Imnosaint
Adventurer
Researching texts for my Visual Communication curriculum I'm evaluating the book, Visual Culture, by Richard Howells and Joaquim Negreiros, and in the chapter on Semiotics, to my astonishment, is the example of Mitsubishi's SUV name.
"In the 1980s, the Japanese motor manufacturer Mitsubishi brought out a new sport utility vehicle called the Pajero. This seemed like a very good name: the word alone seemed full of adventuresome, off-road swagger, especially when one discovers that zoologically, the Leaopardus pajeros is a South American wild cat. For the UK market, the same car is marketed as the Shogun (as in Japanese warlord), where in Spain and the USA it is sold as the Montero (as in Mountain warrior). You get the picture: you can almost smell the testosterone. Unfortunately, 'pajero' has another meaning in Spanish: It is a slang term for 'wanker' or 'one who masturbates'. No wonder the car is sold as the Montero in Spain." (p.114)
Thought you might want to know before you re-badge your Montero.
"In the 1980s, the Japanese motor manufacturer Mitsubishi brought out a new sport utility vehicle called the Pajero. This seemed like a very good name: the word alone seemed full of adventuresome, off-road swagger, especially when one discovers that zoologically, the Leaopardus pajeros is a South American wild cat. For the UK market, the same car is marketed as the Shogun (as in Japanese warlord), where in Spain and the USA it is sold as the Montero (as in Mountain warrior). You get the picture: you can almost smell the testosterone. Unfortunately, 'pajero' has another meaning in Spanish: It is a slang term for 'wanker' or 'one who masturbates'. No wonder the car is sold as the Montero in Spain." (p.114)
Thought you might want to know before you re-badge your Montero.
