Novel or New Coronavirus?
2020-08-15
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1This week, we received a question from Thompson in China.
2The following words always make me very confused.
3Could you please tell me, what is the difference between novel coronavirus and new coronavirus, and which one should be official. -- Thompson, China.
4Dear Thompson,
5Thanks for your question.
6We suspect you are not alone in your confusion about what to call the virus that is causing so much pain and trouble around the world.
7When there is a new viral disease, three groups of experts work to describe it.
8The World Health Organization, or WHO, decides what to name the disease.
9Experts in the study of viruses decide what to name the virus.
10And, the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses, or ICTV, studies the genetics of the virus to learn how it might be related to other viruses.
11COVID-19 is the cause of the current health crisis.
12CO stands for corona, VI stands for virus and D stands for disease.
13The WHO added the -19 because 2019 was the year it appeared.
14The ICTV found that the virus was related to another virus that caused the SARS disease.
15That is why they called it SARS-CoV-2.
16In answer to your question, that is the official name for the virus.
17It was different enough from any other virus to be called "novel."
18Scientists speak of a virus they have not seen before as "novel."
19But "novel" and "new" before the word "coronavirus" mean the exact same thing.
20The words are interchangeable in this case.
21"Novel" and "new" are synonyms, different words that have the same, or very similar meaning, in a single language.
22Both novel and new can mean something that is unique or original or something not identified earlier.
23Novel is often used in connection with ideas, as in this Science News headline:
24Tackling the novel coronavirus calls for novel ideas.
25We often use "novel" to talk about a new way to solve a problem.
26Tammy won an award for her novel method of stopping crime.
27In both those examples "new" could replace "novel" without a loss of meaning.
28But novel can not always be used as a substitute for new. New is a more general term.
29Let's say, for example, a woman purchased a piece of art to give to her husband. She might say,
30I bought a new painting for Fred.
31That means the painting is new to Fred.
32The painting itself might be old, maybe even made by an artist who died years earlier.
33Often new is used to mean "latest."
34"Novel" would not work in those cases, either. Here's an example:
35The singer has released a new album, but critics say it sounds like all his other recordings.
36Or:
37I put new paper in the printer.
38The paper is not novel.
39Paper has been made in the same method and with the same materials for a long time.
40"New" is not a necessary word in this example.
41The speaker just means they refilled the printer with paper.
42Thanks again for the question, Thompson. I hope we have helped!
43What question do you have about English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com.
44And that's Ask a Teacher for this week.
45I'm Jill Robbins.
1This week, we received a question from Thompson in China. 2Question: 3The following words always make me very confused. Could you please tell me, what is the difference between novel coronavirus and new coronavirus, and which one should be official. -- Thompson, China. 4Answer: 5Dear Thompson, 6Thanks for your question. We suspect you are not alone in your confusion about what to call the virus that is causing so much pain and trouble around the world. 7When there is a new viral disease, three groups of experts work to describe it. The World Health Organization, or WHO, decides what to name the disease. Experts in the study of viruses decide what to name the virus. And, the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses, or ICTV, studies the genetics of the virus to learn how it might be related to other viruses. 8COVID-19 is the cause of the current health crisis. CO stands for corona, VI stands for virus and D stands for disease. The WHO added the -19 because 2019 was the year it appeared. 9The ICTV found that the virus was related to another virus that caused the SARS disease. That is why they called it SARS-CoV-2. In answer to your question, that is the official name for the virus. It was different enough from any other virus to be called "novel." Scientists speak of a virus they have not seen before as "novel." 10But "novel" and "new" before the word "coronavirus" mean the exact same thing. The words are interchangeable in this case. 11Synonyms 12"Novel" and "new" are synonyms, different words that have the same, or very similar meaning, in a single language. Both novel and new can mean something that is unique or original or something not identified earlier. Novel is often used in connection with ideas, as in this Science News headline: 13Tackling the novel coronavirus calls for novel ideas. 14We often use "novel" to talk about a new way to solve a problem. 15Tammy won an award for her novel method of stopping crime. 16New 17In both those examples "new" could replace "novel" without a loss of meaning. But novel can not always be used as a substitute for new. New is a more general term. 18Let's say, for example, a woman purchased a piece of art to give to her husband. She might say, 19I bought a new painting for Fred. 20That means the painting is new to Fred. The painting itself might be old, maybe even made by an artist who died years earlier. 21Often new is used to mean "latest." "Novel" would not work in those cases, either. Here's an example: 22The singer has released a new album, but critics say it sounds like all his other recordings. 23Or: 24I put new paper in the printer. 25The paper is not novel. Paper has been made in the same method and with the same materials for a long time. "New" is not a necessary word in this example. The speaker just means they refilled the printer with paper. 26Thanks again for the question, Thompson. I hope we have helped! 27Your questions 28What question do you have about English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com. 29And that's Ask a Teacher for this week. 30I'm Jill Robbins. 31Dr. Jill Robbins wrote this story for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. 32_____________________________________________________________ 33Words in This Story 34taxonomy - n. the process of describing how different living things are related by putting them in groups 35tackle - v. to deal with (something difficult) 36Do you have a question for the teacher? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com.