Woord van het jaar
It’s that time of year again when people start looking back and sizing up the events of the last 12 months. What was the biggest news of 2011? What was the most spectacular discovery? What was the best film? And, most importantly, what was het woord van het jaar, the word of the year.
Dutch-language dictionary publisher Vandale has made it a tradition to hold a vote each year. They drawn up a list of 10 new words that have found their way into everyday use in Flanders and ask you, the citizen, to vote.
One of the more easily translatable is frietrevolutie, or French fry revolution, born in February when students in Ghent protested against the never-ending government negotiations by getting (half) naked and making fries.
Or, to stay in the same category, lazarusformatie, a government formation named after the biblical character of Lazarus, whose name in the Low Countries is associated with intoxication. Just like a drunk, the formation stumbled along.
Until not very long ago, when there it was: het vlinderakkoord, the butterfly accord, the deal reached during government negotiations, chaired by Elio Di Rupo, who often wears a bow tie, or a vlinderdas (butterfly tie) in Dutch.
Something different is knuffeldiefstal, hug robbery. This one has only been in use for a couple of weeks, since reports began coming in of older ladies getting a warm hug on the streets from a total stranger who would then at the same time swipe their jewellery.
Or stoeproken, pavement-smoke, something café and restaurant-goers are forced to do these days, after a smoking ban in public spaces came into force earlier this year.
Aside from the 10 contenders that were hand-picked by professionals, there are another 25 newcomers sent in by the Flemish public. They are divided into five categories: young people, lifestyle, sport/entertainment, economics and politics.
Bingelen, apparently, is a word used by elementary school pupils meaning to prepare your homework on the internet. In a sign that the English language continues to creep up on the Flemish, swappen nowadays is used to refer to the practice of exchanging second-hand clothes with friends.
Wildbreien seems to be not only a new word but a new pastime altogether, as it means “wild knitting”, or decorating trees and buildings with knitted covers.
A citroenloopbaan, meanwhile, is a career path that looks like a lemon: little work in the beginning, a lot of pressure in the middle when employees are squeezed, and little work at the end.
And an obesitasregering is a government with too many parties involved.
