Heading into the festive season, many companies take a look back at the year that’s past and ahead to plan for the upcoming year. It’s quite disorientating to consider the fundamental changes that have occurred in 2024, both globally and locally.
For those brave enough to pick one Word of the Year (WOTY), capturing the zeitgeist of the year in one word is a formidable exercise, especially when you have a diverse group trying to reach a consensus.
Words are personal, cultural and generational, not to mention dynamic – with meanings morphing and changing over time. That’s where the power of a word lies in its capacity to evoke memories, emotions and associations.
In a quote published by the BBC, Fiona McPherson, a senior editor in the New Words team of the Oxford English Dictionary, said selecting the WOTY involves looking for something that “somehow encapsulates something about that year”.
Somewhat disappointingly, the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB) chose “Russia-Ukraine” as its WOTY 2023, citing quantitative selection criteria. The Board’s social media WOTY 2023 was something far more relatable. It selected the isiZulu word “Kuningi” which translates into “it’s a lot” and is often used on social media to express feeling overwhelmed.
Brat
Collins has already announced ‘brat’ as its WOTY 2024. If you’re anywhere around my age, don’t assume to know what the word means because it appears to have been redefined by the British singer-songwriter Charlotte Emma Aitchison.
Known to her fans as Charli XCX, ‘brat’ is the title of her hugely successful album. The new definition of ‘brat’ is characterised by a confident, independent, and hedonistic attitude.
According to Collins, ‘brat’ has become one of the most talked about words of 2024. More than an album, ‘brat’ is a cultural phenomenon that has resonated with people globally, and ‘brat summer’ established itself as an aesthetic and a way of life.
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is due to announce its WOTY 2024 on 2 December. This year marks the two-decade anniversary of the competition and it’s the third year in which the public is invited to vote for a word on the shortlist.
The OUP says this year’s shortlisted words include those associated with bygone eras that have slid back into public consciousness – in some cases after being adopted and retooled by online communities.
The OUP shortlist for 2024 includes the following words:
- Slop
- Brain rot
- Dynamic pricing
- Lore
- Romantasy
- Demure
OUP’s choice last year was ‘rizz’, internet slang for romantic appeal or charm, mostly used by young people.
Or Kwazilliance
On a more local level, I’ve heard “Kwazilliance” used in business lingo in KwaZulu-Natal quite often this year, and the GNU has featured strongly since May.
With the rise of AI, this time next year, we could be talking about ChatGPT and Gemini’s WOTY winners as Large Language Models gobble up and analyse online text.
Wishing you and those close to you a happy ‘brat summer’ break.
