“Traffic light off” has just become the word of the year in Germany. The Netherlands also defines a term that particularly shaped the year that is coming to an end. While the Society for the German Language is behind the project in this country, in the neighboring country it is the dictionary publisher Van Dale, a kind of counterpart to the Duden. He presents ten candidates to choose from and votes online. Usually these are terms that appear in the media and stand for new phenomena or problems. Last year, for example, “graaiflatie”, “grab inflation” or “greedflation”, English “greedflation” won. Inflation that is fueled by companies charging consumers with more than just their own cost increases. In 2022, the “klimaatklever”, the climate adhesive, won first place. In 2015, Volkswagen left linguistic traces in the Dutch language with its manipulation of emissions tests: the “sjoemelsoftware” (“cheating software”) became number one. This week the shortlist for 2024 came out. Citizens should vote by December 16th at 5 p.m. – the result should be published at five a.m. the next day. “Schummeln” was back after years, this time in the “sjoemelscooter”, the “cheat scooter” – a fat bike that looks more like a motor scooter. This term was harmless, but other candidates angered users on social media so much that Van Dale called off the competition for the first time. “Very unpleasant social discussion” “This is bad news for the Dutch language,” said Ton den Boon, editor-in-chief of the Standard dictionary Dikke Van Dale, on Saturday on Dutch radio. According to the publisher, activist groups that fought against or for certain candidates hijacked the election. “The comments surrounding these words have degenerated into a very unpleasant social discussion, which means the election misses the point. This year there will be an even stronger reaction than in other years.” One of the candidates was “transitiespijt,” the transitional regret that trans people might experience. People from the trans community have claimed that the word comes from the conservative corner and is used in a derogatory way, said Den Boon. Others then called for people to vote for it. The “pieperaanval”, the “pager attack”, which refers to the explosions of Hezbollah pagers, also provoked resistance, as did the “Gen Z-stagiair” (“Gen Z intern”). “Dictionaries register language without us being for or against a phenomenon,” argued Den Boon in the newspaper Trouw, for which he is also a language columnist. “We are neutral right now. But it’s obviously no longer possible to tell the difference.”More on the topicWhether the public will be able to vote again in 2025 has not yet been decided. In Belgium, where a similar vote is taking place, this year’s election is going ahead – despite the “bieperaanval”, the “pager attack”, which is a candidate on the list there. In Den Boon’s estimation, the neighbors to the south may be less easily excitable. The Netherlands will still get its “Word of the Year 2024” and now prematurely. Because Van Dale chose the winner himself – and chose a word beyond the list. One that perhaps defines the year more than any other: “On the occasion of the violent reactions to this year’s election, illustrating the zeitgeist, Van Dale’s word of the year for 2024 in the Netherlands is: ‘polarization’.”
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