The Oxford English Dictionary, that great storyteller of the English language around the world, suggests the first known use of ‘green’ to suggest environmentalism was around 1973 – from Australia, but possibly grew from earlier anti-nuclear protests in Germany, writes Marcus Barrett.
There are probably twenty or more slightly different meanings of the adjective ‘green’ – from ‘immature’ to ‘gullible’, from ‘youthful’ to ‘recent’.
Earlier this summer, the Somerset County Gazette looked at ‘Greenwashing’, a word which suggests some companies make themselves look more eco-friendly than they are.
It took a generation for ‘green’ to become used in ‘greenwash’ – a comment on how the green agenda has developed across 20 years.
The great outdoors has been coming indoors and into our digital lives for some time.
We live with new versions of nouns such as ‘Apple’, ‘Web’, ‘Cloud’, ‘Stream’ etc.
But how are local companies approaching what we might call ‘wild words’?
Are Somerset firms on-trend with bigger international corporates in their use of green vocab?
I thought I’d look at how green small businesses in our own patch are – or rather how green their names are.
Language relating to nature is, of course, popular in branding and marketing.
To check the Somerset angle, I looked at company names in the Taunton area – using the Somerset Chamber of Commerce membership list as a sample.
In Taunton we have a range of green linguistic patterns.
Read more
Green Focus: Why can't we see people proving the environment is important?
Column: What are borrowed words worth in Taunton?
Green Focus: 'Greenwashing' jingles mask the dangers of oil production
There is, for instance, a trend in using the language of fauna and flora to create vivid pictures in local business: ‘Gecko’, ‘Daffodil’, ‘Daisy Admin’, ‘Sunflower Social Media’, ‘Apple FM’ – these stand out perhaps with their suggestion of natural colour.
There is a trend of birth and growth: ‘Design Hive’, ‘Honey Legal’, ‘Design Bean’ and from the Chamber’s design and print membership: ‘Hatched’.
Sound and movement of the natural world is captured in ‘Hummingbird’ and ‘Introtweet’.
Another trend is that of the seasons and the bigger picture of time: ‘Cosmic’, ‘Autumn films’, ‘4 Seasons Flooring’ explore time in all its scale.
There is also a creative adaptation of nature mingling with the human world: ‘Talking Stick’, ‘Pro Cloud’ take the metaphoric use of language further.
While some large corporates may use language questionably to cover themselves in environmental green, in a more positive and creative way, our smaller, local businesses echo the wondrous natural world which we enjoy here in Somerset.
As always, it is good to hear your examples of nature language used in naming businesses or charities.
What sticks in your mind?
Which names really work you up?
Do comment in.
Marcus Barrett is a researcher, writer and teacher of English linguistics and is a director of the Winchester-based educational charity The English Project.
Share