Griepcommissaris battles Twitterazzo for word of the year
By the time this issue of Flanders Today publishes, there will be one day left to vote for the “Word of the Year”, as determined by Van Dale dictionaries of the Dutch language. Van Dale has drawn up a short list of words from both the Netherlands and Flanders that they consider to be new usages, as well as being typical of some aspect of 2009.
hypotheekleed – mortgage troubles
Mexicaanse griep – Mexican flu (a misnomer but still a contender)
oeps-gebied – the anterior cingulate cortex area of the brain, associated with errors
ontvrienden – de-friending on social networks like Facebook
recessionista – someone who spends their way out of a recession
spuugkit – a kit issued to civil servants to take a DNA sample if spat upon by a member of the public
tomtomburger – someone who takes a fatalistic attitude to life and allows it to be determined by the state
Twitterazzo – a fanatical tweeter
zeilmeisje – an adventurous young woman with a taste for solo voyages
griepcommissaris – a popular newspaper term referring to the commissioner for influenza pandemic preparations, Marc Van Ranst
While several of the options have already become familiar in common use, others appear to have been selected for their exoticism. Whether or not they are actually used by real people (who but the hippest clique of neurologists would ever have occasion to talk about the anterior cingulate cortex?), even a declaration as Word of the Year isn’t always enough to ensure a word’s survival. Last year’s winner, swaffelen, has mercifully disappeared from the lexicographical landscape. Its definition is not fit to be published in a family newspaper.
