HR (my regional public TV network) brought up this topic today....the 'word-gurus' of Germany have picked the ten 'new' words which were spoken about or created in 2018. It's an interesting group:
1. Heißzeit (meaning hot time). It was used by the general public back in the summer to describe the heat/drought period.
2. Funklochrepublik (radio hole republic). This signifies various regions in Germany where you can't get decent radio or cellphone reception. Note, rarely does this come up in urbanized areas. It's typically in highly rural areas with mountains in the background. I will emphasize that this word might be around for twenty more years, and become a political chant eventually.
3. Ankerzentren (anchor centers). This was a Interior Ministry word to describe where you'd send problem-refugees when they were supposed to be deported. Naturally, the pro-asylum folks felt it was one step away from prison.
4. Wir sind mehr (we are more). This was a created word to counter anti-asylum or anti-immigration rallies (mostly in the east) and would indicate a pro-asylum position for the counter-protest.
5. Strafbelobigt (punishable). This one word was invented out of thin air, to describe 'punishment' necessary to get rid of Maassen (the former head of the German version of the 'FBI'). The odds of it ever being used again? I'd put it at 10-percent chance or less.
6. Pflegeroboter (nursing robots). There was a long discussion in 2018 about how the 'system' was going to care for older Germans, and there just weren't enough nurses and care-givers around to handle the numbers. Journalists and political folks were virtually the only ones using the word.
7. Diesel-Fahrverbot (diesel car driving bans or forbidden). Yes, it was the year where fifty-odd cities started talks about preventing diesel drivers from entering their cities. This word was used a lot.
8. Handelskrieg (trade war). This was invented to cover the Trump issues with EU and German trade. So far, no one can say how you win or lose a Handelskreig.
9. Brexit-Chaos (the chaos created over the Brit exit from the EU).
10. die Mutter aller Probleme (the mother of all problems). This was an invented term by the Minister of the Interior early in the year.....trying to get his arms around all of the asylum, immigration and migration issues. Various opposition parties countered his proposals, and this term came up almost daily for around two months.
The odds that some of the terms will drift off and never be used again? At least four of these fit into this category. That's the problem with invented German words....unless you have kids uttering them daily....that's about the only way that a word sticks, and stays around.
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