Analysing Blends

Scientific Essay , 2008 , 16 Pages , Grade: 2,0

English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics

“You see it’s like a portmanteau – there are two meanings packed up into one word”
(Carroll 2002:186). That is what Humpty Dumpty told Alice about a poem, where
words were mixed together out of other words. But not only in Lewis Carroll’s
“Through the Looking-Glass” words like these occur. If you take a newspaper, you
will find a lot of mixtures. One of the most famous of the last years are names like
Brangelina oder Bennifer, where popular couples were shortened to one name.
These names caught the attention of readers and led to an increasing usage. Some
words are part of our language and a division into the original parts becomes difficult.
Take brunch as an example. Most people would describe it as a second breakfast,
but would they think of a mixture of breakfast and lunch in the first place?
Portmanteau words, as Humpty Dumpty calls them, in Linguistics are known as
blends. It is a part of morphology which is often discussed, because there are a lot of
contradictions. The question arises if there are general rules which can be used to
form blends and if there are major categories of blends.
The paper will show the most important characteristics of blends and their structure.
Furthermore it tries to find some answers to the above mentioned questions and
proves or disproves generalisations. With the help of a survey the characteristics
shall be looked at in a critical way.

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• Introduction
• Characteristics
  • Definition
  • Meaning
  • Structure
• Survey
  • Analyses
  • Conclusion of the Survey
• Conclusion

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This paper examines the characteristics and structure of blends, a linguistic phenomenon involving the combination of two or more words into a single new word. The paper aims to explore the rules governing blend formation and identify potential categories of blends. It also seeks to analyze the relationship between blends and other linguistic phenomena, such as compound nouns and acronyms.

• Definition and characteristics of blends
• The structure of blends
• The relationship between blends and compound nouns, acronyms, and other linguistic phenomena
• The role of blends in language change and development
• The application of blend analysis to real-world examples

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

The introduction explores the concept of blends, providing examples and highlighting the importance of understanding this linguistic phenomenon. The "Characteristics" chapter delves into the definition, meaning, and structure of blends, exploring various theories and controversies surrounding their classification and formation. The "Survey" chapter provides a detailed analysis of a selection of blends, examining their structure and meaning in relation to the previously discussed characteristics. The conclusion summarizes the key findings of the paper and offers insights into the broader implications of blend analysis for linguistic research.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

Blends, morphology, compound nouns, acronyms, linguistic phenomena, language change, word formation, structure, meaning, analysis, survey, examples.

• College: University of Marburg
• Grade: 2,0
• Author: Franka Girod (Author)
• Publication Year: 2008
• Pages: 16
• Catalog Number: V150856
• ISBN (eBook): 9783640631964
• ISBN (Book): 9783640631797
• Language: English
• Tags: Blending