Frankly... visual  Youth Word of the Year discussion

For some, the neologisms seem strange, for others they are simply part of the natural development of language: The Youth Word of the Year has been a source of great debate every year since its introduction. Susi Bumms shows the undreamt-of potential of youth words.

Germany has lots of traditions. One that – for a change – has nothing to do with the collective consumption of alcohol is the annual selection of the Youth Word of the Year, which has taken place since 2008. The actual tradition is not so much the selection itself but the collective discussion about the nominated words.


Words fighting | © Susi Bumms The Youth Word of the Year initiative was founded by the publishing house Langenscheidt. An important part of the discussion tradition revolves around whether young people actually know and use the words. “Gammelfleischparty” (literally “spoiled meat party”), which was chosen in 2008 as the youth word synonym for gatherings of over 30-year-olds, was one I didn’t know before the selection. The 2009 winner “hartzen” (being unemployed, hanging around, named after the Hartz IV labour market reform) was more likely to be heard on TV chat shows than in school playgrounds.
Which brings us to the 2010 winner “Niveaulimbo” (literally “standards limbo”, or the continuous slipping of standards among the younger generation). Indeed, a key part of the annual youth word tradition is claiming that young people speak an even stranger language and is generally lazier than in the previous year. At which point the Niveaulimbo slips further.

Niveaulimbo | © Susi Bumms Every tradition needs a get-together. In 2021, Germany’s prime news programme Tagesschau featured a report on the word selection for the first time. News anchor Susanne Daubner slowly read out all the nominated words: “sheesh”, “wyld”, “digga”, “sus”. This report, the seriousness of the setting, the absurdity of some of the terms, is so brilliant that there should be an annual “public viewing” when Susanne Daubner announces the winning words.

Public Viewing "Tagesschau" | © Susi Bumms

Egosurfing | © Susi Bumms
 

August 2023