Stuttgart chooses the youth word of the year: These terms are available!

Stuttgart chooses the youth word of the year: These terms are available!

Stuttgart (dpa) - With the announcement of the ten candidates for the “Youth Word of the Year”, not only the creative language development of the youth is reflected, but also the social currents and trends that shape the generation. The voting that has already started is an important opportunity for young people to raise their voice and form their cultural identities.

Review of the past and trends

The “Youth Word of the Year” was first introduced in 2008 when the term “Gammelfleischparty” was chosen as the winner. It all started at the time, and since then, ten terms are made to choose from the youngsters, with the winner being announced on October 19 at the Frankfurt Book Fair. Last year's “Goofy” winner already illustrated how important it is to reflect their personal expression in language.

The selection of candidates and social influences

This year's nominees include a variety of interesting words that not only come from everyday language use, but also reflect the influence of social media and current events. Among the ten terms can be found "Yolo", which stands for "You Only Live Once" and describes an attitude to spontaneous decisions, as well as "pyrotechnics", which alludes to the debate about the use of pyrotechnic means at sporting events.

• «Hell No» : The clear contradiction to an inquiry or situation.
• «Talahon» : A term that stands for stereotypical behaviors.
• «AKH» : A friendly salutation that comes from the Arabic.

The importance of the vote

The coordination itself has a high symbolic meaning. It enables young people to actively participate in society and to decide which terms best represent their current lifestyle and their point of view. Langenscheidt Verlag has taken care that no insulting, discriminatory or sexist terms are included in the selection so that the list represents a positive image of the trends and values of the young generation.

criticism and challenges

In recent years there have been reviews on the selected words, since they were often used as not often used by young people or were not considered authentic. The “Tagesschau” spokeswoman Susanne Daubner has drawn a lot of attention to these words through her dedicated contributions and thus initiated a dialogue about the language of the young people.

conclusion and outlook on the future

The choice of the “youth word of the year” is not only an entertaining event, but also a reflection of the diversified identities and values that exist in a constantly changing society. The results of this choice can provide information about the interests and views of the younger generation, while at the same time emphasizing the power of language to form cultural identity.

- Nag