Rhyme between constituent1 and constituent2

Rhyme between constituent1 and constituent2 (“rhyming compounds”) Often, the head element of a compound expression rhymes with the modifier, as in backpack, bigwig or hotshot, to name just a few of the lexicalized units. Such compounds are dubbed as “rhyming compounds” in linguistic literature (for a full discussion, see Benczes, 2012). Marchand (1960, p. 355) observed that rhyming compounds have been on the increase in the English language “in such environments as are not governed by restraining literary tendencies or social codes”. Needless to say, present-day language customs, which concentrate on the internet and the media, perfectly fit Marchand’s description as ideal environments for the emergence of rhyming compounds. A prime example for this phenomenon is snail mail, which emerged after the appearance of e-mail. The compound emphasizes the fact that regular mail is much slower than e-mail, and manages to achieve this in a quite humorous manner. This jocular effect can be traced back to the metaphor and metonymy on which the compound itself is based on. First of all, the modifier, snail, stands for slowness, via the CATEGORY FOR DEFINING PROPERTY metonymy (as the salient property of a snail is its slowness). Moreover, there is a metaphorical relationship between the head and its modifier, where the former is metaphorically construed as the latter. In this case, we have a man-made, complex object (mail) conceptualized as an animal (snail). Needless to say, the selection of the modifier element, snail, was most probably influenced by its rhyme to mail – after all, there are other animals as well which are notoriously slow, such as the tortoise (fabled by Aesop as well). The inherent humour of the expression lies in the clash between the phonological similarity of the component nouns and their very apparent conceptual dissimilarity.
A further humorous, rhyming compound is hobby bobby (‘a volunteer or part-time police constable, particularly in Britain’; source: Wordspy). Here the head element, bobby, is metonymic, as it comes after Sir Robert (“Bobby”) Peel, who, as British Home Secretary, founded the London Metropolitan Police in 1828.⁷ Therefore, the metonymical relationship is based on the head of an institution (Robert “Bobby” Peel) standing for the members of that institution (the policemen). It is a rather interesting fact that bobby, according to the Longman Dictionary Of Contemporary English (LDOCE), is an old-fashioned, informal term; more modern expressions include police officer or constable. Nevertheless, the selection of bobby (over other, possible alternatives) can be explained by a number of possible reasons. First and foremost, bobby rhymes with hobby. The rhyming quality of the expression lends a slightly informal, colloquial, even playful element to the compound, which is further emphasized by the informality of the term bobby. Second, bobby is an old-fashioned term, which means that its appearance in a novel compound will undoubtedly highlight the unconventionality of the police officer to which the expression refers. Coupled with the modifying element hobby, which draws attention to the fact that such people do this sort of work in their pastime, as a form of enjoyment, the result is a slightly jocular, informal compound that is in perfect agreement with the intended meaning: hobby bobbies are not “real” police officers in the sense that they do not have the same powers as regular members of the police, but nevertheless, do this sort of work because they enjoy doing it.

Yet another creative compound based on the rhyming of the two constituent nouns is cuddle puddle (‘1. a whirlpool bath or hot tub; 2. a group of people lying together on the floor hugging and massaging each other; source: Wordspy). The first meaning of the expression (which is a more playful term for an object that already has a name) can be traced back to a number of metonymies: via the CONTAINER FOR CONTENTS metonymy, puddle stands for ‘water’. As a further step, based on the CONTENTS FOR CONTAINER metonymy, this water stands for the whirlpool bath itself. The modifying element, cuddle, can be interpreted literally, i.e., the jacuzzi is a pool where cuddling might take place. As regards to the second meaning of the compound, the head element can be analyzed as metaphorical, where the individuals are conceptualized as drops of water, who, if in close proximity to one another, “melt into” a puddle. Here the role of the modifying element is to clarify the composition of the “puddle”, i.e., that it is made up of “cuddles” (cf. wood pile, which is a pile of wood). Here cuddle can be understood metonymically, as ACTION FOR MANNER OF ACTION (the cuddle itself standing for the close proximity in which it is performed).

What can the role of rhyme be in such expressions? First, rhyme, similarly to alliteration, creates emphasis (that is, it draws attention to the expression): evidence suggests that even infants are more attuned to verse than to other (non-rhyming) kinds of language (Glenn & Cunningham, 1983). Rhyme also eases memorability: it has often been noted within poetry and stylistics that rhyme serves as a “mnemonic aid” (McKie, 1997, p. 826; in epic verses see Parry, 1930, 1932 for a discussion). From an experimental point of view, it has been demonstrated that melody, rhyme and the repetition of sounds all contribute to easier recall (Bower & Bolton, 1969; Rubin, 1977, 1995; Wallace, 1994). Second, what the analyzed examples clearly show is that rhyme can also play a significant role in intensifying the meaning of the individual compounds. The rhyming feature of the coinages lends them a more playful quality that is in line with the individual meanings: that is, informality of form stands for informality of meaning in the sense that the compounds are informal in their usage. Third, if rhyme is also considered as a source of enjoyment, then a rhyming compound will probably sound more pleasing to the ear than a non-rhyming one. Note that creative compounds are in themselves often humorous (thanks to their imagery), a feature which is well underlined by the playfulness of rhyme. This element of playfulness (and enjoyment) is carried over into the meaning of hobby bobby (who does police work as a hobby, as a form of enjoyment) and cuddle puddle (both meanings of the expression are activities that are pursued out of pleasure) as well. All in all, it can be concluded that rhyme, perhaps the most playful feature of linguistic form, stands for informality and pleasure in linguistic meaning. This correlation will be well noticeable in the compounds analyzed in the forthcoming sections as well.