A political term that arose during the recent German election, "Jamaica-Aus," meaning Jamaica Out, has been chosen as Germany's Word of the Year for 2017.
It might sound strange to non-German ears, but the buzzword refers to the collapse of "Jamaica Coalition" talks between the Christian Democrats (CDU) and their Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), the Free Democrats (FDP) and the Greens — the parties are respectively represented by the colors black, yellow and green, which also feature on the Jamaican flag.
Denoting the ongoing failure to form a governing majority in German, Jamaica Out was one of several political neologisms chosen by the Society for German Language (GfdS) on Friday for its Word of the Year, which has been awarded since 2009.
This year's runner-up is "Ehe für alle," or Marriage for all, which became a rallying cry on social media after gay and lesbian couples were finally granted full marriage equality in Germany — including the right to adoption — on October 1.
Read more: Marriage for all: celebrities tying the same-sex knot
Number three was "#MeToo," a twitter hashtag turned global forum through which women shared their stories sexual harassment and abuse. These women were collectively honored this week as Time magazine's Person of the Year in 2017.
The "Me Too" hashtag, featured here at an October 2017 demonstration in Berlin, has become a global buzzword
According to the GfdS, Me Too drew attention to the extent of the problem, especially in the world of film and entertainment, with multiple women, for example, making sexual abuse allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.
Read more: Time names 'The Silence Breakers' Person of the Year
When choosing the Word of the Year, the GfdS focuses on expressions or terms that have significantly shaped public debate over the calendar year. What counts is not the sheer frequency with which the terms have been used in the media, but rather their significance, and linguistic quality.
The winner of 2016 was "postfaktisch", or post-factual, the use of which became widespread in Germany during the US presidential campaign when Donald Trump triggered a public debate about post-truth politics and so-called 'alternative facts.' Prior to the rise of the buzzword late in 2016, the term "Brexit" was seen as a favorite.
ka/suc/ag/sb (dpa/gfds.de)
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Germany's Youth Words of the Year since 2009
2021: Cringe
The English word "cringe" was selected as the German Youth Word of the Year 2021. Just like in English, German teens use it to describe a person or situation they find extremely embarrassing. But the German language also has its own term to express the feeling of being embarrassed because someone else has embarrassed themselves (without noticing): "fremdschämen" — secondhand embarrassment.
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Germany's Youth Words of the Year since 2009
2020: Lost
The German Youth Word of the Year in 2020 was also an English word, "lost." German teens don't use it in the sense of having lost their way, but to express a lack of perspective, or of not knowing what to do. They might also use the term in a math class for instance as a way of saying "I don't get it."
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Germany's Youth Words of the Year since 2009
2018: Ehrenmann / Ehrenfrau
Man or woman of honor: that's the German Youth Word of the Year for 2018 (no word was selected in 2019). It refers to a person you can always count on and who's loyal to his friends and family. It can also be used ironically as an insult, when someone claims to have strong principles but doesn't apply them in real life. German rappers often use "Ehrenmann" in their lyrics.
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Germany's Youth Words of the Year since 2009
2017: I bims
To be or not to be? Germany's young people would answer Shakespeare's most famous existential question with "I bims," derived from "Ich bin" — I am. It was chosen as the German Youth Word of the Year in 2017.
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Germany's Youth Words of the Year since 2009
2016: am Fly sein
When a person feels in a particularly high and sexy mood and is ready to, say, party all night, German teens will highlight this energy by borrowing from US hip-hop slang, literally saying "you're on fly." In English, "I'm so fly" is a rapper way of saying you're cool. It was embodied by the main character in the film "Super Fly" from 1972, with its famous Curtis Mayfield soundtrack.
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Germany's Youth Words of the Year since 2009
2015: Smombie
Do you check your phone while you're walking and run into things? Then apparently you have something in common with German teens. The 2015 German Youth Word of the Year was "Smombie" — a cross between smartphone and zombie. Walking while checking for a new like, follow or message can be hazardous. Perhaps Germany should adopt this phone lane idea spotted in China.
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Germany's Youth Words of the Year since 2009
2014: Läuft bei dir
As with most of the youth words of the year, this one can also contain traces of irony. If you say "läuft bei dir" to someone — basically "things are going well with you" — it probably means nothing is really as it should be. Maybe they were up all night on Snapchat and completely forgot to cram for their algebra test.
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Germany's Youth Words of the Year since 2009
2013: Babo
Who's the leader of the pack among your friends? Chances are, they're the babo: that is, the boss, the ringleader, the head honcho. German rapper Haftbefehl (pictured) may also like to see himself as the babo. In 2013, he released a track called "Chabos know who the babo is." While "chabos" (roughly, guys) is derived from Angloromani, babo comes from Turkish.
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Germany's Youth Words of the Year since 2009
2012: YOLO
In 2012, an English abbreviation won German Youth Word of the Year. YOLO stands for You Only Live Once. In that case, live it up. Maybe that means launching your singing career on YouTube, getting a colorful tattoo or just having another drink. The youths of 2012 couldn't care less about the consequences.
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Germany's Youth Words of the Year since 2009
2011: Swag
It's not surprising that teen speak is heavily influenced by the music scene. Swag was borrowed from the American rap scene and made it over to Germany around 2010, becoming popular thanks to Austrian rapper Money Boy's track "Turn My Swag On." If you've got swag, you radiate coolness.
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Germany's Youth Words of the Year since 2009
2010: Niveaulimbo
Ever played limbo? Then you know there's a limit to how far down you can go — even if you're really good. "Niveaulimbo" — literally, limbo level — refers to the ever-sinking quality of something. That could be a TV show, a joke or a party that just starts getting out of hand.
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Germany's Youth Words of the Year since 2009
2009: Hartzen
Who says young people aren't interested in politics? In 2009, the Youth Word of the Year was a sharp social and political criticism. Derived from Hartz IV, the German welfare program, "hartzen" is a verb meaning "to be lazy."
Author: Kate Müser, Elizabeth Grenier
