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ENGLISH WORD BLENDS
EVA NURFATIMAH
Undergraduate Program, Faculty of Letters, 2010
Gunadarma University
http://www.gunadarma.ac.id
Abstract
Word blend is one of interesting things in morphology. But it is not an easy task to analyze it, to be
exact. But the writer interests to learn about English Word Blend by studying its methods and its types.
The writer is aimed to identify the source word of word blend, so that people can understand the
meaning of the word blends. It is also to describe the type of word blends. The research is used a
qualitative method. The data is taken from a book entitled
New Word edited by Orin Hargraves,
Oxford University Press. 2004, New York. The logic reasons and many supporting data in this
research are stated objectively, which means it all supported with trustable source of data and
information. The finding of this research is, there are 4 structural formations and 3 types of word
blend. Those methods are coining beginning and ending elements of words, coining each beginning of
two words, coining two words that have a common sequence sounds, and the last is coining two words
that have multiple sounds. And the types are phonemic overlap, clipping, and phonemic overlap and
clipping. But those are not certain standard among linguists.
Key words: Word blend, source words, qualitative, structural formation, type.
INTRODUCTION
Background
A word blend is one of the morphological processes in forming new words. It
has been an important thing in studying language. Two existing words are
compounded to form one new word and gather both meanings in that new word.
Word blend has been a complicated and interesting problem to analyze. The
reason why it exists, how the concatenation is, how to gather the meaning, for
what it is used, are just some little complication task. It is a complex uniqueness,
to be exact.
For all those considerations, the writer is eager to learn more about word
blend. The interest and curiosity make the writer comes to decide English Word
Blends as the title of this research.
Problem Formulation
The writer has formulated such questions as the problem formulation of this
research, those are:
1.
How many types of word-blends are there in English?
2.
What is the structural formation of word-blends in English?
Aim of the Study
The aims of this research are:
1.
To describe the types of word-blends in English.
2.
To identify the structural formation word blends in English.
Significant of the Study
This research is a part of knowledge development in linguistic field. This is
not a new research but the study itself has many roles for language learners.
Actually this study has concern to one matter, it is meaning. Its method is the way
to understand the meaning of word blends.
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Word Formation
Word formation is a morphological process, supposed to form new words by
compounding it and or adding prefixes. This term has not had special attention in
linguistics. Adams (1973) mentioned the reasons why word formation becomes
uninteresting subject to discuss. It is difficult to find a general statement about
word-formation. Besides, its connection with non-linguistic world of things and
ideas—for which word provide the names and its equivocal position as between
descriptive and historical studies (Adams, 1973: 3).
Any discussion of word-formation makes two assumptions: that there are
such things as words, and that at least some of them are formed (Bauer, 1983: 7).
Word can mean ‘word-form’, a unit in writing by preceding and following spaces,
and in speech—sometimes—by phonological clues. In this sense,
wolves,
ride, rides and
wolf, and
rode are five different words. Word can mean
‘grammatical word’: just as singular wolf and plural wolves or past tense rode and
past participle ridden are different grammatical words, so are singular and plural
sheep, and past tense
walked and past participle walked. And thirdly, word can
mean ‘lexeme’, the unit of vocabulary which subsumes grammatical variants and
is their representative in dictionaries—the nouns wolf and sheep, the verb ride and
walk. When it first element has all three of these senses word
synonym of morphology, the study of the structure of words (Adams, 2001: 1).
By ‘word-formation processes’ we mean the different devices which are used
in English to build new words from existing ones. Each word-formation process
will result in the production of specific type of word. Consequently, an
formation is a
understanding of these processes is one way of studying the different types of
word that exist in English (Jackson and Amvela, 2005: 81).
Compounds
Compounds may be defined as stems consisting of more than one root. Note
that the orthographic treatment of compounds is by no means consistent (Jackson
and Amvela, 2007: 92).
Compounding in English embraces a variety of possible internal—for
example, movie star (N+N), nationwide (N+A), undervalue (P+V) (Rutherford,
1998: 387).
Clipping
Clipping refers to the process whereby a lexeme (simplex or complex) is
shortened, while still retaining the same meaning and still being a member of the
same form class (Bauer, 1983: 233).
Bauer (1983) also mentions that there are three types of clipping. Those are
the beginning of the base lexeme, the final part of base lexeme and clipped forms
used in compounds.
Commonly, clipped forms taken from the beginning of the base lexeme as in
recent examples bi (bisexual), binocs (binoculars), porn (pornography) and mike
(microphone). But there are also others. It is the final part of the base lexeme
which has been retained Cong (Viet Cong), ‘Fro (Afro), loid (celluloid), and Yard
(Montagnard).
Clipped words are used in compound. For several cases, it is difficult to know
whether the resultant formation is a clipping or a blend. The border is not always
clear.
Word Blend
Word blending is one of morphological processes that retain two elements of
each word. Most linguists do not really like to discuss about this term because
blend has no certain pattern. But some have their own definition about blend.
Blends are hybrid words. They are compounds made in an unorthodox way by
joining chunks of word-forms belonging to two distinct lexemes (Katamba, 2002:
186). A blend may be defined as a new lexeme formed from parts of two (or
possibly more) other words in such a way that there is no transparent analysis into
morphs (Bauer, 1983:234). Blends are created from nonmorphemic parts of two
already existing items (O’grady, 1997: 139).
Word blends are a type of compound where the two morphemes break that
strict linear order by overlapping. This requires a many to one correspondence
relationship between two segments in the source forms’ and a single segment in
word blend. As a result, one of the morphemes is realized simultaneously with a
part of the other one.
It has been argued that blends are a subcategory used of compounds because
the morphemes that participate in word blending just like those that participate in
compounding are free or potentially free morphemes. Since a free morpheme is
equivalent to morphological word, it follows that both compounding and blending
combine morphological word to generate a new lexeme. This new lexeme
constitutes a complex morphological word, which will be represented as
morphological word.
Some linguists have concluded type of blend and method of word blend
formation. Bauer (1983) mentioned that there are at least rules as to what the base
must be and what the suffix must be for any given pattern: in blending, the
coiner is apparently free to take as much or as little from either base as is felt to
be necessary or desirable. Pronounce ability and spell ability is far from clear.
Mimsy from flimsy and miserable is one of the incense.
Other kind of blend is more obvious. In a case, it is true of those blends where
the two words used as the bases are though there is overlap. It should be noted
that overlap may be in pronunciation, in orthography or both.
(Sweet+elegant),
slanguage (slang+language), and
Swelegant
funnimal (funny+animal) are
the example of this type.
A third kind of blend is the type where the new lexeme looks as though it is
or might be analyzable in terms of other word-formation processes, in particular
as a neo-classical compound. Workaholic (work+alcoholic),
stagflation
(stagnation+inflation), pornotopia (pornography+utopia) are clearly recognized as
blends by the people who hear them.
Adams (1973) mentioned that neo-classical elements productive today may
be well-established ones which are compound-elements in the classical languages,
and which have been current in English for the same time. Other neo-classical
elements have only recently come into use as parts of compound. Since English
contains such a large proportion of classical borrowings and has acquired a
facility for using them in new coinages, it may be difficult to decide what is a
hybrid—that is a word composed of a mixture of classical and native elements.
In general, the category of blends is not well-defined.
Acronyms
An acronym is a word coined by taking the initial letters of the words in a
title or phrase and using them as a new word (Bauer, 1983: 237). Words forming
a complex expression referring to the name of organization, company or a
scientific concept may be reduced to their initial letters alone which together
represent sounds that form perfectly acceptable syllables and hence can be
pronounced as words (Katamba, 2002: 183).
REM (Rapid Eyes Movement)
RAM (Random-Access Memory)
WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant)
At the beginning, acronyms are spelt with capital letters as shown above. But,
with the passage of time, they are spelt like any other words.
RESEARCH METHOD
Research Design
In this study, the writer conducts a qualitative research as a description of
data from the source as well as from the product. One of the characteristics of
qualitative research is descriptive research and a sub category of that is
documentary analysis.
Document is printed paper furnishing information. Thus, the source data
found in the dictionary can be required for the analysis of this research. In this
one, the documentary analysis focused on the list of word blends from a book
entitled New Word edited by Orin Hargraves, Oxford University Press. 2004, New
York.
Source of the Data
This research took all of the data from a book entitled New Word edited by
Orin Hargraves, Oxford University Press. 2004, New York. This book was chosen
as the source of data because it contains many word blends and they are up to
date.
Data Collection Procedures
1. Read a book (New Word edited by Orin Hargraves, Oxford University Press.
2004, New York).
2. Identify the word blends on the book.
3. Collect the data by underlining the words.
RESULT OF THE STUDY
Discussion
According to Algeo (1977), there are three types of word blends. Those are
phonemic overlap, clipping, and phonemic overlap and clipping. Bauer (1983)
also describes there are some kinds of blended word. The first is the coiner is
apparently free to take as much or as a little from either base as is felt to be
necessary or desirable. Flimserable (fliserable and misemy) is the example of the
first type. The second type is overlapping in phonemic as in
roasted),
brocciflower (broccoli and
broast (broil and
cauliflower), celebreality (celebrity and
reality). Then, the third one is the type where lexemes are thought it is or might be
analyzable in terms of other word-formation process. Recent examples are
webcam (web and
camera), geomatics (geography and
informatics), and
mochaccino (mocha and cappuccino).
While Adams (1973) conducts four types of word-blend. The first in first
element is splinter and the second element is a full word. We can see it in
advergame (advertisement and
game). The second in the first element is a full
word and the second element is splinter as in adultescent (adult and adolescent).
The third type is the overlapping of vowels, consonants or syllables as in
following
middiescent (middle and
adolescent). The last type is when one
constituent echoes in some way the word or word-fragment it replaces; a punning
effect is the result. We have already noticed manny, echoing nanny.
But for this thesis, the writer uses Algeo’s theory because the measurement
and the different are clearer than others.
Table 1
Word Blend Classified by Type
No.
Type
Word Blends
Advergame
1.
Phonemic
Affluential
Overlap
Affluenza
Autophathography
Broast
Brocciflower
docusoap
ginormous
Celebreality
feebate
greentailing
Communiuniversity
flexecutive
himbo
Coopetition
gastroporn
juneteenth
Cosmeceutical
gastropub
Croning
gaydar
lactivist
loungcore
manny
mochaccino
permalencer
pleather
prosumer
proteome
Republicrat
ROMvelope
Scratchiti
Screenager
Simulsequeling
Snakeboard
Teentailer
Trustafarian
Watsu
Webcam
Middlescent
2.
Clipping
Philosopause
Prebuttal
3.
Phonemic Overlap
and Clipping
Adultescent
Cybrarian
Geocaching
Geomatics
Method is a way to form such purposes. In this case, morphological process is
supposed to form new word by coining word to some affixes or compounding
ready words to make a new one. Word blend is included to the second process of
coining. It is gathering two (or more, if possible) words into one.
There are four structural formations or we can also call it the methods
according to Adams (1973) and Bauer (1983). The writer can conclude this from
the two books. So, the classification is not the certain standard among linguist.
The four structural formations are: coining beginning and ending elements of
words, coining each beginning of two words, coining two words that have a
common sequence sounds, and the last is coining two words that have multiple
sounds.
Table 2
Word Blend Classified by Structural Formations
No.
Structural Formations
Word
Blends
coining beginning and
Adultescent
1.
ending
words
2.
elements of
Advergame
Broast
Brocciflower
Celebreality
Cosmeceutical
coining each beginning
cybrarian
of two words
docusoap
feebate
coining two words that
gastropub
gaydar
geocaching
geomatics
ginormous
greentailing
himbo
juneteenth
loungcore
middlescent
mochaccino
permalencer
philosopause
pleather
prebuttal
prosumer
proteome
ROMvelope
Scratchiti
Simulsequeling
Snakeboard
Teentailer
Trustafarian
Watsu
Gastroporn
Webcam
Communiuniversity
3.
h
a
a
com
Coopetition
mon
v
e
sequence sounds
Croning
Flexecutive
Lactivist
Many
Republicrat
screenager
Affluential
coining two words
4.
that
Affluenza
Autophathography
have multiple
sounds
Summary
From the theory of Laurie Bauer (1983) and Valerie Adams (1973) there are
four structural formations that can be called methods and three types of word
blends. The first method is formatting blend by coining beginning element from
the first word and ending element from the second word of the source. The second
method is formatting blend by coining every beginning element of the source
word. The third method is two words blended around a common sequence of
sound. The fourth method is multiple sounds from two component words are
blended, while mostly preserving the sounds' order.
And the three types of blends are: phonemic overlap, clipping, and phonemic
overlap and clipping. Phonemic overlap means each element of two words is
shared. Clipping means the shortening of two words and then compounding them.
Phonemic overlap and clipping is compounding of two types before. It shares each
element and the first or the second element can be formed by clipping.
CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION
Conclusion
Based on the data analysis, there are two main conclusions that can be drawn
from this study:
1.
Types of English word blends.
a.
Phonemic overlap.
b.
Clipping.
c.
Phonemic overlap and clipping.
2.
Structural formations of English word blends.
a.
Coining beginning and ending of elements of words
b.
Coining each beginning of two words.
c.
Coining two words that have common sequence sounds.
d.
Coining two words that have multiple sounds.
Suggestion
The writer suggests to all readers to make a continuity of this field. The writer
did not analyze how to spell such word blends and based on what elements of two
existing words are taken. Linguistic field becomes wider and wider time to time.
Language is always used by people wherever they are. It is too simple if we see a
language only as a communication tools, but inside, language is a tool to express
anything, language is the way to understand, language is a way to see, a way to
feel, a way to life. It is a fun science.