How did COVID-19 impact the use of Japanese complex words with masuku ‘mask’ in 2020?

Abstract

Abstract This paper examines how the situation caused by COVID-19 impacted the use of a well-entrenched word in Japanese: masuku ‘mask’. An inspection of data gathered from an online newspaper shows a sharp increase in token and type frequency in the use of complex words with masuku ‘mask’ in 2020 (mid-pandemic) compared to 2019 (pre-pandemic), implying the recurrence and variegation of mask-related topics in the media. Focusing on the varied types of complex words containing masuku ‘mask’, the paper offers a construction morphology account of how they distribute within a network of words. The most dominant means to expand the network was compounding, creating not only hyponyms of masuku ‘mask’ (i.e., using masuku as the head of the compound, as in ago-masuku ‘chin mask’) but also hyponyms of other well-entrenched words (i.e., using masuku as the non-head, as in masuku-gimu ‘mask obligation’). Beyond compounding, a playful use of language in blends led to the creation of a new path, albeit a small one. The paper argues the development of the word network involved both mundane and exceptional creativity.