Un-word of the year (, ) is an annual selection of one new or recently popularized term that allegedly violates human rights or infringes upon democratic principles, made by a panel of German linguists. The term may be one that discriminates against societal groups or may be euphemistic, disguising or misleading. The term is chosen from suggestions sent in by the public. The choice of the word does not depend on how many times it was suggested, but reflects the judgement of the panel. The core of the panel consists of four linguists and one journalist. The un-word of the previous year is announced every January.
The linguistic action was started in 1994 by the linguist . The yearly publication of the "un-words of the year" is today widely reported in German media and very popular among Germans. In 2007, the president of the German PEN association, Johano Strasser, criticized the selections as being "themselves a symptom of the language neglect that it pretends to be able to heal" and having the quality of Deutschland sucht den Superstar (a popular German talent show).
History Between 1991 and 1993, the un-word was announced by the Gesellschaft für deutsche Sprache, alongside the Word of the Year. In 1994, following a row with the then German government led by Helmut Kohl, the jury led by linguist Horst Dieter Schlosser decided to become independent of any state-funded institution.
List of un-words of the year since 1991
1990s In 1999, the jury chose as un-word of the 20th century. Century Un-word of the century(German) English translation Explanation 20th human material With this word, a human is considered a mere object. This became particularly apparent in the First and Second World War as many people were used and expended for waging war.
Year Un-word of the year(German) English translation Explanation 1991 free of foreigners Xenophobic, far-right slogan referring to an (ideal) community without any non-German inhabitants, which came to broad public attention during the Hoyerswerda riots. 1992 ethnic cleansing Euphemism popularized during the Yugoslav Wars, referring to the elimination of unwanted ethnic or religious groups by deportation, forcible displacement, and mass murder. 1993 Überfremdung lit. 'over-foreignization' Xenophobic slogan referring to the fear of the negative impact of immigrants on German culture. Considered to make "undifferentiated xenophobia" sound more argumentative and clinical. 1994 From the English word peanuts Chosen to criticize the different definitions of an insignificant amount of money by bankers and average people. Hilmar Kopper, then Chairman of the Board of Deutsche Bank, had used the term to refer to a sum of DM 50 million (roughly US$17 million). 1995 adjustment of the remuneration Euphemism used by members of the Bundestag to refer to the raising of their monetary rewards. The choice of this un-word criticizes the fact that wages for German MPs are set by the MPs themselves, rather than by an independent body. 1996 lit. 'flood of pensioners/retired persons' Term used in the political discussion about the social difficulties arising from population ageing. The choice criticizes the "wrong and inhumane impression"; the rising number of people in need of a reasonable old-age provision would be "similar to a natural disaster". 1997 lit. 'prosperity waste' Deprecatory term coined by Helmut Maucher (then CEO of Nestlé) during an interview, referring to people who are either presumed unable or reluctant to find employment, who in his opinion exist because of the highly developed welfare and social support systems in Germany. 1998 lit. 'socially acceptable early passing' Coined by Karsten Vilmar, then head of the German Medical Association, implying that people who die early into their retirement were considered advantageous for the welfare system. 1999 collateral damage Military term referring to the incidental destruction of civilian property and non-combatant casualties, which came to broad attention during the Kosovo War.
2000s Year Un-word of the year(German) English translation Explanation 2000 lit. 'nationally liberated zone' Euphemism used by Neo-Nazi groups to refer to a region (ranging from a neighborhood to a whole county) defined by a high rate of far-right and xenophobic crimes, which are considered no-go areas by foreigners and leftists. 2001 lit. 'God's warriors' The glorifying synonym for Mujahideen was chosen as a reference to the Islamist terrorists responsible for the September 11 attacks who claimed to act on behalf of a higher power. 2002 -AG lit. 'Me, Inc.' One of the measures of the controversial Hartz concept (a reform of the German labor market), which allows for unemployed people to be registered as self-employed and thus eligible for public support for a start-up business. The choice of this un-word criticizes the Ich-AG as a means of artificially lowering the unemployment rate. 2003 lit. 'nation of perpetrators' The term is used by scholars to refer to a possible German collective guilt in relation to the initiation of World War II and the Holocaust. In 2003, Bundestag member Martin Hohmann gave a highly controversial speech in which he described an alleged Jewish involvement in the Russian Revolution, using the term in that context, implying that the term is no more applicable to the Germans than to the Jews. 2004 human capital The choice criticizes that by using this term, individuals were degraded and classified according to economically relevant quantities. 2005 lit. 'layoff productivity' Already criticized for being inhumane by then chancellor Gerhard Schröder in 1998, the usage of this term for a surge of productivity a company may encounter after dismissing employees deemed unnecessary had even found entry into textbooks on economics. 2006 lit. 'voluntary emigration' A term used in the context of rejected asylum seekers who opt for leaving Germany on their own terms rather than being formally deported. The choice of the un-word criticizes the euphemistic nature of that wording, as the emigration would not be "voluntary" after all.See also: self-deportation. 2007 lit. 'stove bonus' Its origin being unknown, the term was ironically used by opponents of a proposal of German chancellor Angela Merkel's government for the introduction of a special allowance for families in which the small children are educated at home instead of sending them to a kindergarten or similar pre-school institution, alluding to the presumed old-fashioned gender role of a mother fully dedicated to the raising of her children. Critics argued it defames any parents who keep their children at home, irrespective of their actual motives. 2008 lit. 'suffering/needy banks' A wording used during the 2008 financial crisis, by which banks are characterized as victims, rather than catalysts of the meltdown. 2009 lit. 'contaminated by works councils' This offensive neologism (reportedly used internally by the Bauhaus management) describes a business with a strong works council, which takes care of the interests of the employees and thus presses for concessions on the employer's side.
2010s Year Un-word of the year(German) English translation Explanation 2010 without an alternative This term was frequently used by German chancellor Angela Merkel to describe her measures addressing the European sovereign-debt crisis as the only possible ones. The choice of the un-word criticizes that the term would be undemocratic, as any discussion on the subject would be deemed unnecessary or undesirable.See also: There is no alternative. 2011 Döner murders A term used by police investigators to describe a series of murders of mostly Turkish shop and restaurant owners between 2000 and 2006, originally attributed to presumed links of the victims to organized crime groups. In 2011, it was revealed that, in fact, all of these murders were racial hate crimes committed by members of a previously unknown terrorist group called National Socialist Underground, which resulted in widespread criticism of the police for their initial determination. 2012 lit. 'victim(ization) subscription' The term was coined by Jörg Kachelmann in the wake of a trial against him on sexual assault charges, in order to promote his perception that women had the tendency to repeatedly make false claims of crimes such as rape, to further their interests. The choice of the un-word criticizes that this term "unacceptably puts women under general suspicion of inventing sexual violence and of thus being perpetrators themselves." 2013 benefit tourism, welfare tourism, lit. 'social tourism' Referring to foreigners in Germany allegedly leeching on the welfare system. 2014 Pressemitteilung: Wahl des 24. „Unworts des Jahres“ lit. 'liar press', lying press A term that was initially used in the First World War before being revived by the Nazis in the lead-up to the Second World War, and which has since been revived by the Pegida movement to describe media outlets that they believe to have been infiltrated by left-wing influences and therefore to be spreading lies about the political establishment, immigration, asylum and the Pegida movement itself.2015Gutmensch'do-gooder'/'upstanding citizen'Used pejoratively, predominantly by followers of movements like Pegida, to mock those who "do good" by supporting diversity, multiculturalism and refugees in Germany; used to criticize what they believe to be liberals' blindness to the threats posed by foreigners in Germany. 2016 'traitor of the people' A term also used by anti-immigration right-wing groups including AfD and Pegida.2017'alternative facts'Obscuring and misleading expression for the attempt to establish false claims as legitimate means of public discourse.Translated from 2018 'anti-deportation industry' A term coined by Alexander Dobrindt in May 2018. According to the jury, this term insinuates that people who provide legal assistance to rejected asylum seekers want to make money on a large scale from defending even criminal applicants for asylum. Moreover, this expression suggests that this kind of help "produces" new asylum seekers.2019 'climate (change) hysteria' The word "climate (change) hysteria" defames climate protection efforts and the climate protection movement, and discredits important discussions about climate protection. The expression was used by many in politics, economics, and the media in 2019 – by the as well as by entrepreneurs and especially by politicians of the Alternative for Germany party. It dismisses the increased commitment to climate protection as some kind of collective psychosis. Moreover, in light of scientific findings regarding climate change, this word is misleading and irresponsibly supports anti-scientific tendencies. The term was submitted to the jury nine times.Translated from
2020s