English Nominals with the Incorporated Object as a Result of Two-Level Conceptual Blending

Abstract

The article deals with the phenomenon of idiomatic nominals with the incorporated object, which are English complex nouns of a definite concept structure. The author regards them as a result of conceptual blending. According to the modern linguistic theory (G. Fauconnier, M.Turner), conceptual blending is one of the basic operations of human cognition. It is involved in metaphorisation and metonimisation processes, in the formation of idiomatic lexical units and is an important element of noun incorporation. In course of conceptual blending source domains, being 'conceptual links created in the process of thinking and speech with the aim of understanding a particular situation and acting within its framework'are superimposed. This results in a new, blended conceptual domain that has elements of source domains. In terms of landuage, a conceptual structure can be represented by means of a complex noun that has the following structure: N + V + -er (noun stem+verb stem+agent suffix) or N + V + -ing (noun stem+verb stem+process suffix). These nouns have since recently been called nominals with the incorporated object. Idiomatic nominals with the incorporated object, such as bean counter, eye-opener, backstabber are interesting to study as an example of a two-level conceptual blending. The formation of the concept in each situation can follow several stages, including the compression of the argument structure (which is necessary forthis type of nominals), together with singular optional components or a combination of optional components.These may include cognitive metaphor, metonymy alone or combined, or literalisation alone or combined with metaphor (usually confined to one certain situation).