The Pan South African Language Board, in partnership with the media research company Focal Points, has unveiled a shortlist for the South African word of the year in 2022.
The SA Word of the Year is a word, term or expression preferred to reflect the passing year in language. The winner will be announced on Monday, 17 October 2022.
The top five include Phala Phala, load shedding, xenophobia, Inganekwane, and Gaslighting. These are the words South Africans have used to describe their attitudes, moods, and preoccupations over the past year, according to PanSALB.
SABC News Iman Rapeti speaks to PanSALB Ntombentle Huluhulu:
PanSALB CEO Mr Lance Schultz says, “The SA Word of the Year shortlist gives a glimpse of the social issues that have been the preoccupation of our discourse and conversations on matters that affect us in the country. Social media has also brought that fun element of language use to the fore and subsequently made translanguaging more prominent.”
Other words/terms that were submitted and considered include: Immigrant, Gender-Based Violence, iSigaxa sendaba, Wishy wishy.
