BlackBerry® is a stand-out name, distinctive yet highly appropriate in its context. At first glance, the name is disarmingly naive. Like Apple when it first established itself as a builder of friendly yet sophisticated computers, BlackBerry is irreverent yet not easily dismissed. Carrying the name of a familiar fruit, there's no mystery as to why a BlackBerry, like an Apple, should sound user-friendly. The real magic of BlackBerry is that simultaneouly it creates a brand platform for a new handheld technology. BlackBerry's manufacturer consciously chose an image name to differentiate it from more descriptive device names like Palm Pilot and Handspring. Of course, it isn't enough for a name to be unexpected. Pow! could accomplish that. What moves BlackBerry beyond a jolt to our expectations is its more subtle message — the message that BlackBerry is not only unique, but a particularly accessible way to harness an awesome and complex technology. Allusion to a berry brings to mind several concrete images: appearance, size, and color. The BlackBerry's buttons resemble the little beads that cover the dark fruit. It is small in relation to other handheld devices, and it is very dark in color. Beyond the concrete lies the abstract. Like the fruit, the BlackBerry is readily available, a complex structure in an elegantly simple package. As any poet or songwriter can attest, some of the most striking images of words are conveyed by sound. In BlackBerry, [b] is the most prominent sound, appearing at the beginning of the first two syllables, both of which are stressed. One of the special features of [b] is its sound symbolism. In Lexicon's Sounder research, which has investigated the intrinsic meanings of sounds, [b] ranks among the most relaxed sounding consonants. The alliteration of the two [b]'s adds light-heartedness. And the relatively short vowels of the three syllables lend a crispness that in succession might even suggest punching a few buttons. The resemblance of the y of berry to nicknames like Betty and Buddy is coincidental, yet lends informality. Collectively, these various aspects of the name contribute to a distinctively companionable image. Timeport® is Motorola's name for an array of different personal communication devices, from cell phones to portable message devices like the BlackBerry. Timeport's imagery is more abstract than Blackberry's, but the name does conjure up some interesting ideas. Like an airport which the name Timeport resembles, the device places us in a network connecting us to everyone in the world. Time, like air, is everywhere. The Timeport's function is to construct pathways through this medium. Are we also to get the idea that Timeport is a time-saver? What makes interpretation more difficult is that port has several meanings. At least as likely as the airport-in-time image is the port of portable, and the port that accepts peripherals in a computer. Does the Timeport make time portable? Does it plug into time in some sense? BlackBerry and Timeport both incorporate essential riddles. With BlackBerry we picture a familiar object and wonder how it is related to the device that carries the name. With Timeport the riddle is more challenging: what image are we supposed to associate with this juxtaposition of concepts? On a more down-to-earth level, both names are compounds of two common words. A big difference, though, is that in the context of communications devices black and especially berry are much more unexpected than time and port. Like BlackBerry, part of Timeport's meaning is a function of sound symbolism. The voiceless stop [t] that begins the name, and the voiceless stops [p] and [t] that begin and end the second syllable are crisp and forceful. Lexicon's Sounder research has found that these are among the more active and daring sounding consonants of the language. The hum of the [m] at the end of the first syllable helps to capture the feeling of constant, smooth operation. Both BlackBerry and Timeport are interesting studies in the different ways in which a name can communicate. In a number of respects, BlackBerry makes a clearer statement than Timeport. It delivers a sharper and more unexpected image. And perhaps most crucially of all, the two names leave little doubt as to which device promises to be easier and more fun to use. Back to Lingustic Profile page.