As in previous unstable periods,
people invent new words and phrases to keep up with the rapidly changing
situation. Over the past year and a half, we have seamlessly added new terms to
our glossary to describe our pandemic world.
Not surprisingly, the term
"COVID-19" was quickly added to the dictionary in mid-March last
year. The reporter wrote: "A word changed from nonexistence to definition
and input in 34 days. This is not just an unprecedented reflection of a busy
and terrifying moment in history." "It also shows the dictionary,
including the oldest and The most conservative dictionary in lexicography is
fighting for speed, authority, and online readership."
But it's not just very practical terms
that are quickly becoming ubiquitous. We are also familiar with phrases such as
"zoom fatigue" and "before the era". That's because in
particularly challenging times, historically, creative vocabulary has
increased, aiming to find frivolity in less bright conditions.
But not every term we accept has
staying power. As life begins to open up, we want to understand which phrases
will always exist and which will inevitably decrease. People will even remember
the frustrating experience of someone "Zoom" their meeting, or wonder
why someone would choose a "contactless" pick-up option in a grocery
store? Maybe. The head of the American Dialect Association (ADS) New Words
Committee and the linguist who led the organization's selection of
"Vocabulary of the Year" said there is a way to predict which phrases
will stay.
According to the statement recognized
by the "Vocabulary of the Year" that initiated the ADS, there are
four parameters that determine whether new words and re-used phrases like this
year will last. These conditions together constitute the "FUDGE
scale", which is subdivided into "frequency of use" (the
frequency of use of a word), "inconspicuous" (accessibility of a
word), and "user diversity" (the use of a word). How often) the usage
of the word appears in different situations/different people), "other forms
of production" (how it evolved into a new word) and "endurance"
(how it continues to be used over a period of time).
Here are some terms that may last for
a while:
Coronavirus disease
The shorthand for this virus did not
exist a year ago, "Now it has begun to define our lives," John said.
ADS named it "Vocabulary of the Year".
New words are shorter than having to
say "COVID-19" or "coronavirus". It provides the basis for
a large number of new words, such as "coronasomnia" (sleep problems
during a pandemic), "coronials" (during a pandemic), and
"Covidiot" (people who ignore safety advice regarding COVID-19).
Social media has accelerated the speed
at which John and his team track the use of the term, especially on Twitter.
Within hours of the World Health Organization’s announcement that the disease was called COVID-19, “you have seen people shortening
COVID-19 to COVID,” he said. "This is where language changes occur these
days, usually very quickly, because these things can immediately appeal to a
global audience." Of these four new words, COVID may have the longest
staying power due to a broad understanding of the term. (On the other hand,
Covidiot may not last that long.)
Doomsday Scroll
The term was used before the pandemic,
but as more and more users become bored with their devices, this toxic habit
has become popular this year. "This type of [word] may just be a memory of
2020," John said. "But as long as people feel scared, [they will]
seek descriptive things." As John said, the word has "a huge
resonance" because it establishes a connection with people's lives in the
pandemic: " People grasped this word firmly... and soon they realized that
it was something in their own behavior [that] had a name."
Super spreader
Like several other words in the
pandemic, "super communicator" is not a term we often hear before
2020. According to the list of the American Dialect Association, a "super
spreader" is defined as "a patient or event responsible for spreading
infection to many people."
This sentence hinted at images of mass
gatherings and blatant drinking, and later revealed a series of positive
COVID-19 diagnoses. The "super communicator" feels particularly
timely and closely related to one of the most popular emojis of the year cited
by ADS: But with the decrease in cases and the reopening of society, it is not
certain whether the two are still useful.
Social isolation
Another ADS finalist for the word of
the year, this well-known phrase refers to separating yourself from others to
reduce the spread of COVID-19.
According to sociologists, the phrase actually dates back to 1957, but at the time it was related to how more aristocratic members of society distinguished themselves from people of lower status. "These [words] may actually have been used in epidemiology or other fields for centuries," John said. Although the current definition of social distance may have some staying power, given its universality, there is no guarantee that its meaning will not change again in the end. (林嘉麗・訳 三和一善）
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