ABSTRACT
Chapter 7 focuses on conceptual blending, the idea that some expressions or statements depend on the integration of two or more distinct clusters of concepts. The structure and processes underlying such blends are explained, beginning with the two conceptual clusters being represented as separate mental input spaces, which are then combined within a single blended space. The chapter also discusses how running a blend produces unique emergent elements that were not present in the input spaces. Examples are then provided, showing how blends play a key role in conveying complex religious ideas—to include the expression of doctrinal innovations—and how elaborate multimodal blends are created in ritual. The reasons for the popularity of using different types of conceptual blending in cognitive linguistic studies of religious language are then examined.
