“Crisis regime” and “anti-Semitism” became words of the year in Germany

The choice of words of the year in the German Language Society was explained by the ongoing crises around the world, as well as a new wave of anti-Semitism in Germany, which is happening “under the influence of Islamists”

The word Krisenmodus (“crisis mode” or “crisis state”) has become the word of 2023 in Germany according to the German Language Society (Gesellschaft für deutsche Sprache, GfdS). “Anti-Semitism” came in second place, and “lack of ability to read” (leseunfähig) came in third.

In total, the society chose 10 words that have dominated public and political discussions in recent months and reflected the essence of events taking place in the country and the world. The top ten also included:

KI-Boom (“artificial intelligence boom”); Ampelzoff (“traffic light” - we are talking about the so-called traffic light coalition, which included the SPD, the Greens and the FDP); Hybride Kriegsführung ("hybrid war"); Migrationsbremse (“migration crisis”); Milliardenloch (“billion holes” – referring to “holes” in the German budget); Teilzeitgesellschaft ("part-time company"); Kussskandal (“kiss scandal” - it is about the kiss of the head coach of the Spanish national team, Jorge Wild, and football player Jennifer Hermoso, after which Jorge was forced to leave his post).

As the GfdS noted, “crisis mode” was chosen as the word of the year because “crises and their management appear to have reached a climax.” “We are surrounded by crises. Crises that have not yet been overcome, such as climate change, the Russian-Ukrainian war or the energy crisis , are replaced by new crises. The war in the Middle East, inflation and debt crisis came into play , and the education crisis worsened. The state of emergency has long since become permanent. Feelings such as uncertainty, fear, anger, helplessness and powerlessness characterize the everyday life of many people,” German society emphasized.

Speaking about the second place for the word “anti-Semitism”, the GfdS pointed out that this is “by no means a new phenomenon in our country, which existed long before National Socialism and did not fade away even after the Second World War.” “However, the attack on Israel by the Islamist terrorist organization Hamas on October 7, 2023 revealed that in Germany there is not only right-wing, but also left-wing anti-Semitism. Islamist-influenced hostility towards Jews, which had been prominent among parts of the Muslim population, also became apparent. Under the slogan “Never again!” many people oppose anti-Semitism, racism and xenophobia,” the society emphasized.

GfdS also noted problems with school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic and the lack of German language skills among migrants, which is why the word “inability to read” took third place. “According to recent studies, up to 31% of fourth graders do not meet minimum reading standards,” the society added.

The German Language Society is Germany's main government-sponsored language society. The GfdS advisory service supports companies, authorities and institutions regarding the use of the German language in terms of spelling, grammar and style. Twice a year, the GfdS awards a media prize for linguistic culture, as well as the annual Alexander Romberg Prize for young journalists. Since 1971, the society has held an annual language retrospective, known for its "word of the year".

In 2022, GfdS named “turning point” as its word of the year. It was used, in particular, by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, speaking at the end of February, after the start of the Russian special operation. The second place in the ranking was then occupied by the expression Krieg um Frieden (“war around the world”), third by Gaspreisbremse (“gas price brake”).

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The English word of the year 2023, according to Oxford University Press, is the colloquial expression rizz, meaning “personal charm.” “2023 marked the era of personal and professional PR. And what does it take to attract attention? A lot of charisma (or shortened form - rizz),” the message said.

It is a term that refers to the ability to attract another person through style, charm, or attractiveness. It comes from the middle part of the word charisma (“charisma”), which is an unusual word formation scheme. Other examples of such word formation: refrigerator from refrigerator (refrigerator) and flu from influenza (“flu”).

In addition to rizz, the finalists in the Oxford Dictionary vote were:

prompt - “request”, a task for an artificial intelligence program, neural network; situationship - “romantic or sexual relationship” that is not considered official and does not constitute a status for both partners; swiftie - “an enthusiastic fan of singer Taylor Swift.”