Today’s Language Adventures takes us to a word whose time is ripe. It is the perfect linguistic device for our expanding vocabulary. It works double hard to create new words born out of our need to communicate more effectively in our rapidly changing and demanding world.
Our word today is portmanteau.
A portmanteau is a literary device that encourages linguistic creativity. By combining two distinct words into one, a new word is created that holds its own specific meaning. (Grammarly)
The word portmanteau was used in Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass and is a portmanteau (Fr. porte (to carry) + manteau (to cloak.) Portmanteau describes a suitcase that opens in two halves. Portmanteaus “carry” both meanings of their word pairs. (Grammarly)
One might say Carroll repurposed the word, but actually, he pointed out that the word portmanteau exemplifies the concept it describes. It is like he was saying, “Let’s call these combined words portmanteaus because portmanteau is itself a perfect example of two words being carried together.”
Portmanteaus that are used extensively today include brunch (brunch + lunch), podcast (iPod + broadcast), advertorial (advertisement + editorial), botox (botulism + toxin), bromance (brother + romance), and email (electronic + mail). This is a tiny sampling. You can probably name 15 more within the next three minutes.
We use portmanteaus every day. What else would we call email? Emoticon? Frenemy? Hazmat? Jeggings? Labradoodle? Listicle? Mansplain? Spork?
Our next Language Adventures will be another portmanteau, albeit a much less used one, brought to us by medical advancements that may concern some.
Can you guesstimate?
Tune in next week to know for sure.
