Die Wörter des Jahres 2006
German Words of the Year for 2006
Also see the 2005 words below.
WORT des JAHRES 2006
Fanmeile, die - The top word for 2006 reflects the spirit of the World Cup (WM) held in Germany in the summer of 2006. The term "Fanmeile" (fan mile) refers to the various locations where thousands of soccer fans from Germany and all over the world gathered to celebrate the games. See Germany Hosts the 2006 WM for more.
Generation Praktikum - This phrase, meaning "generation internship," arose as the result of a trend that forces many young Germans into insecure low-paying or non-paying internship jobs rather than being able to advance within the field they have prepared for.
Karikaturenstreit, der - The Danish Islamic "cartoon controversy" heated up at the beginning of 2006. Muslims and others in Germany and around the world were upset over depictions of Mohammed.
Rechtschreibfrieden, der - After years of strife over German spelling reform (Rechtschreibreform), 2006 was the year of an uneasy peace ("Frieden") and at least a temporary end to the debate between opponents and proponents of the reforms. (See Spelling Reform Timeline for more.)
Prekariat, das - This coinage, a play on the words das Prolitariat and prekär, is a new euphemism for the "underclass."
Bezahlstudium, das - In 2006 some German states (Bundesländer) introduced the new and unpopular concept of university tuition. Paying for their studies is something German students are not used to.
Problembär, der - The brown bear JJ1, popularly known as "Bruno, the problem bear," attracted attention when he became the first living wild bear to be spotted in Germany in 170 years! Bruno caused a sensation as he wandered from northern Italy across parts of Austria and Bavaria. Despite popular protests, on June 26, 2006 Bruno/JJ was shot and killed in Bavaria as a public nuisance, provoking even more protests. (Note: "JJ" was pronounced jay-jay in the German media, rather than the German yot-yot.)
Poloniumspuren (pl.) - The Russian polonium poisoning assassination mystery deepened when traces ("Spuren") of the radioactive substance polonium 210 also turned up in Hamburg, Germany.
Klinsmänner (pl.) - Jürgen Klinsmann (1964- ) was the coach of the World Cup German national team. This word refers to his team members as "Klins-men." Even though the Germans came in third, the team was popular with Germans.
schwarz-rot-geil! - Yet another influence of the 2006 World Cup. This popular catch phrase from the games is a play on the colors of the German flag (schwarz-rot-gold, black-red-gold). The German word "geil" ("horny") is slang for "great." During the World Cup the Germans became more comfortable with patriotic and fan "flag waving" than they had been in many years. Hosting the games somehow made it OK to be German again.
Die Wörter des Jahres 2005
German Words of the Year for 2005
WORT des JAHRES 2005
Bundeskanzlerin, die - The first choice for 2005 reflected not just the fact that a woman had become chancellor for the first time in German history, but also the interesting language issues the word brings up. Only a few decades ago, Angela Merkel would have been addressed as "Frau Bundeskanzler" rather than the feminine form (with - in) that is used today.
Wir sind Papst - This phrase ("We are Pope") originated as a headline in the German tabloid Bild-Zeitung. It struck a chord with Germans and foreigners as a catchy way to announce the election of the new German Pope Benedict XVI.
Tsunami, der - Although the Asian tsunami disaster happened on Dec. 26, 2004, its impact carried over well into 2005. (It appeared as part of the Word of the Day on 29 Dec. 2004.)
Heuschrecken, die (pl.) - Then SPD chairman Franz Müntefering (now vice-chancellor) used the term "locusts" in criticizing foreign ( U.S.) investors, whom he accused of buying up German companies only to "feed" on them and move on.
Gammelfleisch, das - "Spoiled meat" refers to a widespread meat scandal in Germany in 2005, in which some German meatpacking firms were selling outdated meat as fresh.
Jamaika-Koalition, die - Based on the colors of Jamaica's flag and a possible coalition made up of the CDU (black), FDP (yellow), and the Greens (ein Bündnis aus Union, FDP und Grünen).
hoyzern (verb) - This synonym for cheating comes from the name of soccer referee (Schiedsrichter) Robert Hoyzer, who caused a scandal when he admitted making bad calls in favor of certain teams.
suboptimal (adj/adv) - A term used by former chancellor Gerhard Schröder to describe his performance during a TV appearance after the Bundestag elections.
Telenovela, die - This Spanish word for "soap opera" became a trendy way to refer to such programs in German.
FC Deutschland 06, der - This term, a play on the typical name of German pro soccer teams, was used in the German PR campaign for the 2006 World Cup .
Source: Gesellschaft für deutsche Sprache (GfdS)
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