Over the past year, we’ve been bombarded with all sorts of new-fangled terminology.
Anyone familiar with marketing will have spotted the deliberate use of the ‘Rule of Three’ when it came to Covid mantras like “Hands, Face, Space”. They’re catchy, concise and designed to stick in your head.
Over a relatively short time, the Covid-19 pandemic has made an enormous impact on our daily language.
Some new words were invented (e.g. Covidiot).
Some existing words become extraordinarily popular (e.g. Unprecedented).
Certain phrases became ingrained into the daily narrative (e.g. “Flatten the curve”).
As a copywriter, I’m intrigued by the evolution of language – not least the speed at which this new terminology has been accepted and incorporated into daily life.
I began to write a list of Covid-19 vocab and, within minutes, I’d reached over 40.
Never before has a pandemic spawned such a raft of new terms. So many, in fact, that Oxford Dictionaries’ ‘Word of the Year’ for 2020 was actually a list.
It’s remarkable to think that some of these words and phrases were virtually unheard of before 2020, yet are now so familiar.
Back in 2019, you would’ve been considered rather strange for suggesting a “socially distanced gathering”. Yet within months, this was considered to be “the new normal”.
With enough repetition, these words and phrases became deeply entrenched into our subconscious minds.
Of course, the problem with catchy phrases is that they run the risk of becoming gratingly tedious when repeated ad infinitum.
Some of these (dare I say all?) I would be glad never to hear again. In reality, I think the majority are here to stay – at least for the foreseeable future.
So, here’s my ‘Covid Top 40’… (in no particular order)
- Flatten the curve
- Social distancing
- Exponential growth
- Unprecedented
- Long Covid
- PPE
- Self-isolate
- Keyworker
- Hands, face, space
- Mask mandate
- R-rate
- Covid-secure
- Stay safe
- Zero Covid
- Mutant variant
- Support bubble
- Follow the science
- Save lives
- Asymptomatic transmission
- Don’t kill Granny
- We’re all in this together
- Stay alert
- Vaccine passport
- PPE
- Covidiot
- Lockdown
- PCR
- Test & Trace
- Build back better
- Quarantine
- Anti-masker
- Stay home, save lives
- New normal
- Furlough
- Shielding
- Data not dates
- Circuit breaker
- Protect the NHS
- Rule of 6
- Superspreader
What’s your favourite?
Can you think of any more? Let me know in the comments below 🙂