[Ads-l] Question About Portmanteau Words (UNCLASSIFIED)

[Mullins, Bill CIV (US)]

CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED

> 
> For my column in the Yale Alumni Magazine, I am writing about portmanteau w= ords. I have a nitpicky question:  Portmanteau words are
> usually said to be=  formed by combining parts of two other words.  I would be interested in an= y opinions as to whether a combination
> where one of the components is retai= ned in full is generally considered to be a portmanteau word.  In other wor= ds, "smog" is a
> combination of two part-words (the "sm" from "smoke" + the = "og" from "fog"), whereas "newscast" is a combination of a full word
> ("news=
> ") with a part-word (the "cast" from "broadcast").  Is a word formed like "= newscast" generally considered to be a portmanteau word?
> 


But "broadcast" itself formed from two whole words (OED:  "Formed as broad adj. + cast v."), so by analogy "newscast" also is (news + cast), and isn't formed from parts of words.  Or is it?

Which doesn't really answer Fred's question.
CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED

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