Luxembourg has chosen the word of the year 2024
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The initiative to choose the word of the year, organised by the Luxembourg Language Centre (Zenter fir d'Lëtzebuerger Sprooch, ZLS), has become a tradition, taking cultural stock of the year through language. In 2024, the process involved the active participation of the general public, who proposed more than 250 words, of which 20 were selected for a final vote by an expert jury.
The word of the year 2024 is Presidentrick (presidential scam), directly related to a high-profile political scandal. This word symbolises the tension and frustration caused by certain events. Second place went to Caritas-Affär, recalling the scandal surrounding a charity organisation, and third place to Heescheverbuet (ban on begging), reflecting debates about social issues.
The top positions in the ranking demonstrate the influence of the political environment. Words such as Rietsruck (rightward shift) and Grenzkontrollen (border control) reflect the rise of right-wing sentiment and migration challenges. This trend contrasts with previous years, when technological terms such as "KI" (artificial intelligence) in 2023 came to the fore.
In addition to political topics, the list of sentences includes words actively used by young people, such as "cringe", "lost" and "cimer". This emphasises the growing integration of youth slang into the public lexicon. The choice was also influenced by major events such as the Olympic Games and Eurovision Song Contest, indicating the importance of popular culture in shaping language.
Interestingly, the proposals included words related to traditional Luxembourgish vocabulary, such as "Gemauschels" (secrecy) and "Pimpampel" (butterfly). But in the end, it was the compound words that won, which emphasises the popularity of this way of forming new terms in modern Luxembourgish.
