Like virus, new terminology has spread quickly
COVID-19 is fundamentally changing the way we talk, York University professor says
Had a quarantini lately? Maybe you’re more into sitting down and enjoying a locktail. After all, you couldn’t be blamed for having a drink to cope with your self-inflicted coronacut.
Four months ago, the term COVID-19 didn’t even exist. As the novel coronavirus pandemic sweeps across the planet and changes how society operates, it’s also fundamentally changing the way we talk, says Sheila Embleton, a professor in the department of languages, literatures and linguistics at York University.
Even a term such as social distancing, which has become a part of everyday speech, has evolved.
“First of all, it was a new concept to most of us … but then people thought about that and thought ‘Yeah, it should be physical distancing.’ ”
Like the virus, the new terms seem to be spreading at an astonishing rate. But don’t take Embleton’s word for it.
A quick social media search of COVID-19 “buzz words,” as Embleton calls them, shows that the terms are becoming more frequent and the gatekeepers of the English language are working hard to keep up.
For example, a search of the hashtag “coronnial” leads to a Cambridge University Press Monday blog post that says there’s a debate about whether the term should include all babies born during the pandemic, or if only those who were conceived in quarantine qualify.
“Do we really want to ask people when they were conceived? We might as well include all the babies born in 2020 in the ‘coronnials’ generation since some are practically born wearing face shields,” the post reads.
It shows how our vocabulary is evolving more quickly in the age of the internet, due to the ability to almost immediately add words to an online dictionary instead of waiting for the next print edition, Embleton said.
“Things get into a dictionary or a database much more quickly and they don’t have this sense of having to be vetted in the same way.”
Some of these terms will likely dissipate after the pandemic, but Embleton suspects some, such as self isolation, will become a permanent part of our vocabulary.
“Something like self isolate, (you might hear) ‘Oh no, I’ve got a really bad flu. I think I’d better self isolate and not come with you to the pub.’ ”
Some terms aren’t even necessarily puns or plays on words, but simply concepts we’ve never considered before, such as when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau uttered the words “speaking moistly” during a news conference.
“That one will be very interesting to see if it becomes a Canadianism, or if it will spread to other countries,” Embleton said.
Some of her favourite COVID-19 buzz words are ones that use puns or are whimsical in nature. She mentioned one that is a play on the term “Freshman 15,” which is the idea that students gain 15 pounds during their first year of college due to poor nutrition and excessive drinking. “You know the idea that we’re all putting on weight? You could call that the COVID-19.”