Eleventh International Scientific Conference KNOWLEDGE IN PRACTICE 16-18 December,2016 Bansko, Bulgaria

Languages behave like living organisms, they are created, they live through their own use, and moreover they grow. The growth of a language is indicated by way of numerous processes that occur in it, one of which is word formation. People influence the lexicon of their language in various ways. Sometimes it is the bare necessity that compels us to form new words, other times it is purely accidental. Even though words appear and disappear, the English lexicon retained its present size, in part, due to the creation of new words on the basis of the ones that already exist. Presently, the development of science and technology, and consequently, the Internet brings about a high rate of lexical expansion. This phenomenon is reflected in the changes of vocabulary through creation of new specialized terminology. In any case, newly coined words help people successfully conduct their every day responsibilities as well as leisure time. One manner in which new words are created, chiefly popularised by Lewis Carroll in the 19 th century, is blending two words to form a new one, also known as portmanteau. Portmanteau is a word that is familiar to luggage enthusiasts; moreover, it is a word familiar to language enthusiasts as well. Innovative and entertaining, these portmanteau words are ubiquitous in advertising, newspapers, or media. Some, like smog, brunch, or motel, express such unique concepts that they made their permanent place in the English vocabulary. This paper discusses the origin, process and use of portmanteau words denoting that they, indeed, have a special place in the English language.