Quarantinis and covidiots: How language has changed during the pandemic

There’s no social distancing from the fact COVID-19 has changed the way we speak and communicate.

University of Saskatchewan linguistics professor Veronika Makarova said new terms and phrases have made their way into language as a result of the pandemic.

“Every time there is something new happening in our lives, the language reflects that,” Makarova said. “We also need the reflection of the language to comprehend the concept in our minds because it always goes both ways.”

Because language is always changing to reflect what we see and experience, significant developments and crises like COVID-19 are the perfect storm for linguistic developments.

Makarova said a new vocabulary was among the first to emerge during the pandemic.

“To refer to COVID-19, our journalists have sort of selected words like ‘uncertain times,’ ‘unprecedented times,’ ‘challenging time,’ ‘extraordinary time,’ ” Makarova explained.

The more-neutral terms were selected to inform the public without causing a reaction through more negative terms such as “horrible” or “scary.”

“It does not have the same demoralizing effect on people,” Makarova said.

Olga Lovick, another U of S linguistics professor, agreed.

“Every time there’s been a crisis of some sort, there have been new words coming into the language,” Lovick said.

Social or physical distancing and self-isolation are among the new additions to the English vocabulary.

Both professors referred to technological developments for context on significant developments creating new linguistic aspects.

New terms using known words in a new context can lead to new meaning.

“With social distancing, it sounds like the message of desocializing … Do not come anywhere close to your neighbour,” Makarova said. “The more we use words, the less we notice their meaning.

“Words that are perceived as being negative, with common use they become more neutral because people less and less notice the original meaning.”

A crisis can also lead to people finally understanding the meaning of a word they already knew.

“A year ago, most of us would have been hard-pressed to explain the difference between an epidemic and a pandemic,” Lovick said. “Now we know.”

The language of pandemic advertising

COVID-19 created new consumer needs and heightened pre-existing ones. Makarova saw this reflected in how companies began to tailor their advertisements after much of the world entered coronavirus lockdown.

“You could not watch the same images and you could not use the same standard advertising expressions,” Makarova said.

A survey by the Association of National Advertisers in the United States found more than 90 per cent of marketers had adjusted their messages since mid-March.

Charmin, for example, changed their commercials from joyful bears frolicking with rolls of toilet paper to an image of the bear family gathered worriedly around a TV screen.

“Charmin understands the last thing you should have to worry about right now is having enough toilet paper,” the commercial stated.

The advertisement changed at a time when stores around the world were experiencing shortages of toilet paper due to people stockpiling the personal hygiene item in case of long-term quarantine.

Other companies began to project messages of well-being through their advertisements, with reminders to wash hands and “stay safe.”

“There was the need for consistent messaging,” Lovick said. “Wash your hands, stay apart.”

“One of the jokes in the mass media was in the Philadelphia Enquirer: ‘Great, now the coronavirus is infecting TV commercials, too,’ ” Makarova said. “The commercials were changing to reflect the coronavirus and changing their language.”

Commercials also began to share messages of unity, featuring Canadians singing the national anthem and thanking essential workers for sacrificing their personal safety.

“This was the message that somehow we should generally come together and beat the pandemic although it was beyond people’s control,” Makarova said.

“But (it gave) some kind of illusion that people can combat the wild thing at home, singing together.”

Pun-ching up the coronavirus

Some coronavirus communication took a more lighthearted turn.

Lovick said COVID-19 ushered in wordplay with vocabulary additions like “covidiot” and “quarantini.”

“(A covidiot) is the person at the grocery store who doesn’t pay attention to the arrows and gets too close and doesn’t wear a mask,” Lovick said.

A quarantini is a cocktail enjoyed while in social isolation or quarantine.

“We like to play with language … That’s another important function (of language), especially at a time when some of us are desperate for a good joke,” Lovick said.

“Our lifestyles changed and our lives were (threatened) so rather than the fact that there was a pandemic, it was, I believe, a change in the lifestyle which caused this drastic change,” Makarova said.

“Things that affect our daily lives affect our language, too.”

Communication application

Personal communication saw and adapted these widespread and public changes in language.

Makarova saw a change in language when sending messages online.

“Email communication changed, too. In the openings, even when sending an email on business to someone you barely know at all, you would start out by (saying), ‘I hope you and your loved ones are doing OK during this challenging time,’ ” Makarova said. “(At) the end, people would often write, ‘Stay safe.’ ”

Social media became a place where the public could gather for new information and observe how others were weathering the coronavirus.

“We see what sorts of other words people use,” Lovick said. “Which word should I use when people want to talk about this thing?”

Makarova said COVID-19 has reinforced the importance and power of the words we use.

“It teaches us that we need to be more responsible with our words, more responsible with what we say,” she said, “particularly when it comes to politicians who can create a panic just by uttering a few wrong words.”

More than words

Lovick drew attention to creative communication alternatives that have emerged during the pandemic.

“One of my students told me that … immediately when this happened, American Sign Language also came up with a word for social distancing.” Lovick said.

“As soon as we had a need for this concept, all the languages just kicked in.”

Non-verbal communication has also been adjusted over the past few months. With masks being introduced to our daily lives, universal methods of communication like smiling have become more complicated.

“Usually, we can just smile at people but now we can’t because our face is covered,” Lovick said.

But language and communication are nothing if not innovative.

A former student of Lovick’s is making masks with “smiling windows,” a clear sheet of plastic where the mouth is that allows for people to still see facial expressions and reactions.

Some are taking the time to learn sign language for “I’m smiling” and “I’m frowning” to help mitigate this.

“Of course, the problem is many people don’t know how to interpret it,” Lovick said. “But still, maybe it’ll catch on.”