According to the Associated Press on December 13, many emotions are common, but many words are not universal. As 2023 comes to a close, the AP reached out to colleagues around the world to find words that emerged this year that would capture or rally popular sentiment.
Some words have strong news attributes, and some words have strong cultural colors. There are a few words that make people feel pleasant. No matter what language is used, the emotions are expressed. Some might think that "artificial intelligence" is the word of the year for 2023, while Merriam-Webster has chosen authentic and Oxford University Press has chosen rizz, a word taken from the word charisma.
We would like to share a wide variety of examples of what the Germans call "words with wings".
password child (Australia), "password child".
Australia's Macquarie Dictionary selects the "Word of the Month" throughout the year. One of them is Cozzie Livs, which is a slang term for "cost of living." The other is Murder Noodle, which refers to snakes. In a country with the most venomous snakes in the world, the word is as cute as it is accurate.
But we'll go with "password kids," a term that families everywhere will love. It refers to a child who is considered to be more pampered than his siblings because the child's name is used as a password by the parents.
quoicoubeh！(France), "Who knows?".”
The term is super popular among French teenagers this year. They use the word to annoy their elders, and the word itself has no real meaning. It's a simple thing: a teenager says something inaudible and wants a parent or teacher to reply "quoi?".(What?)Then the teen replied, "quoicoubeh!."”
The origin of the word remains a mystery. Radio France has said it was inspired by a wordplay in Côte d'Ivoire, where if someone says "quoi", someone replies with "quoicou". However, an Associated Press correspondent based in Côte d'Ivoire said it was "unfortunate" that he had never heard of such expressions.
kitawaramba (Kenyan, Swahili), "Sooner or later retribution".
The term comes from the mouth of Kenyan pastor Paul Mackenzie. The man is accused of leading a famine-apocalyptic cult that killed more than 400 people.
He uttered the word while waiting to be taken to court. The new word seemed like a threat, but it soon took on a life of its own. Kenyans use it to warn others that their actions may incur bad results.
Bharat (Indian, Sanskrit), "India".
Guests attending the G20 meeting in India received an invitation to a dinner with the word bharat written on it. The first question many ask is whether the country, with a population of more than 1.4 billion, is now going back to its ancient Sanskrit name.
Many see Bharat as a political move by Hindu nationalism led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The phrase resonated with Modi's supporters, who believe it will wash away the stain left by colonialism in India. But Muslims and other minorities feel even more uncomfortable.
The name has now been used in various international forums, but India has not officially announced a change in the name of the country.
Bwa Kale (Haitian, Cleole), "debarked wood".
This phrase became the death cry of Haiti against violent gangs this year. Civilians chant this phrase while chasing suspects. According to the United Nations, vigilante groups have killed more than 300 suspected gang members. The phrase has long appeared in Haitian street slang and alludes to male domination and power.
Now it has spread overseas. A segment on social shows a group of Latino fans — not knowing from which country — chant "BWA Kale!" after their team defeated their opponent”。Some businesses even use this phrase to advertise their products. One restaurant has introduced a "BWA Kale" special: a burger skewered on a stick with two small pieces of meat on top, accompanied by a tortilla chip and three bottles of local beer.
Tax (Japan) At a high-profile event on the 12th, the abbot of Kiyomizudera Temple in Kyoto wrote the kanji of the year with a brush. The Japanese people chose "tax" as the best representative of 2023 because of speculation that Japan will raise taxes to fund the country's military buildup.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's ** is pushing for a five-year plan to double Japan's annual defense spending to about 10 trillion yen ($70.4 billion) under the latest *** strategy. This will make the country the third largest military spender in the world.
nones, "non-believers".
In many countries, there has been a sharp increase in the number of people who are not religious or affiliated with any organized religion. They are known as "non-believers" and make up 30% or more of the adult population in the United States and Canada, as well as in many European countries. Countries such as Japan, Israel, and Uruguay also have large populations that are not religious. (Compiled by Qing Songzhu).