German Word of the Year 2015 is 'Flüchtlinge' - refugees
December 11, 2015
The Society for the German Language has revealed the word encompassing this year's politics the best: Without a doubt, the dominant issue in Germany was refugees. Discover the Words of the Year of the last seven years.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/P. Pleul
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7 German Words of the Year
"Refugees" is Germany's Word of the Year 2015, followed by "Je suis Charlie" and "Grexit". Here's a look at words selected by the Society for the German Language over the past few years.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Büttner
2015: 'Flüchtlinge' (refugees)
"Flüchtlinge" - refugees marked this year like no other, said the Society for the German Language (GfdS), selecting the term as Word of the Year. The runner-up, "Je suis Charlie," is the French sentence people used to express solidarity with the victims of the attack on the satire magazine "Charlie Hebdo." The portmanteau "Grexit," designing Greece's looming exit from the eurozone, came in third.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Hitij
2014: 'Lichtgrenze' (border of lights)
The 2014 winner came as a surprise: "Lichtgrenze" (border of lights) referred to an installation of lights strung along the former border in Berlin for the 25th anniversary celebration of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
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2013: 'GroKo' (grand coalition)
"GroKo" was selected as Word of the Year in 2013. It stands for the German government coalition of the country's two major parties, the Christian and the Social Democrats, abbreviating "Grosse Koalition," or grand coalition.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Stache
2012: 'Rettungsroutine' (rescue routine)
Rescue routine was the surprise winner three years ago. The word reflects Europe's unstable economic situation and recurring stabilization moves, the language experts argued.
2011: 'Stresstest' (stress test)
This word fit the spirit of 2011, the GfdS said, as the financial term applied to banks, train stations, governments and nuclear power plants alike that year. It still does.
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2010: 'Wutbürger' (enraged citizens)
The GfdS picked "Wutbürger" as the most important word of 2010, because that year angry citizens took to the streets over several controversial issues, reacting to political decisions taken without their involvement.
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2009: 'Abwrackprämie' (scrapping premium)
The wrecking premium for older-model cars was a popular measure that year, as the government offered cash for people to get rid of their old cars and buy a new one. The incentive aimed to stimulate the ailing automobile industry.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
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The Wiesbaden-based Society for the German Language (GfdS) has chosen the most important word of the year since 1977 - a word or expression that best reflects the political, economic and social mood in Germany in that particular year.
Amidst the crisis situation affecting Germany and the whole world, it's not surprising that "Flüchtlinge" (refugees) was chosen to represent 2015.
'We can do it'
The GfdS chose 10 words out of about 2,500 suggestions.
Here's the list of the top 10 Words of the Year for 2015Image: picture-alliance/dpa/A. Dedert
"Je suis Charlie" came in second, and "Grexit" was placed third. The latter term has meanwhile spawned similar terms, including "Brexit" (a British exit from the EU) and even "Schwexit" (German soccer star Bastian Schweinsteiger swapping Bayern Munich for Manchester United).
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's much-quoted slogan "Wir schaffen das!" (We can do it), in reference to the refugee crisis, was placed 10th among the 2015 wining words.
