Menging

Menging is a term used in speculative fiction and constructed-language communities to describe a practice of blending distinct aspects of a group’s social, linguistic, or sensory dimensions within a coordinated act.

In the fictional world where it is described, menging encompasses three broad forms: social menging (altering roles and identities among participants during a ritual), linguistic menging (the deliberate mixing of speech varieties or languages in a single discourse), and ceremonial menging (shared sensory cues such as synchronized motion or music).

Origins and terminology: The word is said to derive from a hypothetical language, with meng- as a derivational prefix and -ing indicating ongoing process.

Practices and settings: Typically performed during communal gatherings, rituals, or storytelling events, with rules specifying who may lead, what vocal or movement cues are used, and how long the blending lasts.

Function and reception: In-world, menging serves to symbolize unity, adaptability, and memory transmission; it can also function as social negotiation or conflict resolution. Opinions vary: proponents view it as creative resilience; critics warn of superficiality or erasure of individual voices.

In real-world scholarship, menging is not an established term; it can appear in world-building guides and fictional grammars as a speculative construct.