Blend Words: Portmanteaus
2023-08-04
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1What do the words "tween," "Barbenheimer" and "brunch" have in common?
2These words are portmanteaus -- words that are formed by combining parts of two separate words.
3But unlike compound nouns, which are formed from two words, portmanteaus combine parts of the spelling of each word and their meanings.
4In this week's Everyday Grammar, we will learn more about how portmanteaus are created.
5We will also learn about their history and find out some common portmanteaus in English.
6Portmanteaus are blend words in English. They are formed from words or parts of words that are combined in some way.
7The spellings of the original words are combined into the new word and their meanings are blended, too.
8At the start of this lesson, you heard the word "tween."
9This is is a blend of "teen" and "between."
10This portmanteau means the age in between childhood and the teenage years, or around 10 to 12 years old.
11"Barbenheimer" is a blend word of the movies "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer."
12It is used to describe the event of seeing both movies on the same day.
13Both films came out in movie theaters on the same day last month.
14And "brunch" is a common weekend meal that combines "breakfast" and "lunch."
15"Brunch" is often eaten in the late morning and early afternoon and includes food and drink choices from both meals.
16Why are blend words called a "portmanteau?"
17We borrow the word "portmanteau" from French.
18"Porter" means "to carry" in French, and "manteau" in French is a coat.
19When both words are blended, a "portmanteau" means a large suitcase that folds in half and can carry a lot of things.
20So how did a suitcase come to mean all blend words in English?
21We have British writer Lewis Carroll to thank for linking the word "portmanteau" to blend words in English.
22Carroll wrote Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
23In his follow-up book Though the Looking Glass, Carroll wrote about the idea of portmanteaus.
24In the story, Alice reads a book with a poem called "Jabberwocky."
25In the poem, Carroll makes up several blend words.
26Alice is confused so she asks another character, Humpty Dumpty, about the words.
27He answers, "You see, it's like a portmanteau - there are two meanings packed up into one word."
28Just like the piece of luggage called a "portmanteau" has two sections folded into one, a portmanteau blend word carries both meanings of the original words but folds them together to create a new word.
29Let's look at some common portmanteaus.
30Portmanteaus can be nouns, verbs or adjectives.
31Some portmanteaus are created by combining the beginning section, syllable or letters of the first word with the final part, syllable or letters of the second word.
32They are often used in entertainment, for names of places, in government, for food and for technology.
33Here are a few common portmanteaus.
34A "biopic" is a blend of "biography" and "picture." It means a film about a person based on their life.
35"Chillax" is a blended verb of "chill" and "relax" and means to calm down.
36"Cosplay" is a combination of "costume" and "roleplay."
37"Cosplay" is when people dress up as characters from videogames, literature, films or television.
38"Hangry" means to be angry because you are hungry.
39"Motel" is a combination of "motor" and "hotel." It is like a hotel, but for people driving on long road trips.
40"Smog" blends the words "smoke" and "fog" to create the noun that describes air pollution.
41"Email" is a blend of "electronic" and "mail." It is the computer-based alternative to paper mail.
42"Internet" is also a portmanteau, which combines "interconnected" and "network."
43"Podcast" combines "iPod" with "broadcast." Podcasts are digital audio programs.
44And lastly, we have "vlog." It is a blend of "video" and "log."
45These are journals that people record with a video camera and publish online.
46In today's report, we learned about "portmanteaus."
47Portmanteaus have an interesting history in the English language.
48Writer Lewis Carroll created several portmanteaus and described the term in his book, Through the Looking Glass.
49Portmanteaus blend the spelling and meanings of two words together.
50"Brunch," "vlog," and "hangry" are all portmanteaus.
51Now it's your turn. Take the portmanteaus you learned today and try to use them in sentences.
52You can write your sentences in the comments or send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com.
53And that's Everyday Grammar!
54I'm Faith Pirlo.
1What do the words "tween," "Barbenheimer" and "brunch" have in common? 2These words are portmanteaus -- words that are formed by combining parts of two separate words. 3But unlike compound nouns, which are formed from two words, portmanteaus combine parts of the spelling of each word and their meanings. 4In this week's Everyday Grammar, we will learn more about how portmanteaus are created. We will also learn about their history and find out some common portmanteaus in English. 5What are portmanteaus? 6Portmanteaus are blend words in English. They are formed from words or parts of words that are combined in some way. The spellings of the original words are combined into the new word and their meanings are blended, too. 7At the start of this lesson, you heard the word "tween." This is is a blend of "teen" and "between." This portmanteau means the age in between childhood and the teenage years, or around 10 to 12 years old. 8"Barbenheimer" is a blend word of the movies "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer." It is used to describe the event of seeing both movies on the same day. Both films came out in movie theaters on the same day last month. 9And "brunch" is a common weekend meal that combines "breakfast" and "lunch." "Brunch" is often eaten in the late morning and early afternoon and includes food and drink choices from both meals. 10Why are blend words called a "portmanteau?" 11Where does the idea of portmanteaus come from? 12We borrow the word "portmanteau" from French. "Porter" means "to carry" in French, and "manteau" in French is a coat. When both words are blended, a "portmanteau" means a large suitcase that folds in half and can carry a lot of things. 13So how did a suitcase come to mean all blend words in English? 14We have British writer Lewis Carroll to thank for linking the word "portmanteau" to blend words in English. Carroll wrote Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. In his follow-up book Though the Looking Glass, Carroll wrote about the idea of portmanteaus. 15In the story, Alice reads a book with a poem called "Jabberwocky." In the poem, Carroll makes up several blend words. Alice is confused so she asks another character, Humpty Dumpty, about the words. He answers, "You see, it's like a portmanteau - there are two meanings packed up into one word." 16Just like the piece of luggage called a "portmanteau" has two sections folded into one, a portmanteau blend word carries both meanings of the original words but folds them together to create a new word. 17Let's look at some common portmanteaus. 18Examples of portmanteaus 19Portmanteaus can be nouns, verbs or adjectives. Some portmanteaus are created by combining the beginning section, syllable or letters of the first word with the final part, syllable or letters of the second word. 20They are often used in entertainment, for names of places, in government, for food and for technology. 21Here are a few common portmanteaus. 22A "biopic" is a blend of "biography" and "picture." It means a film about a person based on their life. 23"Chillax" is a blended verb of "chill" and "relax" and means to calm down. 24"Cosplay" is a combination of "costume" and "roleplay." "Cosplay" is when people dress up as characters from videogames, literature, films or television. 25"Hangry" means to be angry because you are hungry. 26"Motel" is a combination of "motor" and "hotel." It is like a hotel, but for people driving on long road trips. 27"Smog" blends the words "smoke" and "fog" to create the noun that describes air pollution. 28"Email" is a blend of "electronic" and "mail." It is the computer-based alternative to paper mail. 29"Internet" is also a portmanteau, which combines "interconnected" and "network." 30"Podcast" combines "iPod" with "broadcast." Podcasts are digital audio programs. 31And lastly, we have "vlog." It is a blend of "video" and "log." These are journals that people record with a video camera and publish online. 32Closing thoughts 33In today's report, we learned about "portmanteaus." Portmanteaus have an interesting history in the English language. Writer Lewis Carroll created several portmanteaus and described the term in his book, Through the Looking Glass. Portmanteaus blend the spelling and meanings of two words together. "Brunch," "vlog," and "hangry" are all portmanteaus. 34Now it's your turn. Take the portmanteaus you learned today and try to use them in sentences. 35You can write your sentences in the comments or send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com. 36And that's Everyday Grammar! 37I'm Faith Pirlo. 38Faith Pirlo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 39_______________________________________________ 40Words in This Story 41brunch - n. a meal usually taken late in the morning that combines a late breakfast and an early lunch 42suitcase - n. a large case that you use to carry your clothing and belongings when you are traveling 43luggage - n. bags and cases used by travelers 44creativity - n. the ability to make new things or think of new ideas 45syllable - n. a unit of spoken language that consists of one or more vowel sounds alone or with one or more consonant sounds preceding or following 46chill - v. to calm down 47costume - n. clothing worn by people, such as actors, who are trying to look like people living in different places or times 48roleplay - v. to pretend to be a character and act in the same way as that character 49iPod - n. small, handheld Apple device that played music 50journal - n. a record of experiences, events, ideas, etc. 51__________________________________________________ 52What do you think of this story? We want to hear from you. Write to us at learningenglish@voanews.com or leave us a comment below. 53We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 54Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.