Abstract
This paper delves into the structure and motivations of blending by reporting on the results of the analysis of a corpus of 80 blends gathered from the field of videogaming. The starting point will be a multidimensional description based on a set of parameters and values drawn on previous works by, among others, Kemmer (2000), Ronneberger-Sibold (2006) and Mattiello (2013). In accordance with the principles of Prototype Theory (Lakoff 1987; Langacker 1987), the combination of values displayed by the items results in an overall degree of typicality and will allow their location in the centre or the periphery of the category. The theoretical framework will be put into practice in the analysis of a corpus of blends naming videogames. Most of them are found to be prototypical items, the most common type being the so-called "overlapping" blend (Splatoon: splat + platoon). Lastly, concerning the motivations for the creation of blends in this particular field, these items succeed in economically capturing key features of the game so as to awaken the interest of potential buyers. Moreover, blends anticipate the humorous, puzzling or creative qualities of the game they name and wink at the players’ inventiveness to work out rules.
Highlights
After introducing a parameter-based description of simple and complex shortenings developed under the premises of Prototype Theory, we will verify how this description applies to prototypical, central and peripheral cases of blends, and exemplify the centre-periphery structure of the category with items belonging to a subcorpus of blends selected from a larger corpus of videogame titles
The theoretical framework presented in the previous section will be illustrated by the analysis of a subcorpus of 80 blends taken from a larger corpus of 290 items which exemplify lexical innovation in videogame titles
As shown in the different sections of this paper, the items compiled in the field of videogame titles support a centre-periphery structure for the category of blends, which is described by resorting to a multidimensional matrix of parameters and values
Summary
The following paper delves into the patterns and motivations for blending by reporting on the results of a multidimensional analysis of a corpus of blends gathered from the field of videogaming. For the purpose of the linguistic analysis of game names put forward here we will adopt the broad definition of videogame offered by Tejeiro & Pelegrina (2003: 20) These authors define videogames as electronic games with essentially ludic aims which allow real-time interaction between the player and the machine and which are basically dependent on a visual support such as a console, a PC or a TV. Videogames have evolved so as to appeal to users of all ages They have managed to go beyond mere entertainment, since they can be used for education, socializing, and to satisfy social demands (they may call attention on the need for social changes or promote fights against injustice). Minor category of word-formation devices, namely blends, in the above-mentioned field
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