Decoding the Mechanisms Underlying Neologisms in Vietnamese Social MediaDiscourse from a Perspective of Mental Spaces

Abstract

The article applies the theory of Mental Spaces (Fauconnier, 1994) and Conceptual Blending (Fauconnier & Turner, 2002) to decode the mechanisms underlying the emergence of neologisms in Vietnamese social media discourse.  The analysis focuses on newly coined lexical items in connection with the A50 Military Parade and March held in Ho Chi Minh City on April 30, 2025, commemorating the 50^th Anniversary of the Liberation of South Vietnam and National Reunification. The analysis reveals the blending of conceptual structures among mental spaces in human cognition - such as the political space and the spaces of popular and entertainment culture - as well as between an official state ceremony and fandom culture. The study is based on linguistic data collected from TikTok during the period from April 18^th to June 30^th, 2025.