Breakwater named word of the year in Germany | Culture and Lifestyle in Germany and Europe

The German Language Society (GfdS) in Wiesbaden has named the year 2021 “breakwater” (Wellenbrecher). The message about this was made public on Friday, December 3, on the organization’s website. This term refers to the coastal structure that protects the harbor, or the sharp nasal part of the vessel, but is now used in German and to refer to all measures taken to combat the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. The answer to the question of how long it will appear in our vocabulary depends largely on whether society manages to contain the COVID-19 pandemic in the long term, according to a press release from GfdS.

Linguists highlighted solidarity with flood victims in Germany

The second place is given to a word with a special spelling SolidAHRität (solidarity), in the middle of which the letters A and R. are highlighted. Ar (German Ahr) – the name of a river in the West of Germany that overflowed its banks as a result of heavy rainfall that swept the region in July 2021, which led to a catastrophic flood. The intersection of the words Solidarität and the name of the river Ahr became the name of the action of solidarity for people affected by the natural disaster, but also symbolized the great willingness of fellow citizens to help, manifested in the form of donations and active support – including from those who live far beyond the victims of the disaster. region.

In third place is the word Pflexit, coined by analogy with Grexit, Brexit and Polexit. This term appeared in the lexicon of medical personnel during the covid pandemic and literally means voluntary dismissal from a nursing job (from German Pflege – “looking after”, “caring for someone” and English exit – “exit”) … During a pandemic, healthcare workers in hospitals and nursing homes around the world are having a hard time. The situation is not easy in Germany, where the fourth wave of the epidemic is being observed. Many nurses and nurses lose their nerves, and some even quit their jobs.

The linguistic symbol of 2020 was declared the term “Corona-Pandemie”, which denoted the main theme of both the past and the current year. In 2019, the word of the year was Respektrente, which can be translated by the phrase “pension in recognition of labor contribution”, and in 2018 – Heißzeit (“hell”).

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Youth slang: favorite words of the Germans
Favorite words of German teenagers
Every year in Germany there is a competition for the most popular word in youth slang. Words are suggested by teenagers. In 2021, 1.2 million people participated in this action. From this list, by online voting in several stages, they themselves determined three favorites, and then the winner. Once again, it was Anglicism.

Youth slang: favorite words of the Germans
Cringe – “Spanish shame”, “that’s a mess”, “damn”
So, the word “cringe” is the most popular youth word of 2021. “Spanish shame”, “that’s a mess”, “damn” – so it can be translated into Russian. It comes up in situations where you are ashamed of others, for example, if adults borrow the language of adolescents to make themselves cool, but are wrong with the context. The term “сringe” is widespread in social networks and is found in comments under posts and memes.

Youth slang: favorite words of the Germans
Parasite words from TikTok
The other finalists were two exclamations. The word “shees” – “oh my god!” – common on TikTok and helps to express surprise, doubt or indignation. According to one version, it comes from the English “Geez” or “Jesus”, according to the other – from the Turkish “Çüş” in the same sense. The second word – “sus” (from English “suspect”) means “strange”, “suspicious” and also comes from TikTok and online games.

Youth slang: favorite words of the Germans
Lost – “no idea”
By the way, back in 2020, “сringe” was among the favorites of the competition, which is organized by the publishing house Langenscheidt. And the most popular then was the Anglicism “lost” – “lost”, “having no idea.” In Russian it can be compared to the obscene abbreviation “xs”. And the top 10 then included “Wyld / Wild” – “Cool!”, “Super!” or “Tin!” and a new version of “bro” – “Digga / Diggah”.

Youth slang: favorite words of the Germans
Honorary man / woman of honor – “братан”
There was no competition in 2019. And a year earlier the analogue of “bro” – “Ehrenmann / Ehrenfrau” won. So it is customary to talk about who is respected, who keeps his word and remains true to his principles. It came to the youth environment not without the help of rappers, however, they use this concept in an ironic manner. Bushido, Kollegah and his partner Farid Bang have dedicated more than one song to the “man of honor”.

Youth slang: favorite words of the Germans
Verbuggt – “with a bug”
On the 2018 favorites list, the word “verbuggt” came from IT jargon. “Verbuggt” or “buggy” – “with a bug” – is used in relation to the software that crashed. German youth use this word when criticizing someone. It can be translated as “You are not all at home.”

Youth slang: favorite words of the Germans
I bims – “This is me”
This is almost from the series “Their bean cudgels”. The German “their bin” has taken root in Russian colloquial speech – even those who do not know German are familiar with this expression. Young Germans also got carried away with distorting the German language, especially on the Internet, sometimes due to their ignorance of complex German grammar. This trend is criticized, which, as we can see, did not prevent I bims (correctly “Ich bin´s”) from becoming the most popular in 2017.

Youth slang: favorite words of the Germans
Tinderjährig – “tinder year”
Tinderjährig is the name of a person who has reached the age when he can use the famous mobile dating application. “Tinderlet” was one of the popular nominees for 2017. A year earlier, many had voted for Tindergarten. This is the German youth slang for a collection of online contacts on Tinder.

Youth slang: favorite words of the Germans
Be fly
Fly sein became the youth word of 2016. It comes from hip-hop and describes the state of “complete separation” and the willingness to walk until you drop.

Youth slang: favorite words of the Germans
Nopfensmoothie – “hop smoothie”
Smoothie is a drink of a new generation of healthy food fans. Berry, fruit, with the addition of yoghurt … Barley, wheat? Нopfensmoothie – Hopfen – German “hop” – a new, playful designation for beer. And with hipsters, this traditional drink is in vogue.

Youth slang: favorite words of the Germans
Smombie – “smartfonozombi”
In 2015, the jury voted for “smartphone zombie”. This is the name of a person who constantly looks at the display of a phone or tablet, not paying attention to where he is going. The term originated from an abbreviation of the words “smartphone” and “zombie”. Among the favorites was the verb “krimmen” – “first to give, then to take away.” Crimea in German – Krim. And also a word associated with the Chancellor of Germany …

Youth slang: favorite words of the Germans
Merkeln – “mow like Merkel”
“Merkel”, “flicker”, “mow like Merkel” – the verb “merkeln” was popular among young Germans in 2015, but still did not become the youth word of the year. The word is derived from the name of the current German Chancellor and means doing nothing, avoiding answers and postponing decisions until later.
Author: Tatiana Vainman, Marina Borisova