This question came about in a discussion between myself and another user of the Gaming.SE chat after I linked in this chiptune track called
An Eskimeau Experience
Here is the gist of the discussion:
It's either Eskimo or Esquimaux. Not a portmanteau of both.
"Eskimeau" is a portmanteau of two of the different spellings. It's half English, half French. That's like calling something a biscookie.
So it's wrong, and I want to know the name of the 'mistake' (or stylistic device, if you prefer)
I thought there was a specific name for a portmanteau of two alternative spellings...
This probably isn't very clear, so I suggest you check out the link below, which will take you to the transcript of the original discussion.
Original chat transcript