ITALIAN NEWSPAPERS AND COVID-19: THE PANDEMIC’S IMPACT ON THE LANGUAGE

Abstract

This text aims to highlight the changes that have occurred within the Italian language during the COVID-19 pandemic. To do so, we will mention some headlines from articles published in major Italian newspapers such as Corriere della Sera, la Repubblica, and Il Messaggero. The article is essentially composed of three parts: the first part elaborates on one of the major linguistic debates that arose during the pandemic period, namely the one related to the gender of the word COVID-19; the second part shows how the meaning of the term positive has changed; while the third part focuses on the technicalities and foreign words that have become part of our new daily reality following the emergence of the coronavirus.

Keywords: COVID-19; Italian language; Corriere della Sera; la Repubblica; Il Messaggero.