COVID-NEOLOGISMS IN MODERN BRITISH MEDIA SPACE

Abstract

One of the main features of modern information society is rapid development of telecommunications systems and computer information technology, i. e. the media space. In modern world, it is the driving force of development of society which directly affects formation of a specific communicative situation. The process of integration of media into the cultural environment is so vast that a separate type of culture is formed – media culture, the main features of which can be named as “information mission and penetration of communication technologies in various spheres of society” [14]. Media space as a modern communication platform today occupies a dominant position as a source of new words, phrases, stable expressions. Three main characteristics help in creation of neologisms in media space: multimedia, interactivity and globalism. The peculiarity of functioning of neologisms in media space is freedom of expression, familiarity of contact, removal of cultural and social barriers between people and a playful nature of communication. The source of neologisms is a play of language or collision of languages, use of slang, jargon and illiteracy as well as abusive words. The article examines the English neologisms that arose in connection with COVID pandemic; thus reflecting current attitude and reaction of people to this event in media space of Great Britain. The language of the media not only reflects the reality of current events, but is a model of modern society’s speech. Based on analysis of modern British online tabloids over the past two years, lexical and morphological features of neologisms during the pandemic in the British media were established. Morphological (acronyms, abbreviations, truncations) and semantic (word formation, addition of suffixes) neologisms are considered separately. It was determined that the identified neologisms of COVID-19 pandemic period were formed in most cases by merging parts of several words (69 %) and to a lesser extent by reduction (morphological (24 %) and affix method (7 %)).