This term paper will guide the reader through a linguistic analysis of different word-formation processes in new words related to COVID-19.
The Coronavirus disease, also known as COVID-19, is an infectious disease affecting the respiratory system. More and more confirmed cases are being reported worldwide with each passing day. It first started in China towards the end of 2019. However, the virus became unstoppable and resulted in an ongoing pandemic. Not only has the virus led to numerous far-reaching educational, political, psychological, and social impacts, but also a major outbreak of new words and idioms. "Established terms such as self-isolating, pandemic, quarantine, lockdown and key workers have increased in use, while coronavirus/ COVID-19 neologisms are being coined quicker than ever" (Lawson 2020). These new words are quickly becoming part of our daily terminology as the virus continues to spread and kills more and more people all over the world. The meaning of many words is probably known, but where these terms also familiar to us six months ago?
Nevertheless, what do we understand under the concept of neologisms? Which words have entered the dictionaries? The corpus of this work consists of four articles/ websites from which the analyzed words are taken. The theoretical part consists of definitions and explanations of different word-formation processes, such as abbreviations (including acronyms and initialisms), compounding, blending, and conversion. The third section contains a detailed analysis of 15 words for which concepts from the theoretical part will be used. Subsequently, the conclusion will sum up the findings.
Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION
2. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
2.1. NEOLOGISMS
2.2. ABBREVIATIONS
2.2.1. Acronyms
2.2.2. Initialisms
2.3. COMPOUNDING
2.4. BLENDING
2.5. CONVERSION
3. ANALYTICAL PART
3.1. NEOLOGISMS FORMED BY ABBREVIATION
3.2. NEOLOGISMS FORMED BY COMPOUNDING
3.3. NEOLOGISMS FORMED BY BLENDING
4. CONCLUSION
Research Objectives and Topics
This paper aims to explore the rapid emergence of new vocabulary triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic through a linguistic lens. It seeks to analyze how specific word-formation processes have facilitated the creation of new terms used in media and everyday communication.
- Analysis of neologisms related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Examination of word-formation processes: abbreviation, compounding, blending, and conversion.
- Evaluation of how technological and social impacts drive vocabulary expansion.
- Linguistic breakdown of 15 specific case studies.
Excerpt from the Book
3.3. Neologisms formed by blending
Thirdly, I want to analyze words that involve the process of blending since there are many blended words that entered our dictionaries. Therefore, I will take a closer look at the following words: Apocaloptimist, Blursday, Covidient, Covidorce, Quarancut, Quarantini, and Locktail hour.
Apocaloptimist describes “a person who feels hopeful about life after COVID-19” (Moran 2020). The word is a blend word built up of two root morphemes, apocalypse and optimist. Both morphemes are free morphemes that can stand alone to act as a single word. The new word is an example of a blend with clipping. The first element is clipped to its forepart “Apocal”, while the second part “optimist” stands unaltered (Apocaloptimist < Apocal(ypse) + Optimist). The element optimist is the head of the blend where apocalypse modifies optimist. Thus, it is a right-headed blend.
Summary of Chapters
1. INTRODUCTION: Outlines the impact of the pandemic on vocabulary and defines the scope of the linguistic analysis.
2. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND: Provides definitions and linguistic foundations for abbreviations, compounding, blending, and conversion.
3. ANALYTICAL PART: Applies the theoretical frameworks to 15 selected neologisms categorized by their formation process.
4. CONCLUSION: Synthesizes the findings, highlighting the productivity of compound nouns and blending in modern English.
Keywords
Neologisms, COVID-19, Linguistics, Word-formation, Abbreviation, Acronyms, Initialisms, Compounding, Blending, Conversion, Lexicology, Morphology, Pandemic vocabulary, Social media, Language change
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this term paper?
The paper focuses on the linguistic analysis of new words, specifically neologisms, that have emerged in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Which word-formation processes are examined?
The study investigates four main processes: abbreviations (acronyms and initialisms), compounding, blending, and conversion.
What is the main objective of the research?
The goal is to understand how these formation processes work and to categorize specific COVID-19-related terms to demonstrate the rapid expansion of the English vocabulary.
How were the analyzed words selected?
The author selected 15 words from four different articles and websites to serve as a corpus for the linguistic analysis.
What is covered in the main section of the paper?
The analytical part provides a detailed breakdown of 15 selected terms, explaining the morphophonological and semantic aspects of their formation based on the established theory.
Which keywords best describe the paper?
Key terms include Neologisms, COVID-19, Morphology, Word-formation, Abbreviation, Compounding, and Blending.
How does conversion function in the context of the pandemic terms?
Conversion, or functional shift, is identified as a productive method used to transform nouns into verbs (or vice versa) without changing the word's form, common in terms like "self-quarantine".
What makes "Zoombombing" a unique case study in this paper?
The paper highlights "Zoombombing" as a secondary compound that involves an eponym ("Zoom"), verb-to-noun conversion, and suffixation, demonstrating a complex, metaphorical formation.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Anonym (Autor:in), 2020, Neologisms and COVID-19. Word-Formation Processes Relating to COVID-19 in Articles and Everyday Usage, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/955872
