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-)naming and designating (new) concepts, they are intended to attract attention, to express 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 contextdependent word formations that express negativity towards the target, with thirdparty orientation. Whereas negative evaluatives need not be ironic, they can realize irony and humor in context. For instance, Aledanno 'Alemanno the Damage Maker; Alemanno's political mismanagement of Rome' must be computed as 'Alemanno is not (that) bad (after all)' in the context of comparison with and criticism of another Mayor of Rome, Virginia Raggi. Negative evaluation involves outgroup 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 ingratiation, 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 boundaries of wordplay that journalese permits. E.g. Alfetta - a nickname for the coalition government formed by Angelino Alfano and Enrico Letta - mimics the name of a famous ltalian sports car.