Each week, the waltz of government announcements picks up again.
The words used are chosen with care, so that the French clearly understand the message delivered.
Regularly, the lexical field linked to the health crisis is adorned with words which take on a new meaning: "curfew, deconfinement, recovery" ... "The latest restrictions have further intensified the debate, to such an extent that the essential word is expanding its semantic field, ”explains Linda Giguère.
Let's go through the thesaurus to get back to the source of this term.
A "fundamental" thing
Something is said to be essential when it is essential: "what is necessary for something to exist is essential: the sun, air, water are essential to life," she explains.
Also essential is what is important, "as opposed to what is secondary": "When I was little, and we did not have hot water at home, my mother used to say to us: 'wash yourself. the main thing, it does not matter ”, remembers the journalist.
This word is also used to qualify "that which belongs to the essence", that is to say "the nature of being, the basis of being".
We say “get to the point”, or “talk about essential things”.
A balance of mental health
So what is the government relying on to decree that trade is or is not essential?
As Linda Giguère underlines, “the battle against the coronavirus gives us a new definition: what is essential for the balance of mental health is essential”.
Yes, but here it is: what is essential for one "is not necessarily so for the other".
Our history and identity inevitably play a role in the perception of what is essential to our lives and what is not.
"Flowers, books, music, bars, restaurants, gyms, clothes, ..." It's all a matter of taste and priorities.
It's hard to ask an entire country to agree on something so subjective.
“Remember that social contact is essential for the survival of our species,” concludes Linda Giguère, mimicking a phone call from her hand.
Notice to amateurs ...
