Contextual and Linguistic Analysis of Neologism Related to COVID 19
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Date
2021
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Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka
Abstract
Language is dynamic to accommodate new happenings in the society. Neology is the process of
generating new lexical units by forging new forms or by revisiting the meaning of already existing
forms. The emergence of COVID-19 has contributed in the formation of global neologisms. The
objective of this research is to explore the formation and functions of neologisms that are coined in
English during the outbreak of COVID-19. The linguistic and contextual analysis of neologisms will
be undertaken. A descriptive qualitative method of analysis is used. The data are collected from
articles, books, Oxford Corpus, social media retrieved from January to March 2021 around the issue
of COVID-19. The study analyses all forms and functions of derivation such as portmanteaus or
blending, acronyms and affixation and to show how words are related and are identified in different
contexts. Various theoretical approaches to neologisms are discussed. MAK Halliday functional
theory is used to account the changes in the language use. This study adds more validation to the
COVID-19 neologisms which are followed as communicative and terminological strategies by
institutions and media. These technical vocabularies have transcended linguistic boundaries. Neology
continues to be the mechanism that generates new lexical forms, thus participating in the dynamism
of the language to retain its status as alive. The emergence of neologisms reveals the vitality of the
English language in order to respond to emerging situations in times of crisis. The neology helps in
the process to preserve the vitality of a language. The study recommends that further research is to be
carried out on the new terms in case to justify the vitality of English Language.
Keywords: Neologism; Covid-19; Linguistics; Communicative; Dynamism
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Communicative, Communication Technology, Media Studies, Covid-19, Humanities, Social & Library Sciences, Language