Portmanteau Words

A word formed by combining, blending the sounds and meanings of two other words is one of the artistic and creative ways to develop the language. The reasons? to make fun, to describe a new reality, to express dual ideas etc.
Although a portmanteau word's meaning is different from the meaning of each of the words it combines, its new meaning relates to each of the combined words, and it expresses something new and different about them.
Don't confuse it with compound words which do not involve just parts of the stems of the blended words but the complete ones joined together ( earrings- ear+rings)
They are also called "centaur words" or "blends"

A portmanteau word was first described by Humpty Dumpty in Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass ( 1871) , when he explains the meaning of the unusual words in the poem Jabberwocky .This is a case of “two meanings packed up into one word.” (inspired by the French word for a suitcase with two opposite compartments)  

Humpty Dumpty's theory, of two meanings packed into one word like a portmanteau, seems to me the right explanation for all. For instance, take the two words "fuming" and "furious." Make up your mind that you will say both words, but leave it unsettled which you will say first ... if you have the rarest of gifts, a perfectly balanced mind, you will say "frumious."

They refer to different topics or uses and some become outdated easily. Below you can see some examples and topics.

 ENTERTAINMENT
- BIOPIC ( biography+ picture) a film about someone's biography
- ANIMATRIX ( Anime+ Matrix)
- TELEVANGELIST ( television+evangelist) an evangelist priest on TV
- NEWSCAST ( news+ broadcast)
- COSPLAY ( costume+ play)  a costume that resembles a character from fiction/ cartoons
- DOCUDRAMA (documental+drama)
- SITCOM (situation+comedy)
- TELETHON ( telephone/ television marathon) 
 
COOKING  

- BRUNCH ( breakfast + lunch)
- CHEESEBURGER 
- FRAPPUCCINO ( frappé+ cappuccino)
- HAMWICH ( ham+sandwich) 

 PEOPLE
- SCREENAGER ( screen+teenager) an adolescent obsessed with screen entertainment
- FRENEMY( friend+ enemy) a supposed friend but fake. 
- WORKAHOLIC  addicted to work
- SHOPAHOLIC  addicted to shops 

- BANKSTER ( banker+ ganster) dishonest and predatory banker
- FEMINAZI ( feminist+ nazi) extreme militant feminist
- CELESBIAN ( celebrity+lesbian)
- HASBIAN ( has been a lesbian) 
Sometimes you find pormanteau words refering to couples
- BILLARY ( Bill and Hillary Clinton)
- BRANGELINA ( Brad Pitt+ Angelina Jolly)
- MERKOZY ( Angela Merkel+ Sarkozy) 
 
LANGUAGES
- SPANGLISH ( Spanish+ English)
- CHINGLISH ( Chinese+ English)
- FRANGLAIS ( French + English)  

PLACES

- MOTEL ( motor+ hotel)
- OXBRIDGE ( Oxford and Cambridge)
- LOOBRARY ( loo+library) 
- FLOORDROBE ( scattered clothes on the floor of a teenager's room mainly),  does it ring a bell to you? 
 
SEX
- SEXTING ( sex+texting)
-  SEXPLOITATION ( sex+ exploitation)
- SEXPERT ( sex+ expert)
- SMIRLING ( smoke+ flirting) people meeting outside to smoke and discovering that they have  more things  in common 
 
TECHNOLOGY
- CAMCORDER ( camera+ recorder) 
- CHUNNEL ( channel+ tunnel)  
- AVIONICS ( viation+ electronics)
- MOPED ( motor+pedal)
- SKYJACK ( sky+ hijack)  
 
INTERNET/COMPUTING

 - BIT ( binary+ digit)
- WEBINAR ( web+ seminar) a lesson on the web
- INTERNET ( international+ network)
-  EMOTICON ( emotion+ icon)
- MALWARE ( malicious+ software)
- SKYPE ( sky+ peer to peer)
- PODCAST ( ipod+ broadcast)     

CLOTHES
- JEGGINGS ( jeans+ leggings)
 
HYBRID ANIMALS

Used in tales and cartoons

- GRUFFALO ( grizzli bear+ buffalo)
- LIGER / TIGON ( lion + female tiger)
- BEEFALO  ( cow + buffalo)  




ADJECTIVES

- BODYLICIOUS (body+ delicious) something extremely pleasant  ( Thanks to Beyonce)
- HANGRY a state of anger caused by lack of food
- METROSEXUAL ( metropolitan+  heterosexual) a man who appears to be concerned about 1. aesthetics
- CHILLAXING ( chill+ relaxing)  calm, relaxing 
-  FANTABULOUS ( fantastic+ fabulous)

  Portmanteau words have been used a lot by writers (Dickens, James Joyce) and remember that many of the brand names are also blended words

PALMOLIVE ( palm+ olive)
MICROSOFT ( microcomputer+ software)
MEDICARE ( medical +care)

EXERCISES

Now that you know a lot about blended words, get ready to practise and create them 

1.  CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE A WORKSHEET,  download it, complete it  and give it to your teacher. 

2.  LOOK FOR FIVE PORTMANTEAU WORDS AND CREATE THREE ON YOUR OWN