The German Word of the Year 2018 is "Heißzeit" (heatwave). The Society for the German Language (GfdS) announced this two days ago. The word not only describes an extreme summer that felt like it lasted from April to November, but also alludes to "one of the most serious global phenomena of the early 21st century," namely climate change, according to the GfdS. Furthermore, it is an interesting linguistic formation. In second place is "Funklochrepublik" (dead zone republic), and the jury awarded third place to "Ankerzentren" (anchor centers). Fourth place went to "Wir sind mehr" (We are more).
Since 1977, the GfdS (Society for German Language) has regularly selected words and phrases that have particularly shaped the political, economic, and social life of a given year. According to the GfdS, the selection is not necessarily based on frequency of use, but rather on significance and popularity. In 2017, the word of the year was "Jamaica-Aus" (the collapse of the Jamaica coalition talks), as the graphic shows.
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