| Abstract |
This paper explores the emerging neologisms during the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically their morphological and semantic aspects. It employs the neologism model by Krishnamurthy and the typology of semantic change by Traugott to analyze the formation process and the type of semantic change occurring in the COVID-19 neologisms, respectively. Moreover, this study also uncovers the social issues reflected in the informants鈥� responses. Findings reveal that the 20 most common COVID-19 neologisms among students in MSU-IIT include the following: Booster/First booster, Contact tracing, COVID, Covidiot, ECQ, Face mask, Face shield, Face-to-face, First dose, Frontliner, GCQ/MGCQ, Incubation period, Lockdown, Maskne, Moderna, New normal, Omicron/Delta, Pfizer, Plantito/ta, Positive, Quaranteens, Quarantine, Quaranfling, Resbakuna, RTO, Self quarantine, Sinovac, Social distancing, Vaccine, and WFH. Results reveal that compounding is the most frequently observed morphological process in the creation of these COVID-19 neologisms, while coinage is the least frequent.. Additionally, generalization and narrowing are the most common types of semantic change, whereas metaphorization is the least common. Moreover, six societal issues are identified from the interview responses of the informants, such as fake news, social disruption, psychological problems, public health concerns, economic challenges, and communication issues. The findings highlight the importance of understanding the new meanings and connotations of neologisms to prevent the spread of misinformation. The research is a valuable contribution to the field of linguistics as it provides a better understanding of the role of language in reflecting the social changes that its users experiences during a significant period like the COVID-19 pandemic. |
Mindanao State
University - Iligan Institute of Technology