Intriguing Insights #005 More than words to show you feel...

Ronald Carter - Professor of Modern English Language, University of Nottingham, in his widely cited article on linguistic creativity, makes the point that “verbal play is often undertaken for humorous purposes, serving in part to bring people closer together”, as well as challenging the “normal” view of things. Carter goes on to argue that inventive language is not just ornamental, but practical.   

Now, we've come across an all new lexicon over the last three months. While we may be familiar with the words themselves, I have attempted to analyse the underlying reason behind coining each of those new words.

To ensure I'm not left behind I have christened these new terms Cowords. And to carry forward the association I will be looking at 19 such Cowords. Before I get to my Cowords-19, let me explain the manner in which I have mapped them.

It is clear that the coinage is some sort of a coping mechanism to make sense of the unchartered waters we are presently swimming in. I have identified two needs that we are all chasing through this period of  quarantine. The first and foremost is the safety we seek. The second is the sanity we want to maintain as we continue to be locked down for almost three months. I have plotted these two needs on two ends of an axis. The second scale I have used is the manifestation of these needs in our context and in the context of the people around us. Remember Tenet Two (individualism vs. collectivism) in my previous post on how we make decisions.

Plotting these four parameters on a two by two matrix gives us four key drivers behind the new vocabulary created during Covid-19. Now, some of the words are not necessarily new, but are being used a lot more today than they have ever been used.

I will survive

The words here are making light of all the efforts we are taking to stay safe. Some of them are poking fun at the new habits we have created. Let us take a look at these words and their meanings.

1. Farcemask: Nonconventional items being worn as alternatives to regular masks such as helmets and baby diapers.

2. Doomscrolling and 3. Doomsurfing: The tendency to continue to scroll or surf through bad news, even though that news is saddening, disheartening, or depressing.

4. Quarancleaning: Taking everything you own and wiping it off to keep busy (and may be to ensure it is clean of formites ;))

5. Coronacation: The time where many students party and enjoy their time off from school because of the coronavirus pandemic.

We shall overcome

This quadrant is all about how we have come together as a community to ensure we stop the spread of Covid-19. Some of the words here will also bring out how we are not okay with anyone who goes against what is in the interest of the larger group.

6. Social distancing: Keeping space between yourself and other people outside of your home. This is not a new word but certainly hasn't been used quite as much till now.

7. Covidiot: Someone who ignores the warnings regarding public health or safety. A person who hoards goods, denying them from their neighbors.

8. Bubble family: A second family that your family is allowed to interact with, with no limits, even during the lockdown. 

9. Flattening the curve: Inhibiting new infections to reduce the number of cases at any given time, allows healthcare services to better manage the same volume of patients

We are all in it together

They say misery loves company and this quadrant brings alive how we turn to others to get us through tough times. Even if we can't meet our friends and family, technology has allowed us to act like life is going on as normal. Do note that sometimes to survive the madness, we may also get rid of some perceived negtive influences. A few words here will also mirror this sentiment.

10. Covideo party: Online parties via Zoom or Skype often even organised by organisations or team leaders to boost morale of employees.

11. Coronial: The Coronavirus pandemic has forced isolation on the global population, and the  ensuing increase in birth rate to a generation known as the Coronials

12.  Zumping: To dump a significant other by Zoom. This is the first of our two terms that are about elimiting unwanted influences in our lockeddown life.

13. Covideos: Videos watched during the COVID-19 pandemic to help stay sane..

14. Newbers: New people you talk to in your street or neighbourhood as you step down to buy your essentials.

15. Covidivorce: A wave of divorce filings is expected to break across the country when COVID-19 confinement ends. These divorces have been given a special name as well.

Losing my mind

We have all at some point of time felt like we're going crazy sitting at home. Here are a bunch of words that either tell us that what we are going through is the new normal. Or give us some crutches to hold on to as we bravely handle the situation we are in.

16. Blursday: The day you are presently living but have no idea what day it actually is.

17. Locktail and 18. Quarantini: A cocktail that you drink while in quarantine. 

19. Premembering: Talking about all the things you would have done by now if you weren't stuck at home.

I hope you enjoyed this collection of Cowords -19. Here is a quick summary of the words and the drivers behind their creation. Do leave a comment with your favourite coword or any others which I may not have covered.