination principles: requirements from the main body, consumers'need, salience, artistic association, and social rule which are the inherent restriction conditions to limit trademark nomination behaviors. To realize functions and connotations of trademark names is to resort to satisfying all those principles. Theoretically, if all the nomination principles are acquired, the referential relationship will be very close, the functions will be fulfilled and the managers will get more market effect. In fact it is very difficult to satisfy all the nomination principles, many nomination principles are not placed on the same stratum but they are different. Salience and social rule are obligatory, while other nomination principles are elective which play their roles based on the above two principles. Besides, under different knowledge background the main body of nomination has its own attention and inclination of nomination so it can choose a certain connotation principle according to its own need, giving attention to other principles. Signalization building of trademark nomination is the best result of synthesis and balance of nomination principles by the main body of nomination, which is the successful trademark nomination.