Shelley Posted December 30, 2015 at 03:27 PM Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 at 03:27 PM It has been announced that the character of 2015 is 廉 meaning incorruptibility. There is a list of characters and words for 2015. The link below has the detail. I find it interesting that this happens, do we have a word of the year in English or does any other country release such a list? I am aware the French choose loan words and similar to be admitted to the French language but I don't know if its the same thing. http://www.cctv-america.com/2015/12/23/china-releases-top-characters-and-words-of-2015 What would your character of 2015 be? and why? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michaelyus Posted December 30, 2015 at 04:06 PM Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 at 04:06 PM The Oxford Dictionaries word of the year (English, but...) ... self-referential to say the least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lu Posted December 30, 2015 at 04:38 PM Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 at 04:38 PM Dutch (or just the Netherlands?) has a Word of the Year. This year it was 'sjoemelsoftware', which can be loosely translated as 'cheating software' and refers to the software Volkswagen used to cheat. The Word of the Year is usually a new word that has been coined for something that was prominent in the news in that year. And now that I look it up I find that Belgium has its own Word of the Year and it's much nicer: 'kraamkost', defined as 'meal as a gift to a mother who just gave birth and her family'. (Seems a bit of an old-fashioned concept though, isn't feeding the family while mom is recovering the father's job?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelley Posted December 30, 2015 at 05:27 PM Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 at 05:27 PM Interesting, another thing I have learnt about because I am learning chinese that isn't actually chinese. I was unaware of the Word of year in any language. Somehow chinese seems to lend itself to something like this, as it encompasses not only meaning but the beauty and skill of the calligraphy. I will have to explore further. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michaelyus Posted December 30, 2015 at 05:29 PM Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 at 05:29 PM The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation does a kanji of the year too. 2015's was 安, chosen by nationwide survey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hofmann Posted December 30, 2015 at 07:35 PM Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 at 07:35 PM Oxford, word. I do not think it means what you think it means. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anica Posted December 30, 2015 at 07:58 PM Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 at 07:58 PM In Germany, it's similar to the Netherlands. The word of the year 2015, chosen by some linguistic society, is Flüchtlinge (refugees). No wonder, as it is in the news on a daily basis. Austria and Switzerland have their own words of the year. There's even a Jugendwort des Jahres, a "youth word of the year". In 2015, it's Smombie, a combination of Smartphone and Zombie (so sb who doesn't take notice of anything but his phone). I'm afraid I have never heard of it before.... Then, there also is the Unwort des Jahres, the most impossible or ill-used word of the year. It will only be announced in January, but last year's word was Lügenpresse, "the lying (as in to tell a lie) media / press. The word is frequently used by extreme rightists who think that media reports on them or on topics they are interested in are all lies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelley Posted December 30, 2015 at 08:36 PM Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 at 08:36 PM Oxford, word. I do not think it means what you think it means. Who doesn't know what what means? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
889 Posted December 30, 2015 at 08:52 PM Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 at 08:52 PM For China as well, I think it should be word of the year, not character.Consider these examples, each of which speaks loudly of a particular time in China:现代化和谐反革命公社下台回归忠于人民斗争开放 下海 站起來 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hofmann Posted December 30, 2015 at 10:37 PM Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 at 10:37 PM Who doesn't know what what means? Well, I mean the emoji can't be pronounced. A word has to have a pronunciation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelley Posted December 30, 2015 at 10:58 PM Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 at 10:58 PM Oh I see, it is an odd thing, picking a emoji that as you point out can't be spoken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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