(-)bio(-) as a Part of Food Brand Names: A Cognitive-Grammar Analysis of the Composition of Brand Names

Abstract

bioZENTRALE, Bio Liebe, dmBio, Kölln Bio, etc.: In naming German food brands, the component (-)bio(-) is a frequently used element due to the prevalence of organically produced products. Brands sometimes use it in preposition and other times in postposition, and sometimes it is bound and sometimes it is not. This paper examines these different usages from a cognitive-grammar perspective on the basis of a corpus of current food brand names. The aim is to systematise the types of composition. The classifications of bio- as a confix in German (combining form in English) and bio as a shortening, which have been common in linguistic research so far, serve as a starting point. The analysis indicates that the component (-)bio(-) is predominantly used as a bound or unbound specifying first or second unit in regular composites and composite-like formations that are used as brand names. Less frequently, the component itself functions as a profile determinant. The component (-)bio(-) is subsequently used more variably to form brand names than was previously assumed due to the categorisation of bio- as a primarily left, bound unit in composites.

Publication History:
submitted: 14 June 2024
first review: 3 May 2025
second review: 14 April 2025
revised: 12 June 2025
third review: 25 July 2025
accepted: 7 August 2025
published: 1 October 2025