I have been keeping a Covid Diary since last March. Last week I had to start a Covid Diary (part 2). The first diary concentrated on the ebb and flow of the disease with numbers of deaths and confirmed cases recorded every day. This second one will have a slightly different focus, containing more current affairs social issues and how we’re living through this pandemic.
My first entry in this diary contained a list of new words that have entered our vocabulary with Covid 19. Little did I realise that the Collins Dictionary experts would almost simultaneously be publishing their annual list of new words.
Collins Dictionary lexicographers create a list of new and notable words at this time every year. The list tends to reflect cultural changes in the world.
Unsurprisingly, pandemic vocabulary is dominated with words such as “lockdown”, “furlough” “key worker”, “self-isolate”, “social distancing” and naturally “coronavirus”.
Away from the pandemic, the Black Lives Matter (BLM) social justice movement is also recognised.
The social media platform, TikTok and its users, TikTokers, are also included.
Harry and Meghan have entered the lexicon with “Megxit”, their withdrawal from royal duties, announced in January 2020.
The catalogue of phrases is now certainly here to stay and could add to a good game of socially-distanced Scrabble.
