BLEND

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In linguistics, a 'blend' is a word formed from parts of two other words. These parts are sometimes, but not always, morphemes.
A blend is different from a portmanteau word in that a portmanteau refers strictly to a blending of two function words, similar to a contraction.

Contents

Formation

Use

See also

Formation

Most blends are formed by one of the following methods:
# The beginning of one word is added to the end of the other. For example, ''brunch'' is a blend of '''br'eakfast'' and ''l'unch'''. This is the most common method of blending.
#The beginnings of two words are combined. For example, ''cyborg'' is a blend of '''cyb'ernetic'' and '''org'anism''.
#One complete word is combined with part of another word. For example, Wikipedia is a blend of '''wiki''' and ''encyclo'pedia'''.
# Two words are blended around a common sequence of sounds. For example, the word ''Californication'', from a song by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, is a blend of ''Cali'forni'a'' and '''forni'cation''.
# Multiple sounds from two component words are blended, while mostly preserving the sounds' order. Poet Lewis Carroll was well known for these kinds of blends. An example of this is the word ''slithy'', a blend of and '''sli'm'y'''. This method is difficult to achieve and is considered a sign of Carroll's verbal wit.
When two words are combined in their entirety, the result is considered a compound word rather than a blend. For example, bagpipe is a compound, not a blend, of ''bag'' and ''pipe.''

Use

Some languages, like Japanese, encourage the shortening and merging of borrowed foreign words (as in gairaigo), because they are long or difficult to pronounce in the target language. For example, ''karaoke'', a combination of the Japanese word ''kara'' (meaning ''empty'') and the clipped form ''oke'' of the English loanword "orchestra" (J. ''ōkesutora'' オーケストラ), is a Japanese blend that has entered the English language. (From the article gairaigo.)
Many corporate brand names, trademarks, and initiatives, as well as names of corporations and organizations themselves, are blends. For example, Wiktionary, one of Wikipedia's sister projects, is a blend of ''wiki'' and ''dictionary''. Also, Nabisco is a blend of the initial syllables of '''Na'tional 'Bis'cuit 'Co'mpany.''
In the 21st Century, tabloid writers often blend the first names of famous couples. Some examples include ''Bennifer'' (for both Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, and Affleck and Jennifer Garner) and ''TomKat'' (for Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes).

See also

★ Clipping (lexicography)

★ Compound (linguistics)

★ Contraction (grammar)

★ Portmanteau

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★ Syllabic abbreviation