Contaminazioni linguistiche nel francese della pandemia: il lessico dell’“état d’urgence sanitaire” (marzo 2020-aprile 2021)

Abstract

The outbreak of the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has given rise to an extraordinary linguistic vitality in which not only have mass media and institutional communication been involved, but also ordinary citizens, who have appropriated the “vocabulary of COVID-19”. In this paper, we will discuss some “intra-linguistic contaminations” (Minicucci 2020) which have emerged during the French pandemic period in the legislation of the so-called état d’urgence sanitaire: quarantaine, isolement and rassemblement. Some comments will be made on words related to the laws and measures taken during the confinement (the French lockdown): couvre-feu, bulle sociale and règle de six.