[Ads-l] "social distancing" 2015

[dave at WILTON.NET]

I found an instance from November 2004:

Bell, David M., et al. "Public Health Interventions and SARS Spread, 2003."
Emerging Infectious Diseases, 10.11, November 2004, 1900-06.

"The 2003 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a modern
example of containing a global epidemic through traditional or nonmedical
public health interventions. The interventions included finding and
isolating patients; quarantining contacts; measures to "increase social
distance," such as canceling mass gatherings and closing schools;
recommending that the public augment personal hygiene and wear masks; and
limiting the spread of infection by domestic and international travelers, by
issuing travel advisories and screening travelers at borders."

There are earlier uses in other senses going back to the early nineteenth
century.

https://www.wordorigins.org/big-list-entries/social-distance



-----Original Message-----
From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> On Behalf Of Peter
Reitan
Sent: Monday, July 20, 2020 11:46 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: [ADS-L] "social distancing" 2015

The expression appears with the relevant sence in Homelad Security's
National Response Plan written in December 2004, published 2005.

HathiTrust:
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=umn.31951p00904134b&view=1up&seq=357<
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=umn.31951p00904134b&view=1up&seq=357&
q1=Social%20distancing>
________________________________
From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of Bill
Mullins <amcombill at HOTMAIL.COM>
Sent: Monday, July 20, 2020 8:28:52 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Subject: "social distancing" 2015

---------------------- Information from the mail header
-----------------------
Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Poster:       Bill Mullins <amcombill at HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      "social distancing" 2015
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---

Phrase presciently used in science fiction, 2015.

Naomi Kritzer "So Much Cooking"  _Clarkesworld_ [online SF magazine] Nov 20=
15
http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/kritzer_11_15/

"Probably wherever you live you=92re hearing about 'social distancing,' whi=
ch in most places means 'we=92re going to shut down the schools and movie t=
heaters and other places where folks might gather, stagger work hours to mi=
nimize crowding, and instruct everyone to wear face masks and not stand too=
close to each other when they=92re waiting in lines.' "

The phrase starts showing up in the newspaper databases in the 1980s or so,=
but nearly always mean avoiding any interaction with groups not one's own.=
  The above is the first I've seen that focusses on keeping physical distan=
ce between people.



------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org


-- 
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
https://www.avast.com/antivirus

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org