This volume represents the second in a collection of contributions presented at the conference “From Dante to the Present Day: Disease Outbreaks, Epidemics, and Pandemics in Language, Literature, and Culture,” held in Split in September 2021. Authors, professors, and researchers from various European universities contributed to this edition, writing papers in Italian and English. As in the previous volume of this edition, in this collection we have also reflected on the fact that physical and mental illness (individual and collective) has always attracted the attention and interest of various artists and scholars throughout history due to its powerful, multifaceted impact on society. Much of this volume is dedicated to the changes and innovations in the education system and language of a society affected by disease. In times of crisis, when vulnerable individuals have had to confront the unpredictable impact of physical and mental illnesses—both as individual manifestations and collective phenomena—significant transformations in patterns of social interaction have been observed. The sudden and destabilizing changes within society, in addition to altering habits, activities, and the thematic repertoire that occupies public and collective space, have also inevitably impacted the formats and methods of communication, both at the public level in the relationship between the media, institutions, and individuals, and at the private level in terms of interpersonal relationships. This process has led to the introduction and spread of neologisms, words that convey a certain semantic weight and discursive responsibility, referring to concepts previously unknown or rarely present in everyday life considered “normal.” That is, under the threat of physical and mental illness, language has adapted to a new reality, reflecting changes within social life. Thus, much of this volume discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly transformed modes of social interaction, accelerating the adoption of digital tools for distance learning and introducing a series of neologisms—such as “social distancing,” “lockdown,” and “Zoom fatigue”—into everyday discourse, reflecting a society adapting to new conditions. These changes, driven by anxiety and fear, technological adaptation, and opportunistic interests, highlight how the disease influences language, education, and social dynamics, echoing the effects of historical epidemics, such as the plague in Dalmatia, which saw similar emotional and linguistic shifts.
