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Lehman Bros. Salomon Bros. Warner Bros. Brooks Bros. Etc.
by hunter2_ 3y ago
Lehman Bros.
Salomon Bros.
Warner Bros.
Brooks Bros.
Etc.
- paulcole 3y agoMario Bros. Dutch Bros.
- Izkata 3y agoMarx bros.
- JohnFen 3y agoThose aren't examples of "bro". Those are examples of abbreviating "brothers".
- s1artibartfast 3y agoWhat do you think bro is short for?
- noarchy 3y agoI don't think it is short for anything, the way it is used by some, including the specific context that we're discussing. It has become a distinct term.
- s1artibartfast 3y agoI don't really see what makes it different or distinct
- noarchy 3y agoIn day-to-day use, you would not hear people saying "brother", instead. It just doesn't happen. "Bro", in this context, has evolved.
- s1artibartfast 3y agoI get that it is an abbreviation, but does it have new meaning? What meaning or connotation would be lost if a user of the word said brother instead of bro? Would there be confusion?
- noarchy 3y ago>Would there be confusion? No, but it would be unusual. You don't hear people using a term like "crypto brothers", for instance. "Bro" carries a different connotation, and it isn't a positive one in this example. I don't think it is simply an abbreviation in this case.
- s1artibartfast 3y agoIn this example, do you think the speaker of the quote was using it in a negative connotation? I think it's pretty clear that that is not the case.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- hunter2_ 3y agoPrecisely. The speaker might happen to be "a bro" in the derogatory sense of the word (especially given involvement in an activity that may have a significant population of those people), but that's fairly distinct from simply calling someone "bro" as used in this quote. But I do say "fairly" because bros (in the derogatory sense) probably also call each other "bro" (in the sense that someone is close like a brother) at a rate that exceeds baseline. That elevated rate is probably pertinent to the etymology of the derogatory sense, come to think of it.
- hunter2_ 3y agoI have definitely been greeted with "what's up, brother?" several times. And I took it exactly the same as when other people have greeted me with "what's up, bro?" -- the former came from someone a bit older than me, and the latter came from someone my age. Intent was 100% identical as far as I could tell.
- dwaltrip 3y agoThe way words are used gives them their meaning. If "bro" is used differently than "brother" in certain contexts, then they have different meanings in those contexts. In my experience, it does have different meanings. One usage makes me think of: "friend", "close friend", "homie", "my guy", "dude", "someone I trust", etc. Another usage is: "immature", "douchey", "fake", "asshole", etc
- s1artibartfast 3y agoBut is it actually used differently than brother in this context? Understand that bro also has a pejorative connotation in some context, but that is not the case here. If the quote was "we are operating as a fking unlicensed securities exchange in the USA brother." how is the meaning different? I can see that they have slightly different connotations like thanks versus thank you, but that doesn't mean it it's no longer an abbreviation, which is what the parent poster was claiming
- dwaltrip 3y agoAh, yeah with the company names, I think it is simply an abbreviation for "brothers". A bit of miscommunication.
- hunter2_ 3y agoI think bro is always an abbreviation for brother, but sometimes the act of abbreviating is done to save space (like company names) and sometimes to specifically impart informality/metaphor (like TFA). But that doesn't mean the unabbreviated version can't be used metaphorically as well.
- JohnFen 3y agoI was pointing out that "Bros" in a company name is exactly an abbreviation for "brother". It is, in effect, a different word than "bro" used in slang.
- hunter2_ 3y ago
- JohnFen 3y ago"Bro" started in slang as a way of indicating you consider someone a brother in spirit, precisely because it was an abbreviation for "brother". But it ceased being used that way a while ago. Now, it's largely used to indicate a certain personality type (at least in my neck of the woods).
- s1artibartfast 3y agoI think perhaps the usage has split, with dual meanings, depending on the social identity of the user. It is still often used by many people for friends (like the quote in the link), with the original meaning. Some people also use it as a pejorative, usually against people they don't know or like. I think it is an error to think that the second usage the only one, or even the predominant connotation. I would guess a small portion of english speakers hold negative opinions about "bros", and the concept isn't even on most people's radar. How often does the word bro get used, and in which context? I would guess that bros use the word in the positive sense more often than other people spend talking talking about bros in a negative sense. If someone claims that there is only one meaning of bro and that it is negative, I think that reflects more on their social bubble and social leanings than reality.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]