Abstract
The aim of this paper is to investigate the notion of ‘south working’ – a word which has been used in Italian discourse during the pandemic – and to explore the origins and different narratives associated with this terminology. To this end, a dataset consisting of newspaper articles was compiled and examined, in order to understand the possible meanings attached to ‘south working’ and their discursive contexts.
Highlights
The effects that COVID-19 has had on our lives are there for all to see
The aim of this paper is to investigate the notion of „south working‟ – a word which has been used in Italian discourse during the pandemic – and to explore the origins and different narratives associated with this terminology
The paper examined the narrative featuring the expression when examined in context, i.e. the possible meanings attributed to this terminology
Summary
In addition to affecting our social relationships, the new coronavirus has played havoc with labour markets, significantly impacting the world economy. The health emergency we have experienced is likely to have dire consequences in financial terms. Against this depressing backdrop, the way language has adapted – and has been used – to depict this new scenario should be given consideration. It has been argued that language users construe interaction contexts based on more general, socio-political knowledge and ideologies, and in-group and out-group relationships (Van Dijk, 2009). The communicative strategies employed in these interaction contexts have been fine-tuned to frame the emergency situation. It might be interesting to investigate how those contextual influences contribute to meaning creation or re-adaptation, due to the fact that language can properly construct www.macrothink.org/ijl 37
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