Abstract
Given the importance of novel formations in science and speculative fiction, the aim of this paper is to analyse a selection of morphosemantic and semantic neologisms that occur in the feminist dystopia The Handmaid’s Tale (1985), namely those items more closely connected with women’s lives. These items are gathered, classified and discussed by resorting to the tools provided by Morphology, Lexical Semantics, Onomastics and Women’s Studies. Therefore, the paper explores how new names for people (Econowives, Offred), activities (Particicution), artifacts (Birthmobile) and places (the Colonies) play a part in the linguistic task of female subjugation. It shows how in a fictional republic where gender roles and religious totalitarianism are taken to extremes, the forms and meanings of words are manipulated to enhance power relations and gender inequality, impose an orthodox frame of mind (comply with the system), and avoid uncomfortable truths. Neologisms provide a sense of authenticity in the narrative and show how language evolves to satisfy various needs, not only pragmatic, but also social, ideological and euphemistic.
Highlights
Neology is an outstanding feature of narrative fiction, in texts that belong to science or speculative fiction and portray worlds which are mimetic to the reader’s world
Given the importance of novel formations in these fictional genres, the aim of this paper is to analyse the neologisms that occur in the literary work The Handmaid’s Tale (1985) –from here onwards, HT– by resorting to the tools provided by Morphology, Lexical Semantics, Onomastics and Women’s Studies
Concerning neosemes, and following Kerremans (2015), they will be regarded as a type of neologisms in which an already existing form is paired with a new meaning
Summary
Neology is an outstanding feature of narrative fiction, in texts that belong to science or speculative fiction and portray worlds which are mimetic to the reader’s world. A military elite of Christian fundamentalists, alarmed by the loss of traditional American values and by a fertility crisis caused by environmental pollution, overthrows the US government and creates the theocratic republic of Gilead. As will be shown in the sections that follow, in a fictional republic where gender roles and religious totalitarianism are taken to extremes, the forms and meanings of words are manipulated to enhance power relations and gender inequality, impose an orthodox frame of mind (comply with the system) and suppress dangerous thoughts. Words are coined or new meanings developed to keep control over citizens’ thoughts and actions and to preserve a convenient status quo which keeps the military elite in power
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