What is it about?
This research investigates a creative and playful word-formation process called “lexical blending,” where parts of two or more words are combined to create a new one (e.g., breathalyzer from breath and analyzer). The study focuses specifically on “hyperbolic blends”—new words whose primary function is exaggeration for humorous or emphatic effect. The authors collected and analyzed 500 examples of these blends from dictionaries and online corpora. They categorize them into two main types: 1) Intensifying blends, which are often adjective combinations that amplify meaning through near-synonymy (e.g., fantabulous from fantastic and fabulous), and 2) Non-intensifying blends, which are often noun combinations that create new concepts through metaphor or metonymy and serve a naming purpose (e.g., spork from spoon and fork). The analysis shows that despite their creativity, these blends are systematic and interpretable through cognitive operations, primarily involving a clash between an exaggerated, imaginary scenario and a real-world situation
Featured Image
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
Why is it important?
This work is important because it is the first systematic, qualitative study to apply a cognitive-semantic framework to the specific phenomenon of hyperbolic blends. It fills a significant gap in the literature on word formation by moving beyond purely structural descriptions and explaining the meaning and pragmatic function behind these creative constructions. The research provides strong evidence that even highly playful and novel blends are not random; they follow predictable patterns and are interpreted through established cognitive mechanisms like scenario clash and scaling. By rigorously categorizing blends and demonstrating their semantic regularity, the study strengthens the claim that hyperbole is a fundamental, widespread mode of human reasoning that extends even into the creation of new vocabulary. It also refines the very definition of lexical blending by showing that components can be “nonce formations” (creative, one-off bits of words), not just established lexical items.
Perspectives
Conducting this research was a fascinating deep dive into the playful yet systematic nature of human language creativity. Sifting through hundreds of blends felt like uncovering a hidden grammar of humor and exaggeration. It was particularly rewarding to demonstrate that even the most seemingly whimsical coinages, like "kerjillion", are not chaotic but are instead constrained by cognitive principles that make them interpretable. This work strongly reinforces the view that figurative thought –in this case, hyperbole– is not a peripheral linguistic ornament but is central to how we think and innovate with language. Finding that the building blocks of blends could be nonce forms was a thrilling discovery that expanded our understanding of the phenomenon’s creative potential. This study affirms that the human mind is a powerful engine for generating new meaning, and even its most playful outputs adhere to an underlying logic.
Professor Francisco J. Ruiz de Mendoza
University of La Rioja
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: A COGNITIVE LINGUISTIC APPROACH TO HYPERBOLIC BLENDS, Lege artis Language yesterday today tomorrow, April 2025, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Saints Cyril and Methodius,
DOI: 10.34135/lartis.25.10.1.13.
You can read the full text:
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
