Where did the name: CONVOY come from?

[BackTrax]

Those ones.

Much in the way that "Optimus Prime" is Latin words borrowed for his English name, "Convoy" is English words borrowed for his Japanese name.

Though I wouldn't say it's a nonsense word for the Japanese. A quick bit of translation and they know it basically means "procession of trucks". Just like a quick bit of translation from Latin gives his English name as basically meaning "Best First".

His name's borrowed words no matter which language we're on.

Wow, thats very interesting, I had no idea. thanks for that info

[Nevermore]

The Japanese just think English words are sooooo cool. Sometimes they get them awfully wrong, which results in the phenomenon known as "Engrish" ("Let's Disco!"). So they give a lot of their toys English names.

The toys Hasbro later released as the original Transformers were originally releasedby Takara as part of two different toylines, New Microman: MicroChange and Diaclone. The Diaclone toy that would later be named "Optimus Prime" by Hasbro was named "Battle Convoy" by Takara.

So when Takara imported the Transformers line back to Japan, they decided to keep part of the "Battle Convoy" name for the Transformers character, and named him "Convoy".

[numbat]

His name's borrowed words no matter which language we're on.

Aren't all names just borrowed words (originally - well, back to 'UNGH'. That's probably the origin of all names... and words. Or maybe 'ouch'. I say that a lot.).

[Halfshell]

Aren't all names just borrowed words (originally - well, back to 'UNGH'. That's probably the origin of all names... and words. Or maybe 'ouch'. I say that a lot.).

All names can't be borrowed, else no language would have any names in it all.

Most English names probably have roots in other languages though, yeah. Great big linguistic melting pot that it is.

[numbat]

All names can't be borrowed, else no language would have any names in it all.

Like I said - 'UNGH'.



The ability to associate an object or person or activity / action with an abstract sound and structured symbology had to 'begin' (or become distinctly more info-rich than forms of communication used by other beasties, such as degus) somewhere indeedy!

[Halfshell]

That's made up words. Yes, all words start made up. But that's different to borrowed - borrowed words are when you can't be arsed to make up your own, so steal one from another language.

Or, in some instances, when there is one in your language, but one from another language is kewler, so you use that instead for no discernable raison.

[Starfield]

Like I said - 'UNGH'.



The ability to associate an object or person or activity / action with an abstract sound and structured symbology had to 'begin' (or become distinctly more info-rich than forms of communication used by other beasties, such as degus) somewhere indeedy!

I've thought about English names. They are all pretty much "nonsense words" today, but once meant something in some language. For example, "William" apparently means "Protector." Does that mean at one time it would have been like calling a guy "Protector," as in "hey, Protector, come here"?

In that way they wouldn't have been much different than most Transformer names. Perceptor, Cliffjumper, etc.

[Halfshell]

Yup.

How many Williams do you know? And yet Transfans still get uppity over name reuse.

[Clay]

So when Takara imported the Transformers line back to Japan, they decided to keep part of the "Battle Convoy" name for the Transformers character, and named him "Convoy".

I think the still-relevant question is where they came up with the idea to call it Convoy to begin with, although "because English words are COOOOL" probably answers that.

[numbat]

I think the still-relevant question is where they came up with the idea to call it Convoy to begin with, although "because English words are COOOOL" probably answers that.

I think that's probably it.



At least the word is vaguely related to trucks, and I think it sounds pretty cool in (remotely) sensical English (which is the result of copy and paste borrowing of other people's words and laziness).

[Clay]

At least the word is vaguely related to trucks,

Fun fact: a burrito - a flour wrap of beef and beans you get at Mexican-style restaurants - means "little donkey" in Spanish.

Convoy, by comparison, is dead on the mark.

[Cliffjumper]

Most Japanese robot names are stunningly literal... plus as said Japanese pop culture often apes the West. Battle Convoy is every inch a stereotypical American big rig, and as half-jokingly mentioned, the film and the song could well have given the country a very strong picture of what they thought or wanted America to be. The name, combined with the colours, could have been an attempt to really put across the purported Americanism of the toy; plain old Truck would have just made it sound like any other lorry, but Convoy gives it (I suppose) a dash of Yankee style - this isn't a truck, it's an exotic foreign truck.

The other thing worth remembering is that Diaclones were always portrayed in commercials and the like as types of mass-produced mecha suit:



So you could read the original as a unit from a/the Battle Convoy, which makes a lot of sense. Toys for mass produced models often bear the type name as if it's a name - for example, Guncannon from Gundam was always sold just as 'Guncannon' rather than 'one of the Guncannon units', despite being mass-produced in the series, same with the generic Macross figures.

Real question is why, when all the other Car Robot were numbered with snappy names like 'Countach LP500S Patrol Car Type', 'Fire Truck Long Ladder Type' and 'Fairlady Z Racing Type 280 ZX Turbo', Battle Convoy got something sounding a little bit like a name...

How the name actually got onto the Transformer is pretty much open and close stuff.