Neologisms in the Pandemic Era: A Morphological Study

Neologisms in the Pandemic Era: A Morphological Study

Raul Novo Cordova Jr.

College of Teacher Education / Agusan del Sur State College of Agriculture and Technology

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2025.903SEDU0330

Received: 08 June 2025; Accepted: 12 June 2025; Published: 16 July 2025

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated linguistic innovation, generating numerous neologisms that captured society’s response to unprecedented global conditions. This paper aimed to analyze the word formation processes found in commonly used neologisms during the COVID-19 Pandemic. In this study, we applied descriptive qualitative design and conducted face-to-face and virtual interview to participants to obtain the data needed in this study. Based from the results, there were sixteen neologisms analyzed through word counting and categorization, namely: facemask, vaccination, social distancing, home quarantine, pandemic, self-isolation, swab test, online class, new normal, virtual party, lockdown, Work from Home, Personal Protective Equipment, Enhanced Community Quarantine, and Coronavirus Disease-19. The neologisms were classified into the appropriate word-formation process and five word-formation processes were found out and these were compounding, borrowing, acronym and initialism, derivation, and multiple processes. Thematic analysis was used to generate common insights on incorporating neologisms and morphological structure in enhancing the teaching-learning process in a language class. Further, in enhancing the teaching-learning process in a language class, two common insights were found, and these were to improve students’ vocabularies and acquaint students with word formations.

Keywords: Neologisms, word formation processes, COVID-19 pandemic, qualitative design, morphology

INTRODUCTION

The COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally transformed global communication patterns, catalyzing an unprecedented wave of linguistic innovation through the rapid emergence of neologisms—newly coined words, expressions, and usages that reflected society’s adaptive response to crisis conditions. This linguistic phenomenon represented more than mere vocabulary expansion; it demonstrated language’s dynamic capacity to evolve in response to extraordinary circumstances, creating what Upham (2020) described as “social glue” lexical formations that bound communities together through shared cultural references during times of uncertainty. The emergence of pandemic-related neologisms provided compelling evidence of morphology’s role in language development, as speakers worldwide created new terminology to express novel experiences and concepts arising from the global health crisis.

Existing research established that neologisms served as vital indicators of language vitality and cultural evolution, with Nordquist (2019) emphasizing that neologisms manifested a language’s capability to undergo and sustain change. Morphological studies by Yule (2010) identified ten distinct word formation processes including coinage, borrowing, compounding, blending, conversion, backformation, clipping, acronyms, derivation, and multiple processes—that governed how new lexical items entered languages. The pandemic context accelerated neologism creation exponentially, as documented by Lawson (2020), who observed how established terms like “quarantine,” “lockdown,” and “pandemic” gained renewed prominence alongside entirely new coinages such as “covidiot” (individuals ignoring public health guidance), “covideoparty” (virtual social gatherings), and “covexit” (strategies for ending lockdown restrictions). These formations demonstrated various word formation processes, with examples like “WFH” (working from home) representing acronym formation and “quaranteams” (online teams during lockdown) illustrating blending processes.

Research also established the sociolinguistic significance of pandemic neologisms, indicating that these linguistic innovations served multiple functions: they provided precise terminology for novel experiences, facilitated community building through shared vocabulary, and offered mechanisms for processing collective trauma and adaptation. The global nature of the pandemic created unique conditions for cross-linguistic borrowing and rapid international dissemination of neologisms. However, most existing research focused on English-language neologisms in Western contexts, leaving considerable uncertainty about how different communities—particularly those in non-Western settings or with unique demographic compositions—created and employed pandemic-related linguistic innovations.

Despite growing recognition of pandemic-era neologisms’ importance, significant gaps remained in understanding localized neologism formation and usage patterns. No comprehensive study had examined neologism formation and word formation processes within the Municipality of Bunawan, where preliminary observations suggested active creation of both English and non-English pandemic-related terms by diverse community members, including contributions from LGBTQ+ speakers. This research gap was particularly significant because local neologism patterns could reveal culturally specific responses to pandemic challenges, demonstrate unique morphological creativity, and illustrate how different social groups contributed to linguistic innovation during crisis periods. Furthermore, while theoretical frameworks for analyzing word formation processes were well-established, their application to pandemic-era neologisms in specific cultural contexts remained underexplored.

It is argued that studying new words will help one understand a community, so neologisms should be included in vocabulary materials for English learners. After providing an overview of current perspectives and theories on the concept of neologisms, as well as eliciting the findings of a survey aimed at determining how well English learners are familiar with this lexical group and analyzing their feedback on incorporating it into classroom practice, the author proposes four classroom teaching strategies. The methods described in the article are experimental, but they have the potential to enhance English learners’ communicative and cultural competencies.

The social and cultural reference of neologisms proves that they are more the products of our conceptual system and not simply meaningful language signs. They codify new cultural experiences of society and provide evidence concerning the current trends of its development. For this reason, by studying neologisms of a certain language we can learn about present-day cultural values, way of thinking, and living of the community that speaks this language (McDonald, 2005) cited by Rets (2014). The fact that neologisms are often chosen as the ‘words of the year’ (WotY) also adds to the advantages of teaching these lexical units to students. WotY is a set of assessments as to the word or expression that reflects the most important concept in the public sphere during a specific year. In the USA among the chosen words of the year were bush lips (1990), ‘insincere promise of a politician, reference to “Read my lips: no new taxes” by then U.S. President George H.W. Bush’, prefix e- (1998) ‘as in e-mail or e-commerce’, hashtag (2012) etc. (available at www.americandialect.org). Thus, by teaching neologisms one can demonstrate the vitality of the language.

This study entitled “Neologisms in the Pandemic Era: A Morphological Study” was conducted to find how these Pandemic Neologisms were formed through analyzing their structures and why these words had come to evolve especially in these trying times. Also, to find out how this study would be beneficial to the teaching-learning process. Furthermore, if this study would be made successful, this would help everyone be more aware of how the language emerged in terms of its morphological processes and consequently become a basis for future research.

Research Questions

This study aimed to analyze the new words during the pandemic era. Specifically, this paper sought to answer the following research questions:

1. What are the neologisms used by the English teachers and students, frontliners, native speakers, and gays during the pandemic?
2. What is the morphological structure of the neologisms created during the pandemic era?
3. How will these neologisms and their morphological structure enhance the teaching-learning process in a language class?

Theoretical Lens

Since neologism occasions language change, this study adopts the Systemic Functional Theory proposed by M.A.K. Halliday. This theory describes language change as occurring to meet the needs of its users. In this view, language is a resource for making meanings and hence grammar is a resource for creating meaning by means of wording. For the task of constructing such a meaning base, we used a systemic grammar. A systemic grammar is one of the class of functional  grammars, which means (among other things) that it is semantically  motivated, or ‘natural’, In contradistinction to formal grammars, which  are autonomous, and therefore semantically arbitrary, in a systemic grammar every category (and ‘category’ is used here in the general sense of an organizing theoretical concept, not in the narrower sense of ‘class’ as in formal grammar) is based on meaning: it has a semantic as well as a formal, lexico-grammatical reactance.

Just like this theory, this paper focused only on lexical change. Thus, I used the functional theory to account for some of these changes. The fact that language changes occur to meet the needs of its users can be exemplified in many ways. More so, this study is also anchored to the Etymological theory which interprets those neologisms do consist of words already in existence in a language but have developed new meaning in recent years. In Systemic Functional Linguistics, ‘clause’ rather than ‘sentence’ is the unit of analysis. In Systemic theory, a clause is a unit in which the meanings of three different kinds are combined.

It was also anchored to Yule (2010), where he discussed word-formation processes as how new words get added in a language: Coinage, Borrowing, Compounding, Blending, Clipping, Backformation, Conversion, Acronym, Derivation, Prefixes and Suffixes, Multiple processes.

METHODOLOGY

This study employed a qualitative research design utilizing discourse analysis and thematic analysis to determine the morphological processes of COVID-19 neologisms. The researcher used purposive sampling complemented by snowball sampling procedures to identify appropriate informants from hidden populations, gathering data from 20 participants comprising 4 frontliners, 4 native speakers, 4 members of the LGBTQ+ community, 4 English major teachers, and 4 English major students. Data collection involved corpus-based analysis through focus group discussions conducted via virtual and face-to-face interviews, using pictures and muted videos depicting COVID-19 scenarios as springboards for interaction, supplemented by a researcher-developed questionnaire validated through content validity procedures.

The discourse analysis approach explored communication patterns and ideological functions within language use, while thematic analysis identified, reported, and analyzed patterns within the data through word counting, categorization, and interpretive analysis from multiple perspectives. Data analysis examined underlying meanings in communicative texts within colloquial, cultural, and sociolinguistic contexts, with trustworthiness established through Lincoln and Guba’s (1985) criteria of credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability. Ethical considerations prioritized participant dignity, informed consent, privacy protection, data confidentiality, anonymity maintenance, honest communication, and transparent disclosure of research objectives while avoiding misrepresentation or bias in findings presentation.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

This section presents, analyzes, and interprets the data on the morphological processes of neologisms in the pandemic era. In addition, the frequency distribution of classified neologisms, and insights of respondents on incorporating neologisms and morphological structure to enhance the teaching-learning process in a language class were also identified.

The fundamental purpose of this study was to investigate the morphological process of the COVID-19 neologisms commonly used by gays, English teachers and students, tribal members, and medical frontliners. Eighteen classified words from the interview were used as data in analyzing and categorizing word formations as suggested in Yule’s Theory of Morphological Process.

This chapter focused on answering the following qualitative questions: (1) What are the neologisms used by the English teachers and students, frontliners, native speakers, and gays during the pandemic? (2) What is the morphological structure of the neologisms created during the pandemic era? and (3) How will these neologisms and their morphological structure enhance the teaching-learning process in a language class?

Commonly Used Pandemic Neologisms

New English words created during COVID-19 New English words can be called neologisms. Neologism is a morphological process through which new words are formed in a language. Its purpose is to generate new words or word forms in a language. New words help identify any new phenomena, innovations, and how old ideas may occupy a whole new cultural context. The new words reflect the social and cultural conditions in the texts selected in the current research (Qaisar, 2015).

In this study, first, I identified the pandemic neologisms commonly used by the respondents. The procedure in data collection for this research was done through face-to-face and virtual interview. I then transcribed and translated the data I have gathered from the interview conducted.

The terminologies gathered from the respondents were tallied. The commonly used pandemic neologisms were tallied and defined.

Figure 2. Frequency Distribution of Classified Pandemic Neologisms Uttered by the Respondents

Figure 2 shows the Frequency Distribution of classified Pandemic Neologisms uttered by the Respondents. Out of sixty-one uttered neologisms, I came up with sixteen terminologies which I classified as neologisms based on their new usage and meaning in the current situation. Facemask, Vaccination and Social Distancing were the most dominant neologisms uttered by the respondents with a frequency of four; followed by self-isolation, pandemic, and home quarantine with three; next were coronavirus, new normal, online class, and swab test with 2; lastly were WFH, PPE, ECQ, COVID-19, virtual party and lockdown with the least frequency having been uttered once.

The three term that got the highest frequency are facemask, vaccination, and social distancing. Facemask was usually used before by medical workers, but today, it was used by all people as mouth covering to avoid the transmission of COVID-19. The usage of this thing changes due to the needs of this current situation. One of the respondents uttered this as a neologism:

As a member sa LGBTQ nga nag workaholic sa gobyerno, maka durngog gyud soken ug shug-o nga mga chika. PPE, self-isolation, vaccination, social distancing ug dapat lang nga mag bur-ot jutams ug facemask pirme.

(As a member of the LGBTQ that works in the government, I have heard new words. PPE, self-isolation, vaccination, social distancing, and that we should always wear facemask every time)

Second, social distancing was the new norm in all places. It is now the practice of keeping extra space– 6 feet apart—and cancelling large gatherings to reduce opportunities of COVID-19 transmission. One of the respondents uttered:

Coronavirus has brought a lot of new words. There are also words that are not new but were only used during this crisis. Just like contagious, panic-buying, online-class, new normal, widespread, pandemic, social distancing and many more. These words show our current situation.

Lastly, vaccination was considered neologisms based on how it views its scope. It has a new meaning and function in this current situation. Before, vaccination was focused on battling various diseases. But now, vaccination’s function is to combat the unseen enemy, COVID-19. It was considered one of the most important things today. As uttered by respondent six:

“New words were created during this pandemic. One of the many things I usually used as a medical frontliner was vaccination, which is an important thing we should have. Apart from that, transmission, home quarantine, quarantine, swab test, immunization, sanitation, disinfection and many more. With this crisis DOH and the WHO are very important offices to help address this issue.”

This implies that these first three terminologies were the most commonly used terms of the people during this pandemic.

The next terms that got the second highest frequency were home quarantine, pandemic, and self-isolation. Home Quarantine is new to most of the people today. It was the practice of staying at home for days after getting exposed to COVID-19 in order to avoid spreading the virus if you are carrying it. One of the respondents uttered:

“Sukad now pig abot Kan COVID 19, dugi tow mgo inikagihan now naggamit noy or nasugatan noy, angod to Kan Kuwa, home quaranthing, Kan quaranthing iyan Kan mga butang now pighimo now to diya Kuna kag pakagawas tow bayoy. Kan isad ECQ now tibo utow duon tow nayon now kunag makagawas to wada gamit now panambon duon tow bah² dapit”

(Since the start of COVID-19, a lot of new words that we encounter like home quarantine. It is the act of staying at home. Also, ECQ where people are not allowed to go outside especially if you don’t have things for protection)

Second is pandemic. It is the global spread of a novel illness. Most people nowadays lack immunity to fend off a new disease when it first appears. As an infection spreads, many people may get sick if they lack the natural immunity to fend it off. One of the respondents uttered:

“Transmission, widespread, contagious, quarantined, social distancing, sanitation, disinfection, pandemic, new normal, DOH, online class”

And lastly, self-isolation. It is the act of separating oneself from others. It is about refraining from any contact with other individuals for a period of time-in the case of COVID-19, to observe whether any symptoms of the disease will arise after potential exposure. One of the respondents uttered:

“Diya pandemic dugi to piggamit noy no inikagihan. Duma to sikan so facemask, social distancing, quarantine, no mig ilingno igpreso ka Duon to Sid to bayuu nuw, ko hospital ba Duon. Sii isab lockdown, diya una Kuna Koy ug pakasabot to kan. To pig-iling naan to sikan lockdown so Kuna Koy on ug pakayuwas to bayuu noy so tungod to sikan pandemic. Kan pandemic isab naan so sikan naan to tawag to sikan sakit no mog tangkap kani’t kalibutan no ug pakamatoy no sakit. Kan self-isolating isab so sikan ma naan kan kuwa IG preso noh agun Kuna kag paka takod to duma noh. Kan quaranfling isab wada a yagboy pakasabot to sikan. Kuwa ma naan kan uranda no diya una Kuna kag pakagawas. Kan vaccine isab so IG yusok ikow no masakit no mabanhod. Kan face shield nog pakasumong Kuna kog paka ginhawa”

(During pandemic, a lot of utterances we used, just like facemask, social distancing, home quarantine where we are like prisoners in house or hospital. Also, lockdown which means we are not allowed to go outside because of pandemic. Then pandemic also because it is the name of the disease which spreads around the world that causes death. Self-isolation also means staying at home for the virus not to mutate. First, I don’t know what quarantine is, but because of this pandemic I have learned that it is staying at home. Also, vaccination, I thought it is only for the children, then face shield wherein we can’t breathe easily)

This implies that these terminologies were the words that people commonly used during this pandemic.

The next terms that got third highest frequency were swab test, online class, coronavirus, and new normal. Swab test is the new way of diagnostic test. It involves taking sample from the back of nasal cavity so it can be analyzed in a lab to see if it contains the virus. As uttered by one of the respondents:

“Vaccination, pandemic, home quarantine, WHO, panic-buying, facemask, coronavirus, online class, hand washing, swab test, self-isolation, new normal”

The second terminology was online class. Online class was the new mode of learning. When there is a physical interaction involved with a teacher and students, online class human interaction only happens virtually. When a one-size-fits-all approach was observed in a classroom, now, resources and activities were provided by teachers online. One of the respondents uttered this as a neologism:

“As a teacher, I have heard and used a lot of new words. Pandemic, vaccination, WFH, online class, sanitation and health protocol. These words are used to express our current situation”

The third term was coronavirus. Coronavirus is the virus that looks like a corona (crown) when viewed under a microscope. The strain of the coronavirus that is causing the COVID-19 pandemic is called SARS-CoV-2. One of the respondents uttered:

“Coronavirus has brought a lot of new words. Some  words are not new but were only used during this crisis. Just like contagious, panic-buying, online-class, new normal, widespread, pandemic, social distancing and many more. These words show our current situation”

And last term was the new normal. New normal is a tactful phrase we’ve started using as a way to remind ourselves that while the world is forever changed, we are adapting and adjusting. One of the respondents uttered:

“Since this era is murag new era napod siya new normal, kanang having a study about the new words nga nag come up in this new era makasabot ta as one of the kanang generation nga an belong ani nga era murag pinaka naapektuhan kibali ani makasabot ta sa mga words nga dalaon nato for the next generation napod. Mas ma familiarize nato ang mga words nga mabalik balik natog gamit as we go on everything”

(Since this era is more likely to be a new era as will, or like new normal, having a study about new words that come up in this new era, we will understand that this generation is the most affected and since we already knew these words, we can share it to the new generation also. We will become familiar with the words if we constantly use them as we go on everything).

This implies that these four terminologies that got the frequency of two were used by people but not very common to all.

The last terms that got the least frequency were virtual party, lockdown, WFH, PPE, ECQ, and COVID-19. Virtual Party is the new way people celebrate nowadays. It is an online gathering via a platform like google meet, zoom or any means, where people can socialize with their peers while safely isolating at home. One of the respondents uttered:

“Sa pag-abot sa COVID, jughaners gyud chika nga shug-o sa sok. Kanang mga chika nga judi kayo shumily sa sok. Frontliner, home-quarantine, virtual party nga maoy ginamugna sa jumims kay shuds pa baya mag terpok”

(Since pandemic started, there are a lot of words that are new to me. Words that are not familiar to me. Frontliner, home-quarantine, virtual party which we usually do since gathering is still prohibited)

The second term that got the least frequency was lockdown. Lockdown was an emergency measure in which people are restricted from certain areas in an attempt to control exposure or transmission of disease. In a lockdown during an epidemic, individuals are encouraged to stay at home. One of the respondents uttered:

“Diya pandemic dugi to piggamit noy no inikagihan. Duma to sikan so facemask, social distancing, quarantine, no mig ilingno igpreso ka Duon to Sid to bayuu nuw, ko hospital ba Duon. Sii isab lockdown, diya una Kuna Koy ug pakasabot to kan. To pig-iling naan to sikan lockdown so Kuna Koy on ug pakayuwas to bayuu noy so tungod to sikan pandemic. Kan pandemic isab naan so sikan naan to tawag to sikan sakit no mog tangkap kani’t kalibutan no ug pakamatoy no sakit. Kan self-isolating isab so sikan ma naan kan kuwa IG preso noh agun Kuna kag paka takod to duma noh. Kan quaranfling isab wada a yagboy pakasabot to sikan. Kuwa ma naan kan uranda no diya una Kuna kag pakagawas. Kan vaccine isab so IG yusok ikow no masakit no mabanhod. Kan face shield nog pakasumong Kuna kog paka ginhawa”

(During the pandemic, a lot of utterances we used, just like facemask, social distancing, home quarantine where we are like prisoners in a house or hospital. Also, lockdown means we are not allowed to go outside because of the pandemic. The pandemic also because it is also named for the disease that spreads around the world causing death. Self-isolation also means staying at home for the virus does not mutate. First, I don’t know what quarantine is, but because of this pandemic I have learned that it means staying at home. Also, vaccination, I thought it is only for the children, then face shield where we can’t breathe easily).

The third term that got the least frequency was WFH. It is an abbreviation of work-from-home, now commonly used and understood in office communications, as more and more employees have been working remotely. One of the respondents uttered:

“As a teacher, I have heard and used a lot of new words. Pandemic, vaccination, WFH, online class, sanitation, and health protocol. These words are used to express our current situation”

The fourth term was the PPE. This stands for Personal Protective Equipment, which is specialized clothing and equipment used as a safeguard against health hazards including exposure to COVID-19 through physical contact. Before, it was usually used by medical practitioners but now many people are using it to be free from the virus. One of the respondents uttered:

“As a member sa LGBTQ nga nag workaholic sa gobyerno, maka durngog gyud soken ug shug-o nga mga chika. PPE, self-isolation, vaccination, social distancing ug dapat lang nga mag bur-ot jutams ug facemask pirme”

(As a member of the LGBTQ that works in the government, I have heard new words. PPE, self-isolation, vaccination, social distancing, and that we should always wear facemask every time)

It was followed by ECQ. This is an imposed action where people are restricted from moving around unless it is necessary, such as when they need to buy food. ECQ or Enhanced Community Quarantine might last for 3 weeks, depending on whether the virus cases in the particular area decreased. One of the respondents uttered:

“Sukad now pig abot Kan COVID 19, dugi tow mgo inikagihan now naggamit noy or nasugatan noy, angod to Kan Kuwa, home quaranthing, Kan quaranthing iyan Kan mga butanG now pighimo now to diya Kuna kag pakagawas tow bayoy. Kan isad ECQ now tibo utow duon tow nayon now kunag makagawas to wada gamit now panambon duon tow bah² dapit”

(Since the start of COVID-19, a lot of new words that we encounter like home quarantine. It is the act of staying at home. Also, ECQ where people are not allowed to go outside especially if you don’t have things for protection).

And the last term that got the least frequency was COVID-19. Stands for coronavirus disease-19. It is the name of the infection caused by the novel (new) strain of highly contagious coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) that was first identified last 2019. One of the respondents uttered:

“Because of COVID-19, a lot of people died because, they are positive. This pandemic, a lot of words were created. The words that I usually used are home-quarantine, vaccination, social distancing and that we should always do hand washing.”

This implies that these last six terminologies were not common to all people. This means that these terminologies were not commonly used by our respondents.

Morphological Process of Neologisms used during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The word formation process is generally known as a phenomenon that is closely related to human life in the world. The new vocabulary and terms can be related and analyzed by the word-formation process, which includes morphological aspects as one of the linguistic branches. The word formation process involves the different tools that use existing words to create new ones. Each word formation process produces a distinct sort of word. In addition, when the word was formed, it also involved the word-formation processes.

The commonly used neologisms were categorized and analyzed based on the categorization of word formations proposed by George Yule (2010). These are coinage, clipping, blending, borrowing, compounding, acronym and initialism, back formation, conversion, affixation and derivation.

From the data gathered, the findings showed commonly used words that contain word formation process, which are classified into five types of they were compounding, borrowing, acronym and initialism, derivation, and multiple processes. Those types were identified from the given words of the respondents. In this analysis, we not only identified the words and classified the morphological process involved, we also find out the insights of respondents in incorporating neologisms and morphological structure in enhancing the teaching-learning process in a language class.

Surprisingly, among the sixteen words we classified from the interview we conducted, we categorized and identified five types of morphological processes namely, compounding, borrowing, acronym and initialism, derivation, and multiple processes.

From the data gathered, I can conclude that compounding has the most dominant commonly used neologisms. Eight words belong to compounding. Further, it was followed by acronym and initialism with four words, multiple processes with two words and borrowing and derivation with the least which have a single word each.

Furthermore, the findings also revealed two common insights of respondents in incorporating neologisms and morphological structure in enhancing the teaching-learning process in a language class. These were neologisms and morphological structures were used to improve students’ vocabularies and help students to become acquainted with word formations.

Compounding

Compounding is a process of new word formation of two different words joined together to form a new meaning. It can be done by combining at least two words spelled as one, or the combination of a head and a modifier into one. In English, compounds can be spelled as a word or two words connected by a hyphen. Thus, in this research, we have identified eight compound words commonly used pandemic neologisms from the interview we conducted. The words belong to this category were lockdown, online class, new normal, coronavirus, virtual party, facemask, home quarantine, and swab test.

Table 1. Compounded Words Commonly Used During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

This result on compounding I gathered from the interview was asserted by the findings of Liu and Liu (2014) in their research “Analysis on the Word-formation of English Netspeak Neologisms”. They claimed that the most frequently occurring word-formation process of Netspeak neologisms in their study is compounding, subsequently, blending, affixation, old words with new meaning, acronyms, conversion, and clipping. This study has proven that the diversity of word-formation processes of English Netspeak neologism may shed light on the creativity of language.

Borrowing

Foreign words are always borrowed from other languages, especially to accompany new ideas, inventions, and products, etc. According to Daulton (2021) lexical borrowing is the adaption of individual words or even large sets of vocabulary items from another language or dialect. Haugen (1950) as cited by Artini (2019) states that lexical borrowing is a process which involves reproduction of a certain language into new language.

Let us consider how the word ‘endemic’ becomes a borrowed word that was shown in Table 3. Borrowing is the process of word formation by borrowing or taking vocabulary of other languages. Meanwhile, borrowing is the process of taking over words from other languages. This process produces a particular form or word as it is another language. Thus, lexical borrowing is a process of adopting the word from a donor language to a receiver language. In this research, we identified one borrowed word. This word was pandemic (from Greek “pandemos”)

Table 2. Borrowed Word Commonly used during COVID-19 Pandemic.

This process produces a particular form of word as it is another language. Thus, lexical borrowing is a process of adopting a word from a donor language to a receiver language. In this research, we identified one borrowed word. This word was pandemic (from Greek “pandemos”)

The result on borrowing I have gathered from the interview was asserted from the findings of Pratama and Imperiani (2020) in their study entitled “Word Formation Processes of Slang in KasKus”. They found eight types of word formations processes from slang words. Borrowing was the most common process while blending was least common.

Acronym and Initialism

Acronym and Initialism are both formed by the combination of letters as cue to the entire phrase or clause. The big difference it makes is the way they are pronounced. Acronyms are those which are pronounceable by syllables; whereas, initialisms are pronounced letter-by-letter (Fruto, et al. 2014). Here, we have identified seven words that can be categorized as acronym and initialism. In this research, we identified one word categorized as acronym and three words as initialism. The word classified as acronym was COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 19). On the other hand, words belonged to initialism were WFH (Work From Home), PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), and ECQ (Enhanced Community Quarantine).

Table 3. Acronym and Initialism Commonly used during COVID-19 Pandemic.

This result corresponded to the result found by Faradisa, Aziz, and Yasin (2019), where they predominantly found one type of word formation process, and that was an acronym. Recently, there have been a lot of terms of acronyms people commonly use and some confused people. This means that people need to have more knowledge about acronyms to make them easy to understand through meaning. Acronyms and initialisms occur for efficient communication, the appearance of creativity, and the development of language. For example, when someone asks you what to wear upon entering the hospital. Instead of saying Personal Protective Equipment, you can directly say PPE.

Derivation

Derivation is the process of changing the meaning or the class of a word by adding affixes. Derivation is the way that correlates with lexemes through affixation. It is the process of word formation found in the production of new English words. There are at least three parts of the derivation process: root, prefix, and suffix. Among the sixteen classified words, we found one word categorized under derivation. This word was vaccination (vaccine + ion).

Table 4. Derivative Words Commonly Used During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

This result on derivation was affirmed by the findings of Maulidina, Indriyani, and Mardewi (2019) in their research “Derivational and Inflectional Morphemes in the Jakarta Post”. They asserted that there are eight words of derivational morphemes found in the article. Based on their implications, derivational morphemes create a new meaning and might have a different class of words.

Multiple Process

The multiple processes consist of some word-formation processes in it. Multiple process is the word formation process where the possibilities to seek the movements of creating the specific word with more than one process. It means that to create a new word, it should be combined using more than one process of word formation.

In this study, there are two words categorized as multiple processes. For example, the word social distancing contains compounding and affixation, the morphemes social + distance (compounding), and there is an ion added (affixation).

Table 5. Multiple Processed Words Commonly used during COVID-19 Pandemic.

In this study, I found two words that I categorized under multiple process. These words were social distancing (compounding and derivation), and self-isolation (compounding and derivation).

Insights on including Neologisms and Morphological Structure to enhance Teaching-Learning Process in a Language Class

Recently, new English words and terms related to COVID-19 have appeared in several social media, articles, books, and other. These new words are a part of the elements that make a language live and not die, and they help show the productive morphology of language. They are describing the language change (Janssen, 2011)

Based on the responses I gathered from the interview, I came up with the common or prevalent insights of these neologisms and morphological structure to be utilized to enhance teaching-learning process in a language class.

The researcher discovered two common insights of using neologisms and morphological structure to enhance the teaching-learning process in a language class from the data gathered and analyzed. These are neologisms and morphological structure can help students improve their vocabulary and become acquainted of word formations.

Table 6. Insights on Including Neologisms and Morphological Structure to Enhance Teaching-Learning Process in a Language Class.

Let us consider the first reason which is neologisms and morphological structure can help students to ‘improve their vocabulary’. One of the respondents stressed:

“Teaching students about word formations will instill in them analytical skills. They will study the composition of words and how they can be connected to express meaning. Knowing how a word can evolve encourages a deeper understanding of a language and promotes the improvement of one’s vocabulary”.

Based on the utterances of informants, this is one of the common reasons why neologisms and morphological structure should be utilized in a language class.

Furthermore, I also discovered that the use of neologisms and morphological structure in a language class allows students to be acquainted of word formations, which was also the leading reason why many used them. Some words were shortened and mostly abbreviated, which an examples of acronyms and initialisms. The respondents are sure of this reason, and based on the utterances taken from the interview we conducted, one respondent said:

“Since maka knows man ang students sa word formation, aan na julams idea shunsaon pag mugna ug new words. Pwede na sila mag chika pina ag isa coding taraw or acronyms para mas mapadali pud ang chika”

(Since students will know word formation, they have an idea of how to create new words. They can talk to each other through coding or acronym making the conversation easy to decipher.)

From the utterance above, the use of neologisms and morphological structure in a language class helps students “…know word formation and that they have an idea how to create new words…” The participant found it useful for students to communicate easily.

The same is true in the response of another respondent:

“Word formation enables students to become creative speakers. This will help them to easily understand how words were formed and can make words on their own. Also, morphological process will give them an idea of how to evaluate new words”

Most of the respondents during the interview declared that neologisms and morphological structure can enhance the teaching-learning process in a language class because they will give students an idea about word formations.

Insights on including Neologisms and Morphological Structure to enhance the Teaching-Learning Process in a Language Class

Thematic Analysis

The COVID-19 related neologisms compiled in this study reflect the speed and increasing volume of the lexical innovations. Crystal (2020) reports that “there are already some initial collections of English COVID neologisms online, and the numbers are rising.” For Baron (2008), the current situation marks the start of a new set of language laws, cultures, and social norms. Therefore, the language evolved a new variety (Mustafa, et. al. 2015).

In my research, I have identified some insights from my respondents on including Neologisms and Morphological Structure to enhance the Teaching-Learning Process in a Language Class. Based on the outcomes of the interview conducted, I have found two common insights. First, neologisms and morphological structure can help students improve their vocabulary, and second, neologisms and morphological structure can acquaint students with word formations.

Improve their Vocabulary

Based on the results of the findings, one common insight of the respondents is that neologisms and morphological structure can enhance students’ vocabularies.

This finding is in accordance to Khodadoust (2013), who claimed that students who can learn new words depending on the morphological structure analysis can boost their vocabulary repertoire. The new understanding and nuanced meanings of current neologisms or newly formed words are “normal vocabulary” for this situation. Kuo & Anderson (2006) point out that morphological awareness has become an extremely important predictor of vocabulary size. This awareness contributes to decrypting the morphologically complex words, which is assumed to contribute to vocabulary learning development. Moreover, Kim (2013) suggests that morphological awareness, which involves being aware of the meaning and structure of morphemes, has a close relationship with vocabulary knowledge.

Acquaint students with Word Formations

The other essential insight we observed why neologisms and morphological structure should be utilized in the teaching-learning process in a language class is as it helps to acquaint students with word formations. The results of my research revealed that neologisms and morphological structure can be valuable tools to utilize in a language class, as they help students gain a deeper understanding of a language and how changes making them an analytical thinker.

The results were supported by Nation (2000) which states that having knowledge on word formation processes is a useful strategy for students. This knowledge will help reduce the difficulty of learning new words, particularly if the stems are already recognized from other languages. Morphological awareness is important because the ability to decipher a word’s morphological units gives one the ability to learn the meanings of unknown words (Bowers & Kirby, 2010; Crosson & McKeown, 2016; Crosson & Moore, 2017; Goodwin, 2016). Specifically, since the roots often carry a lot of information about a word, a morphological breakdown of roots can contribute to effective learning.

CONCLUSION

The application of word formation processes among the commonly used pandemic neologisms was evident based on the results of our study. I have found that among the thirty-six words I identified, I categorized twelve compound words, seven acronyms and initialism words, six borrowed words, six derivational words, and five multiple processed words. Furthermore, data analyses from the interview two common insights on including Neologisms and Morphological Structure to enhance the Teaching-Learning Process in a Language Class. Analyses of utterances showed that including neologisms and morphological structure in a language class will help students improve their vocabulary and acquaint them with word formations.

Therefore, we can assume that the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic brought about an increased expansion of new words or expressions as a result of people’s creativity in modifying these words or expressions. Neologisms provide specific terms to refer to the actions or experiences of people during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study on neologisms has therefore shown the vitality of the English language through the formation of new words as influenced by the circumstances of people.

To conclude, the study on COVID-19-related neologisms has proven to be a relevant research topic par excellence as it translates the linguistic, social, health, and other changes, especially the language brought by the coronavirus global crisis.

Educational Implications

The following implications were developed in light of the findings and conclusions.

First, teachers who are supposed to act as learning bridges should attend training that will help them develop better learning strategies for presenting newly emerging vocabulary. The results of this study contribute to the advancement of language and linguistics about the topic of neologism and new English terms developed during the COVID-19 epidemic because it focuses on linguistic change, specifically the process of word formation to create new words.

Second, as future researchers in search of new information, they might conduct a parallel survey on neologisms in that particular period of time in another group of respondents. The study might also provide them with insights on how they’ll facilitate the teaching-learning process with a similar scenario in the future. All of this shows that these phrases have gained community acceptance because people are using and understanding them throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lastly, students should make an effort to be responsible for learning about the proper usage of words and neologisms, as well as the processes involved in word formation. This also provides fresh information for language learners, enabling them to comprehend novel English terms composed of prefixes and suffixes as well as to identify word-formation processes like blending, acronyms, compounding, and others. Even though this study has a large number of novel words, more research is necessary to uncover novel insights into the COVID-19 circumstances using additional data and alternative research techniques.

This study demonstrates how language and social interactions have changed as a result of the COVID-19 epidemic. The development of new words, such as acronyms and specialized terminologies, makes it easier for people to convey their thoughts and feelings. It is evident that these terms are frequently used in casual speech and are quite popular on social media.

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