Conceptual disintegration and blending in interactional sequences: A discussion of new phenomena, processes vs. products, and methodology

This paper deals with two major topics: (1) It introduces new aspects of the cognitive process of blending in the shape of two types of 'conceptual disintegration': 'splitting' and 'partitioning selection', and (2) it discusses the issue of blending and methodology and introduces a new approach to the study of blending: blending in interactional sequences. The latter is an attempt to study the blending process as a process, as it unfolds in interactional situations. The focus in blending theory is on the way in which cognitive agents are able to hold together, compress, and fuse conceptual structure. However, this paper demonstrates how discrete processes of disintegration may be crucial to the construction of a blend. Splitting and partitioning selection are introduced in two case studies. The first case study demonstrates a stepwise account of a blending process involving splitting, in relation to a metaphorical expression. Special terminology for such stepwise analysis is introduced. The second case study illustrates the interactional achievement of partitioning selection during the interactional activity of doing comparison. The particular method adopted for the second case study is conversation analysis. The paper also discusses further prospects of the study of conceptual disintegration processes of an interactional approach to online meaning construction.