From wordplay to exclusion: Blends and related word-formation processes in Italian politics and journalese

This study offers a qualitative analysis of lexical blends and nominals formed with combining forms in ltalian politics and journalese. Besides (re-)nam - ing and designating (new) concepts, they are intended to attract attention, to ex - press stance, and for a number of socio-pragmatic effects. Whereas the choice of constituent names and nouns depends on description, complex names and nouns are created with careful attention to the semantics and formal make-up of the constituents. Our research question, therefore, is one about the relation between underlying semantic motivation (Benczes 2006; Panther and Radden 2011), phono- logical motivation (Ronneberger-Sibold 2010) and socio-pragmatic effects (Colston 2015, 2017). Overall, the findings suggest a strong preference for highly context - dependent word formations that express negativity towards the target, with third - party orientation. Whereas negative evaluatives need not be ironic, they can rea - lize irony and humor in context. For instance, Aledanno 'Alemanno the Damage Maker; Alemanno's political mismanagement of Rome' must be computed as 'Al - emanno is not (that) bad (after all)' in the context of comparison with and criti - cism of another Mayor of Rome, Virginia Raggi. Negative evaluation involves out - group exclusion and disalignment, as the out-group's values, actions and beliefs that are accessed through the referent are challenged, ridiculed and attacked in various ways. The other way round, negative evaluation can contribute to ingrati - ation, enhance complicity and work towards associative affiliation, agreement and alignment with shared values within the particular community - i.e. it is a reliable form of inclusion of like-minded addressees. Wordplay serves as a form of ingratiation, has humorous effects, and makes extensive use of paronymy (e.g. Bertolesso, where humor modulates negativity). Homonymy pushes the bounda - ries of wordplay that journalese permits. E.g. Alfetta - a nickname for the coali - tion government formed by Angelino Alfano and Enrico Letta - mimics the name of a famous ltalian sports car.