Abstract: A very long instruction word (VLIW) architecture and method provide for functionally expanding a parcel. The instruction register of the VLIW architecture is divided into a plurality of parcels, each of which has corresponding processing logic. The processing logic performs various functions based on the data within the corresponding parcel. A single parcel, however, can only specify a limited number of functions or include a limited amount of data for processing such that the level of optimization for a given VLIW may be impeded. The selector logic and processing logic, however, allow for data from a non-corresponding parcel to be selected and processed. In this manner, the functions and/or amount of data for processing in a single parcel can be expanded by using data from a non-corresponding parcel.