"Systemically relevant" is Swiss word of the year 2020
Systemrelevant, coronagraben, pandemia and mascrina are the words of the year Switzerland 2020. They show what society is thinking about and what moves it. ZHAW researchers used the largest text database in Switzerland as a basis, and the jury decided the choice.
Systemrelevant in German, coronagraben in French, pandemia in Italian and mascrina in Romansh are the words of the year Switzerland. In second and third place are maskensünder and stosslüften, gestes barrières and luttes, responsabilità and distanza, and extraordinari and positivitad. "These words have shaped the discourse in Switzerland in 2020 - scientifically proven in the text database and confirmed by the choice of the four juries of linguists," explains ZHAW linguist Marlies Whitehouse, head of the German-language jury and coordinator of the Word of the Year Switzerland project, in a statement.
In all four national languages
In 2017, the ZHAW Department of Applied Linguistics took over responsibility for choosing the Word of the Year. Since then, the election has been multilingual, research-based and interactive. In collaboration with the Lia Rumantscha, the Word of the Year Switzerland has also been chosen in Romansh since 2019.
For each language, the choice leads through three levels:
- Researchers analyze the Swiss discourse database corpus Swiss-AL and determine per language the words that were used more frequently or significantly differently in 2020 than in previous years.
- Then a jury of language professionals chooses the three most distinctive words from this list, from audience suggestions, and based on their own experience.
- Finally, the researchers show how these words have developed in language use in Switzerland in 2020 and what social changes they represent.
The four juries each consist of around ten linguists from German-, French-, Italian- and Romansh-speaking Switzerland. The Department of Applied Linguistics at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences ZHAW in Winterthur is responsible for the database and project management.
Swiss-German word of the year 2020
Rank 1: systemically relevant
Applause and overwork, strike thoughts and demarcation issues - unrest enters the system with the Federal Council's classification of which sectors are indispensable for the well-being of society and the functioning of the economy. Excessive working hours on the one hand, short-time work and increasing bankruptcies on the other hand lead to various demands: higher basic wages, more recognition and financial compensation for corona-related losses. And at the same time, the question preoccupies: aren't we all relevant in this system?
Rank 2: Mask Sinner
Anyone traveling without a face mask is called a mask sinner. This is because masks are compulsory throughout Switzerland, without ifs and buts, unmissable, inaudible. In order to protect each other, we are supposed to wear hygiene masks, industrially manufactured textile masks or medical face masks that cover the mouth and nose. While some see the mask as a key measure in combating the pandemic, others see it as an infringement of their personal freedom. Either way, those who go topless will be fined.
3rd place: shock ventilation
There's a draft through the rooms and corridors, an icy wind whistles through our hair - we're shock-ventilating. What was previously propagated by landlords in the cold season to save on heating costs is taking on a new meaning in the corona crisis. Especially in schools, rooms must be ventilated more frequently to reduce the risk of infection. The children learn en passant that it is also easier to think with fresh air. And so many of those who are now sitting behind their masks in the draft, shivering slightly, are probably thinking how nice it will be to be back in normality.
