American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research
45
https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ajsshr
VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue06 2025
PAGE NO.
45-48
10.37547/ajsshr/Volume05Issue06-11
24
The Impact of The Covid-19 Pandemic on The Lexical
System of The French Language
Turaeva Maftuna Akbar qizi
Doctoral student of Samarkand State Institute of Foreign Languages, Uzbekistan
Received:
14 April 2025;
Accepted:
10 May 2025;
Published:
12 June 2025
Abstract:
This article analyzes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the lexical system of the French language
from a linguistic perspective. It explores the emergence of new words, the semantic expansion of existing terms,
and the integration of anglicisms and social neologisms. Through examples such as covidiot, coronapéro,
déconfinement, and distanciation sociale, the study examines the mechanisms of linguistic adaptation to rapidly
evolving social realities. The article highlights how global events like pandemics accelerate neologization,
terminological shifts, and semantic transfer. The findings reflect the dynamic relationship between language and
social context during times of crisis.
Keywords:
COVID-19, neologism, lexical change, neologisms and neonyms, neosemy, polysemy, semantic
neologism, covidiot, coronapéro, déconfinement, distanciation sociale.
Introduction:
In our daily lives, new technologies and
innovative devices are being developed continuously.
Naturally, these innovations and inventions are
reflected in language. In this process, the way people
perceive and conceptualize the world, as well as the
stylistic choices they make in conveying these
perceptions, play a crucial role. Sometimes, newly
created objects are named through analogies and
metaphors; at other times, borrowed terms are
employed.
Throughout this development, we also encounter force
majeure situations, which raise the issue of how new
objects and processes are to be named and how these
names are reflected in different languages. In recent
years, the emergence of Covid-19
—
a global crisis that
shook the world
—
has given rise to new concepts and
representations across all languages, including French.
The World Health Organization (WHO) assigned the
viral disease the abbreviated name SARS-CoV-2 for the
virus and COVID-19 for the illness. The abbreviation
“COVID
-
19” is derived from English: “CO” for “corona,”
“VI” for “virus,” “D” for “disease,” and “19” indicating
the year 2019, when the outbreak occurred.
Literature review
According to Professor Benoît Melançon, this linguistic
phenomenon
—
namely, the desire to mitigate a
difficult situation and to restore a sense of control
through language
—
has also been observed in historical
events. He draws attention, for example, to the
semantic expansion of the word corbillard (hearse)
dating back to the time of the Black Death, and that of
tsunami following the devastating disaster of 2004. The
COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact not
only on the global public health system but also on the
lexical systems of various languages. In the French
language in particular, it has led to the creation of new
words, the semantic expansion of existing terms, and
notable changes in patterns of usage within social
discourse.
These
transformations
have
been
officially
documented in dictionaries such as Le Petit Robert
2022 and Le Petit Larousse illustré 2022, which
respectively added 26 and 48 new words or meanings.
For instance, Marie-Hélène Drivaud, in her article
“Lexicovid,” analyzes neologisms, terminological shifts,
and processes of semantic adaptation that emerged
during the COVID-19 period. She does so within the
broader tradition of studying how historical events
—
such as wars and terrorist attacks
—
leave a linguistic
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American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research (ISSN: 2771-2141)
imprint.
METHODOLOGY
As a consequence of the pandemic, a wide range of
neologisms (such as distanciation sociale, quatorzaine,
covid
long),
neosemantic
developments
(télémédecine, télétravail), metaphors (guerre contre
le virus, épidémie comme catastrophe naturelle,
frontière sanitaire, bulle familiale, coupe-circuit), and
borrowed terms (lockdown, cluster) have contributed
to the emergence of a distinct and context-specific
lexicon. These new conceptualizations reflect how
individuals and societies sought to comprehend an
unprecedented situation and to rapidly adapt to
numerous challenges.
RESULTS
Additionally, the internal resources of the language
were activated, leading to the productive use of
prefixes such as anti- (antivax), dé- (déconfinement,
déconfiner), télé- (télétravail, téléconsultation), and re-
(reconfinement), as well as the emergence and
widespread usage of new formations with the prefix
corona- (e.g., coronabond, coronapas, coronapiste,
coronapéro). In response to the specific needs and
circumstances of the time, new terms were also coined
to address local or situational realities. While many of
these were not officially integrated into dictionaries,
they gained wide usage among the population.
For example, the term coronapistes was created to
refer to temporary bike lanes (pistes cyclables)
established in some cities during the pandemic. Other
neologisms emerged
—
often in humorous or satirical
forms on social media
—
such as covidiot (referring to
individuals who denied or disregarded public health
measures), mélancovid (denoting a sense of
melancholy linked to the pandemic), covidivorce
(referring to divorces occurring during lockdown),
quarantini (a cocktail consumed during quarantine),
and quarantine fatigue (describing the physical and
emotional exhaustion caused by prolonged lockdown
measures, restrictions, and social distancing).
Words such as confinement (isolation), lockdown
(quarantine), distanciation sociale (social distancing),
and passe sanitaire (health pass) became widespread
through news coverage, political discourse, and public
health communications. Social media platforms
—
including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok
—
further amplified their dissemination. Hashtags and
memes became popular tools for the informal, often
localized or humorous reinterpretation and circulation
of these concepts.
Institutional and political discourses
—
those of health
authorities, governments, and experts
—
acted as
primary vectors for the spread of technical and medical
terminology, often in forms adapted for public
understanding. For instance, terms such as quatorzaine
(a 14-day quarantine), test PCR (PCR test for detecting
the coronavirus), vaccin obligatoire (mandatory
vaccination), immunité collective (herd immunity),
couvre-feu (curfew), and pénurie (shortage of medical
protective equipment such as masks and respirators)
entered everyday language through press conferences,
public awareness campaigns, and institutional
communication strategies.
Some terms
—
such as travailleurs essentiels (workers
whose duties are considered critical during emergency
or crisis situations)
—
not only described functional
roles but also contributed to shaping social hierarchies
and reflecting political priorities during the pandemic.
Concepts often spread through mechanisms such as
imitation and repetition. Terms like bulle sanitaire (a
personal health safety zone) or courbe épidémique (an
epidemic curve used to represent the intensity and
duration of disease transmission) were adopted and
adapted by various segments of society, including
organizations, families, schools, and others. Repetition
in mass media facilitated their acceptance and
integration into everyday discourse.
At the same time, cognitive processes such as
metaphorization, personification, and metonymy
played a significant role in how these concepts were
perceived. These figurative strategies helped render
certain terms more emotionally resonant and
comprehensible. For instance, the widespread
adoption of the metaphor guerre contre le virus ("war
against the virus") illustrates how individuals
conceptualized the threat of COVID-19. While some
interpreted the pandemic as a war that needed to be
won, others perceived the measures taken as excessive
or oppressive. The reception of such metaphors
directly influenced how people protected themselves
and interacted with others.
For example, during the 2021 lockdown, the front
pages of major French newspapers such as Le Figaro,
and Les Échos frequently featured metaphors and
personifications in their coverage of the pandemic.
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American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research (ISSN: 2771-2141)
Figure 1. Front-page headlines on COVID-19 from Le Figaro, and Les Échos.
Headlines such as “L’Europe face à la menace de
pénurie” ("Europe faces the threat of shortages"—
referring to the lack of masks and sanitary supplies),
“L’Angleterre se reconfine, l’Europe s’inquiète”
("England reenters lockdown, Europe is worried"), and
“Paris se masque, à son tour” ("Paris wears a mask, in
turn") illustrate the use of personification and semantic
extension, where geographical entities like Europe,
England, and Paris are animated to convey the urgency
of the societal crisis. These linguistic choices aimed to
render abstract developments more tangible and
emotionally engaging for the public.
In the subsequent phase
—
after the diffusion of these
concepts
—
the acceptance of new terminology
significantly influenced pandemic management and
the shaping of social behaviors. The way individuals
integrated these terms into their everyday vocabulary
affected not only their perception of health measures
but also their attitudes toward others and their
conduct in social contexts.
The interpretation of pandemic-related terminology
varied according to cultural and societal contexts. For
example, the term quatorzaine (14-day quarantine)
carried more flexible connotations in certain regions,
allowing for localized adaptations that better aligned
with cultural practices. In contrast, in other areas,
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American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research (ISSN: 2771-2141)
staying at home was not strictly enforced, and the
associated restrictions were less rigid.
Similarly, the concept of distanciation sociale (social
distancing) resonated differently across communities.
In more tightly knit societies, this notion was more
difficult to accept, as it conflicted with core values such
as social closeness and solidarity.
Social factors such as age, socio-economic status, or
group affiliation (e.g., young adults or the elderly) also
played a crucial role in the reception and adoption of
pandemic-related terminology. For instance, terms like
“Zoom fatigue”—
describing the mental and physical
exhaustion resulting from prolonged virtual meetings
on platforms like Zoom
—
were predominantly used by
workers in the tertiary sector. Meanwhile, “long
COVID”, referring to the condition in which symptoms
persist well beyond the acute phase of illness, was
primarily adopted by patients and health communities.
Pandemic-related
terminology
and
concepts
sometimes served to highlight or even intensify social
disparities. The term “travailleurs essentiels” (essential
workers), for example, exposed professional and social
inequalities, drawing a distinction between those
working in healthcare and those in other occupational
sectors. At the same time, terms like “solidarité”
(solidarity) and “unité nationale” (national unity) were
employed to promote collective cooperation in the
face of crisis.
Certain terms provoked resistance or critical
reinterpretation. The phrase “passe sanitaire” (health
pass), for example, sparked significant public debate, as
some perceived it as an infringement on individual
freedoms. In other contexts, terms such as
“confinement” (lockdown) were rejected by segm
ents
of the population who viewed such measures as overly
restrictive or unjust.
The reception and interpretation of COVID-19-related
terminology were shaped by a variety of personal and
social factors. Acceptance was often mediated by
cognitive uncertainty, emotional responses, and
personal experiences, all of which contributed to the
differential integration of these concepts across
contexts
—
and, in some cases, to their perception as
sources of threat.
CONCLUSION
Emotional, cognitive, and social factors had a profound
impact on the reception and understanding of COVID-
19-related concepts. Cognitive processes such as
categorization, metaphorization, and assimilation not
only facilitated the comprehension of the public health
crisis but also reshaped social behavior and attitudes
toward the pandemic. How individuals interpreted and
internalized these concepts significantly influenced
crisis management, compliance with health measures,
and social dynamics within communities. Studying
these cognitive processes provides deeper insight into
the interaction between language, perception, and
action during times of crisis.
In conclusion, the COVID-19 pandemic served as a
linguistic turning point in the contemporary
development of the French language. It clearly
demonstrated the direct link between newly formed
lexical units and socio-cultural realities. This analysis
offers valuable scientific material for understanding
linguistic adaptation, social semantics, and how
languages function within the framework of stability
and change.
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