Society - The "word of the year 2023" is "crisis mode"
The "Word of the Year" for 2023 is"crisis mode". The following two places on the list of ten were taken by "anti-Semitism" and "unfit to read", as announced by the Gesellschaft für deutsche Sprache (GfdS) in Wiesbaden on Friday. A jury selected words of the year that were dominant in the public debate and thus had a significant impact on 2023. "The list reflects reality, and reality is currently pretty bleak," said Andrea Ewels, Managing Director of the GfdS.
Society has been in "crisis mode" since 2020, she said, referring to the coronavirus pandemic, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the energy crisis, the education crisis and Hamas' attack on Israel. "The state of emergency has become a permanent state," said Ewels. "This triggers fear, insecurity and powerlessness in people. These feelings dominate everyday life and you don't know what's to come."
Anti-Semitism and a lack of education
Anti-Semitism is by no means a new phenomenon, explained GfdS Chairman Peter Schlobinski. However, the Hamas attack on Israel had revealed that there was not only right-wing but also left-wing anti-Semitism in Germany, he explained. In addition, Islamist-influenced hostility towards Jews, which is perceptible in parts of the Muslim population, has clearly come to light.
The adjective "unable to read" refers to the fundamental lack of education in Germany, said Schlobinski, referring to the results of the latest Pisa study. German pupils performed worse than ever before in the international performance comparison in 2022.
In fifth place on the list, for example, was "Ampelzoff" and in sixth place "hybrid warfare". The term is associated with Russia's attack on Ukraine. In tenth place was "kissing scandal", referring to a scandal caused by Spanish soccer association president Luis Rubiales kissing player Jennifer Hermoso on the mouth in public without being asked.
This year's "Words of the Year" were chosen by a jury of linguists and media experts from around 1800 entries. The suggestions come from various media, and anyone can submit words. "The decisive factor for the selection of the "Words of the Year" is not the frequency of an expression, but rather its significance and popularity," explained the German Language Society. The selection is not associated with any kind of evaluation.
Regular selections since 1977
The "Word of the Year" was first chosen by the GfdS in 1971 and has been chosen regularly since 1977. The first "Word of the Year" was "rebellious" 52 years ago. At that time, "environmental protection" and "hot panties" were also on the list. In the following decades, "Rasterfahndung" (1980), "Besserwessi" (1991), "Teuro" (2002) and "GroKo" (2013), among others, were named "Word of the Year".
The Society for the German Language is a politically independent association for the cultivation and research of the German language. In addition to the "Word of the Year", there is also the "Unword of the Year", which is chosen by a different jury and according to different criteria. According to research by the GfdS, "Words of the Year" are also selected in numerous other countries, for example in Austria, Australia and China.
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Source: www.stern.de
