{"id":401052,"date":"2020-12-16T10:03:02","date_gmt":"2020-12-16T15:03:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/?p=401052"},"modified":"2020-12-16T10:03:02","modified_gmt":"2020-12-16T15:03:02","slug":"pandemic-words-are-here-to-stay-even-as-vaccine-offers-some-relief","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/pandemic-words-are-here-to-stay-even-as-vaccine-offers-some-relief\/","title":{"rendered":"Pandemic Words are Here to Stay Even as Vaccine Offers Some Relief"},"content":{"rendered":"

\nCal State Fullerton linguist explains the pandemic\u2019s influence on the English language
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Fullerton, Dec. 16, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As many remain cautious about venturing outside their COVID bubbles for holiday gatherings even while vaccines begin to roll out across the United States, chances are good they also are F.E.D. U.P. (short for financial stress, emotional stress, distance from others, unpredictability and personal and professional concerns).<\/p>\n

Merriam-Webster named \u201cpandemic\u201d the Word of the Year for 2020 because a new coronavirus-influenced vocabulary is seared into our collective consciousness<\/a><\/strong>, says Stephen J. Mexal, chair and professor of English comparative literature and linguistics at Cal State Fullerton.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s as if some kind of exhaustion has set in and we can\u2019t bear to use the extra syllables from the longer terms,\u201d says Mexal.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Social media accelerates the new lexicon. The Zoom brand became generalized, he explains, which is a marketer\u2019s dream and a trademark lawyer\u2019s nightmare. Acceptance of a new phrase or word that took decades in pre-pandemic times (think how long it took \u201cOtis Escalators\u201d to become \u201cescalators\u201d) seems to take mere minutes, like the time it takes to \u201cZump\u201d your partner.<\/p>\n

Similarly, Oxford Languages\u00a0reported<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0that use of the phrase \u201csocial distancing\u201d has been steadily declining since April.<\/p>\n

\u201cEither we\u2019re doing it less or we don\u2019t recognize the practice as unusual anymore,\u201d Mexal says. \u201cIt\u2019s possible that we\u2019re using the phrase \u2018social distancing\u2019 less because we now just call it \u2018normal life.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mexal says one way to spot the pandemic\u2019s influence on the English language<\/a><\/strong>in the future is if, months from now, phrases like \u201cgo to work,\u201d \u201cgo to school\u201d or \u201cget a drink\u201d are unclear, requiring questions on whether one would need to get into a car or get on a laptop.<\/p>\n

\u201cThirty years in the future, some future version of us may look back on news articles from 2020 and think, \u2018Remote work?\u2019 What is remote work? Oh, I get it \u2014 he just means work.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\n Pandemic terms to know<\/b>:<\/p>\n

\n The Before Times:<\/b> Pre-pandemic life<\/p>\n

\n Blursday:<\/b> A day of the week indistinguishable from any other during quarantine<\/p>\n

\n Germ pod,\u00a0COVID bubble:<\/b> The group of people you socialize or live with during quarantine<\/p>\n

\n Zoom fatigue:<\/b> Exhaustion from back-to-back Zoom meetings<\/p>\n

\n Zumping:<\/b> Dumping a partner over Zoom during the pandemic<\/p>\n

Read more about the lexicon of pandemic words here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\n About Cal State Fullerton: <\/b>The largest university in the CSU and the only campus in Orange County, Cal State Fullerton offers 110 degree programs, and Division 1 athletics. Recognized as a national model for supporting student success, CSUF excels with innovative, high-impact educational practices, including faculty-student collaborative research, and competitive internships in a global marketplace. Our diverse campus is a primary driver of workforce and economic development in the region and a top public university known for its success in supporting first-generation and underrepresented students. Our It Takes a Titan<\/a><\/strong>campaign, a five-year $200 million comprehensive fundraising initiative, prioritizes investments in academic innovation, student empowerment, campus transformation and community enrichment. Visit fullerton.edu<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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