The social impact of Covid-19 from the view of Linguistics: Discursive (self-)representations of seniors

The Covid-19 health crisis has abruptly and dramatically changed the (self-) perception of seniors in society. Whereas, until the pandemic struck, seniors tended to see and describe themselves as younger, very much counting on indicators such as good health, physical appearance and mental capacities, the coronavirus has obliged both governmental institutions and seniors themselves to acknowledge and use people's real or chronological age. Both limits and benefits have been and are being decided based on a strictly age-related basis, making the old 'old again'. The future decisions about possible SARS-Covid19 vaccines and the order of their distribution to the population will rise more questions about the definition of 'old age', its representation, perception and value in societies.