[Ads-l] Combining two people's names: Javanka

[Ben Zimmer]

Here are two posts I wrote for Language Log on name-blends, from 2005:

http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/002610.html
http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/002730.html

Another one of mine, on Vocabulary.com:

https://www.vocabulary.com/articles/wordroutes/blending-
the-candidates-robama-and-obamney/

And more on Arnold's blog:

https://arnoldzwicky.org/2012/02/16/pairmanteaus/
https://arnoldzwicky.org/2015/07/22/an-appellmanteau/


On Sat, Jun 3, 2017 at 8:20 PM, Cohen, Gerald Leonard <gcohen at mst.edu>
wrote:

> Benjamin Barrett wrote:
>
> <snip>
>
> "This sort of name combination has occurred in the past, though I can't
> think of any instances."
>
> <snip>
>
>
> During President Clinton's time in office there was "Billary" (Bill +
> Hillary).
>
>
> G. Cohen
>
> ________________________________
> From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of
> Barretts Mail <mail.barretts at GMAIL.COM>
> Sent: Saturday, June 3, 2017 12:03 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Combining two people's names: Javanka
>
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Barretts Mail <mail.barretts at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Combining two people's names: Javanka
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> -------------------
>
> Today CNN has an article titled =E2=80=9CIvanka Trump's Worst Week in =
> Washington=E2=80=9D =
> (http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/03/politics/ivanka-trump-worst-
> week-in-washing=
> ton/index.html
> <http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/03/politics/ivanka-trump-worst-week-in-washing=ton/index.html>
> =
> <http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/03/politics/ivanka-trump-worst-
> week-in-washing=
> ton/index.html>) by Chris Cillizza in which he writes:
>
> =E2=80=94=20
> Bannon represents a hard-charging, nationalist, populist, =
> anti-establishment view of politics. Ivanka and her husband -- "Javanka" =
> for short -- are far more liberal and moderate-minded.
> =E2=80=94
>
> This sort of name combination has occurred in the past, though I can=E2=80=
> =99t think of any instances.=20
>
> There must be phonological rules at play, something somebody must have =
> figured out by now. To borrow from words from grafting =
> (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grafting =
> <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grafting>), in this combination the =
> stressed syllables in Jared (the scion) and Ivanka (the stock) are both =
> preserved.
>
> Also providing some welcome (imnsho) criticism of the word Javanka, the =
> article "How a portmanteau for Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner tore apart =
> Twitter=E2=80=9D =
> (https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/javanka-ivanka-trump-jared-kushner/ =
> <https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/javanka-ivanka-trump-jared-kushner/>) =
> by David Covucci in the The Daily Dot provides more examples:
>
> Ben Affleck + Jennifer Lopez =3D Bennifer
> Brad Pitt + Angelina Jolie =3D Brangelina
> Wilmer Valderrama + Lindsay Lohan =3D Lohalderrama
>
> In each case, the stressed syllable in each is preserved, and in each =
> case, the man=E2=80=99s name is given first on the left side of the =
> equation regardless of alphabetical order and regardless of the ordering =
> in the resulting combination.
>
> Probable factors in how these are combined are that men=E2=80=99s names =
> are frequently clipped to a monosyllabic form (thus having only one =
> syllable from which to choose) and women=E2=80=99s names are frequently =
> two or more syllables.
>
> I have no love of the celebrosphere, or whatever it=E2=80=99s called, so =
> here is another article with more words; perhaps this is a good project =
> for a linguistics student:
>
> =
> http://www.suggest.com/celebs/532/14-best-celeb-supercouple-
> names-we-love-=
> to-say/
> <http://www.suggest.com/celebs/532/14-best-celeb-supercouple-names-we-love-=to-say/>
> =
> <http://www.suggest.com/celebs/532/14-best-celeb-supercouple
> -names-we-love=
> -to-say/
> <http://www.suggest.com/celebs/532/14-best-celeb-supercouple-names-we-love=-to-say/>
> >
> =20
>
>

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