Eponyms, last names was Re: How to Pronounce "properly"

[nlpnt at yahoo.com]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at y..., meboriqua at a... wrote:
  "Nucular" is a good one, too, 
> though.  I don't even think I know how to say it like that.  

"NOO-kya-lur". Now let's try it in a sentence;

"Welcome to Springfield Nucular Power Plant. I'm Homer Simpson, 
safety coordinator-oops, DOH!

> 
> I always know when I'm answering a business call because my last 
name 
> is always mispronounced.  

My last name is Lapointe. I pronounce it just as it's spelled (ignore 
the final "e"; the correct French (Canadian) pron. is something 
like "LApwahn" and I hear that a lot in Montreal; telemarketers 
invariably try, badly, to give it a Spanish pronounciation; "La-POYN-
tee" or "La-POYN-tay". 
One of my coworkers has the last name Levesque, pronounced "Levec" to 
those familiar with Quebecois French, and "Luh-VESS-quee" or "Luh-
VESS-quway" to those not. Once again, accents (or pronounciations) as 
identifiers. 


> In Texas we use "coke" as a eponym, a generic word for all fizzy 
> carbonated drinks. If someone tells me they want a coke, I ask what 
> kind (Dr. Pepper, Big Red, Coke itself, etc.)

There are a lot of these- question for any Brits; how common is it to 
refer to a cargo van as a "Transit" whether or not it's the actual 
Ford model of that name? I've heard it on "Junkyard Wars" (Scrapheap 
Challenge) and read it in auto magazines- is it limited to car guys 
or universal?