The German language can be expected to outperform in the creation of new words and compound nouns and the COVID crisis is no exception to this inspiration. There is also Denglisch - a corruption of German and English - which has also seen some new words enter its vocabulary as a result.
Germany's response to the pandemic has spawned more than one thousand tongue-twisting, multi-syllable, linguistic responses to the daily affairs of pandemic life.
Some of my favorites are among the following:
Abstand halten soziale Distanzierung Kontaktsperre (keep your distance contact ban)
Anderthalbmetergesellschaft (one-and-a half-meter society)
Coronamüde (tired of Covid)
Coronaspeck (quarantine weight gain)
Der Covidiot (anyone who is not following pandemic rules)
Der hamsterkaupf (to panic buy or hoard)
Gesichtskondom (face condom mask)
Hände gründlich waschen mit antibakterielle Seife (wash your hands completely with soap)
Impfneid (envy of those who have been vaccinated)
Jetzt kontaktloses Bezahlen (contact free payment)
Mindestabstandsregelung (minimum distance regulation)
Mundschutzmode (mouth protection fashion)
Vorsichtsmaßnahmen (precautions)
Finally there is this tongue-in-cheek public service video that urges young Germans to do their patriotic duty in the war against coronavirus by just staying at home and being couch potatoes.....
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