A new research paper published in the international scientific journal Medical Hypotheses supports the easier transmission of COVID-19 when aspirated consonants are used during speech. The research was conducted by Dr. George P. Georgiou, Postdoctoral Researcher at the Department of General and Russian Linguistics of RUDN University, Moscow, Head of RUDN University Phonetic Lab, and Adjunct Lecturer at the Department of Languages and Literature of the University of Nicosia, and Dr Ahmad Kilani from RUDN University.
The research hypothesis is based on the fact that during speech, a number of droplets is released in the air. The amount of droplets varies according to the type of the sound used by the speakers. For example, it has been shown that the use of aspirated consonants, such as “ππ” ([ph]) in the Cypriot Greek verb “ppefto” (‘fall’), launches more droplets into the air than other consonants. If someone is infected with the virus, they are more likely to infect others if they use aspirated consonants when speaking, as more infected droplets will come out of the oral and nasal cavities.
The present paper compared epidemiological data from 26 countries. The findings demonstrated that countries of which the standard languages have aspirated consonants into their phonological system had more positive coronavirus cases. These findings are supported by similar linguistic and medical studies published in reputable scientific journals in the past in relation to the transmission of SARS and Influenza A. It is worth noting that there is a correlation between COVID-19 transmissibility and the use of aspirated consonants, and not a causal relationship, as a variety of other factors determine this transmission (e.g., social distance measures). However, the use of aspirated consonants may be one of the factors affecting COVID-19 transmission.
The results can provide important epidemiological conclusions regarding the transmissibility of COVID-19 depending on the language and in particular the type of sounds used in each language.