The (im)morality of disease names

Abstract

This article offers a literature review of studies on disease names carried out by dialectologists and onomasticians. The analytical part focuses on the COVID-19 pandemic and discusses the names used for the pathogen (SARS-CoV-2) and the related disease (COVID-19). It homes in on a variety of names used in English for the virus (e.g. Novel Coronavirus, Wuhan virus, 2019-nCoV) and for the disease (e.g. China flu, Chinese flu). It shows that toponymic names reflect a common pattern of naming pathogens and diseases. By analysing two excerpts in which Donald J. Trump uses such names, the article shows how these can be used in divisive and derogatory ways, for political purposes.