Kuranova T. P., Vladimirova O. N.

Trends in word-formation during the COVID-19 pandemic  P. 148-157.

UDC 811.161.1ˈ34

DOI 10.37724/RSU.2023.80.3.015

 

Abstract. This article describes the speech situation that evolved during the COVID-19 pandemic and draws conclusions about its significant impact on the development of neologisms in modern Russian.

The paper discusses the functioning of neologisms during the COVID-19 pandemic, provides an analysis of the most productive word-formation models, on the basis of which recent lexical innovations were built. The sources of linguistic material in this study are the media, online publications, as well as colloquial speech observed both in live communication and in social networks, instant messengers and other Internet communication platforms. In the course of the research, 208 lexical neologisms were analyzed and their semantics and word-formation models described. The research conducted confirms the productivity of the main types of formation of neologisms in the language: word-formation derivation, semantic derivation and borrowings from other languages. The illustrations show that a whole series of derived words have been formed based on the keywords of the pandemic era, freely combined with various morphemes. The results of the study led to the conclusion that word formation with a quantitative predominance of complex nouns has become the most productive way of forming neologisms in the Russian language during the period of the coronavirus infection. According to the results obtained, the majority of the language innovations that have spread on the Internet and in colloquial speech were words with evaluative connotations, ironic and expressive coloring, jargon, vulgarisms, vernacular lexemes, parody words, and non-assimilated borrowings.

The provisions of the study are confirmed by the results of a sociolinguistic experiment. The significance of such an experiment is determined by the relevance of using “covidolexics” in modern speech. These materials can be used to study the influence of neologisms of the pandemic era on the Russian language.

 

Keywords: derivation, covidolexics, lexical innovations, neologisms, word-formation models, composition, sociolinguistic experiment.

 

Bibliography 

  1. Barauskas R. Violators of the self-isolation regime will be able to appeal against illegal fines. URA.ru [URA.ru]. 2020, 28 Apr. Available at: https://ura.news/news/1052429687 (accessed: 25.10.2021). (In Russian).
  2. “Coronials” are now born in Saint Petersburg: what does it mean. METROnews.ru [METROnews.ru]. 2021, 31 March. Available at: https://www.metronews.ru/novosti/peterbourg/reviews/v-peterburge-rozhdayutsya-koronialy-chto-eto-znachit-1773688/ (accessed: 11.02.2022). (In Russian).
  3. Enikeeva A. They kill everything. The benefits of sanitizers are questionable. RIA.ru [RIA.ru]. 2021, May 11. Available at: https://ria.ru/20210511/sanitayzery-1730502015.html (accessed: 26.11.2021). (In Russian).
  4. The Pushkin Institute declares “Sputnik” the word of the year. TASS.ru [TASS.ru]. 2021, 2 Nov. Available at: https://tass.ru/obschestvo/12823027 (accessed: 03.11.2021). (In Russian).
  5. The Chancellor of Austria announces introduction of a national lockdown due to COVID-19. RIA.ru [RIA.ru]. 2019, 19 Nov. Available at: https://ria.ru/20211119/koronavirus-1759786786.html (accessed: 22.12.2021). (In Russian).
  6. “Coronavirus” and “quarantine”. Which words were most often used on VKontakte in March. TASS.ru [TASS.ru]. 2020, 24 Apr. Available at: https://tass.ru/obschestvo/8326925 (accessed: 10/21/2021). (In Russian).
  7. The world is on the verge of a coronavirus vaccination. Will it help stop the pandemic? Dzen.ru [Dzen.ru]. 2020, 9 Dec. Available at: https://dzen.ru/a/X9DZlnXjKDHYY-2r?utm_referer=www.google.com (accessed: 08.02.2022). (In Russian).
  8. The Oxford Dictionary names 16 words of the year. Kommersant.ru [Kommersant.ru]. 2020, 23 Nov. Available at: https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/4584019 (accessed: 21.10.2021). (In Russian).
  9. Osadchiy M. A. The results of the study “Word of the Year”. Gosudarstvennyy institut russkogo yazyka im. A. S. Pushkina [Pushkin State Russian Language Institute]. 2020, 11 Nov. Available at: https://www.pushkin.institute/news/detail.php?ID=27341 (accessed: 21.10.2021). (In Russian).
  10. Russians name the word of year 2021. LIFE.ru [LIFE.ru]. 2021, 28 July. Available at: https://life.ru/p/1412137 (accessed: 21.10.2021). (In Russian).
  11. Russkiy yazyk koronavirusnoy epokhi: kollektivnaya monogr. [Russian language of the coronavirus era: collective monograph]. St. Petersburg, Institute of Linguistics of RAS, 2021, pp. 16–51, 91–101, 101–113. (In Russian).
  12. Sannikov V. Z. Russkiy yazyk v zerkale yazykovoy igry [The Russian language in the mirror of language play]. Moscow, Yazyki slavyanskoy kultury Publ., 2002, 533 p. (In Russian).
  13. Slovar russkogo yazyka koronavirusnoy epokhi [Dictionary of the Russian language of the coronavirus era]. H. Walter, E. S. Gromenko, A. Yu. Kozhevnikov [et al.]. Saint Petersburg, Institute of Linguistics of RAS Publ., 2021, 550 p. (In Russian).
  14. Slovokhotova V. “Kovidishche Poganoye!” There have appeared 3,500 new words during the pandemic. Pravmir.ru [Pravmir.ru]. 2021, 9 Sept. Available at: https://www.pravmir.ru/kovidishhe-poganoe-kakimi-slovami-koronavirus-obogatil-nash-yazyk/ (accessed: 22.10.2021). (In Russian).
  15. Tsekhmistrenko S. Why do employers hire zoomers and how to make them work? Snob.ru [Snob.ru].  2021, 7 Oct. Available at: https://snob.ru/entry/238031/ (accessed: 30.12.2021). (In Russian).
  16. “ChuVak” against COVID: the Chumakov Center staff are choosing a name for their vaccine. Ren.TV  [Ren.TV]. 2020. Available at: https://ren.tv/news/v-rossii/784505-chuvak-protiv-covid-v-tsentre-chumakova-vybiraiut-nazvanie-vaktsiny (accessed: 22.11.2021). (In Russian).
Uncategorized