Open AccessConceptual Blending and Slang Expressions in Hong Kong Cantonese
Author(s) -
May Wong
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
studies in chinese linguistics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.112
H-Index - 5
eISSN - 2470-8275
pISSN - 1017-1274
DOI - 10.2478/scl-2021-0003
Subject(s) - slang , conceptual blending , scope (computer science) , linguistics , computer science , cognition , sociology , cognitive science , psychology , philosophy , neuroscience , programming language
This paper seeks to examine nine slang words created newly in Cantonese, which started their life journey from the inventions of individuals and now constituting the established lexical means of expressing cultural conceptualizations. These slang expressions are analyzed with reference to the theory of conceptual integration (also known as “blending”) developed in Fauconnier and Turner 2002. In the analysis, four different types of conceptual integration network (i.e., simplex networks, single-scope networks, double-scope, and multiple-scope networks) are used to unravel the increasingly complex systems of cognitive operations with which the “slang” blends are created. During the discussion of the conceptual integration networks here, we were able to see how elements and relations from familiar conceptualizations can be transformed into new and meaningful ones that align along with the changes in cultural conceptualizations. It is hoped that this study shows that, despite having wide applications in the English language, the blending theory can provide an integrated and coherent account of the cognitive mechanisms by which colloquial words are constructed and construed in terms of cultural experiences specific to a given non-Anglo locality.