Jihadgala, selfiedode – what will be the Dutch Word of the Year?
The Van Dale dictionary group has issued its shortlist of 10 nominations for the traditional Word of the Year competition.
The 10 words reflect the main news events of the year and also highlight the ease with which the Dutch language adapts to new developments.
Voting is online and will close on December 14.
1. Aardbevingskamer (part of a court where judges assess how much a property has gone down in value because of the risk of earthquakes)
2. Cyberkalifaat (an organisation of jihadi hackers who carry out online attacks)
3. Je suis … (slogan used after the attacks on the Charlie Hebo offices in Paris)
4. Jihadgala (an event which will be addressed by a radical imam)
5. Nepfractie (a non-democratic political party which is represented in parliament)
6. Poortjesspringer (someone who jumps over the turnstiles at train stations)
7. Selfiedode (someone who dies while taking a selfie)
8. Sjoemelsoftware (software which influences the result of tests, as in Volkswagen)
9. Vluchtelingenhek (a border fence to keep out refugees)
10. Welkomstwinkel (shop where donated goods are distributed to refugees)
The Onze Taal language lobby group earlier chose sjoemelsoftware as its word of the year.
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