Morphological Analysis of the Neologisms during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The emergence of neologisms has always been an interesting phenomenon as it demonstrates the dynamism of language. This study intends to determine the neologisms during COVID-19 Pandemic through a morphological analysis. This study argues that the neologisms that emerge during the COVID-19 pandemic reveal the morphological processes that formed the new words. It further claims that the morphemic structures of the neologisms follow the general structures of English vocabulary. This study utilizes the descriptive-qualitative design in analyzing the morphological structures of the neologisms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, this study involves textual analysis to determine the morphological processes that encompass the formation of new words. The data used in analyzing the morphological structures of COVID-19-related neologisms are five (5) Internet articles that introduce the new terms created because of the corona virus outbreak. These articles were published in the months of March, April and May 2020.Findings reveal that most of the neologisms are nouns. The common morphological process involved in the formation of new words are compounding, blending and affixation. Moreover, majority of the neologisms follow the compound structure of the free and bound morphemes. Based on the results of the study, it can be concluded that the neologisms formed during the COVID-19 pandemic reveal the morphological processes and the morphemic structures of the neologisms follow the general structures of English vocabulary specifically on the combination of free and bound morphemes.