Re: The Saharan page (was: Basque article)

grandsir wrote:

>          Well, now I feel better. I hope I didn't bother anybody. To be more
> conlang-related (at least at the end of the post :) ), has anybody ever
> used this mechanism to create new words (taking first syllable or
> syllables of some words and putting them together), and does this
> mechanism exist in natlangs (it would be an interesting kind of
> compounding)?
This kind of compounding *does* exist in natlangs - at least in English.
It's called "blending".  Usually blending involves taking the beginning
of one word and combining it with the end of another word.  Some
classic examples are:

   smog          =  smoke + fog
   brunch        =  breakfast + lunch
   telethon      =  television + marathon
   motel         =  motor + hotel
   heliport      =  helicopter + airport
   veggieburger  =  vegetarian + hamburger

Most of these examples are relatively recent coinages, but blending
actually goes back several centuries.  (One source I have claims
that "smash" is a blend of "smack" and "mash", and "smash" has been
in the language for at least 250 years.)

Lewis Carroll (author of "Alice in Wonderland") was especially fond
of coining new blends, which he called "portmanteau words".  Most of
these haven't caught on, but are remembered fondly by fans of the
"Alice" books (like me):

   galumph   =  to gallop in triumph
   slithy    =  slimy and lithe
   mimsy     =  flimsy and miserable
   chortle   =  chuckle and snort (?)

The kinds of blends which our loony Basque-lover is talking about,
where the beginnings of words are combined, is less common, but you
do find some examples, especially in military and diplomatic jargon.
The one example I can think of off the top of my head is "Interpol"
(= international + police).  I suspect that the word "internet"
might have a similar origin (= inter-computer + network ??), but
I'm not sure.

Matt.