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'Remigration' is Germany's 'non-word' of 2023

January 15, 2024

A jury of linguistic experts highlighted the term "remigration," saying it had been adopted as a euphemism for forced repatriation. The panel awards the prize for words used in a discriminatory or misleading manner.

https://p.dw.com/p/4bFJv
A person with a screen with the word "Remigration"
The panel said the word was being used to soften a policy that would normally be seen as extremeImage: Nadine Weigel/dpa/picture alliance

The term "remigration" has been named Germany's "non-word" for 2023, according to a jury of linguists in Marburg in Hessen, who said the term was used as a "euphemistic cover vocabulary" by right-wing parties.

It said the alternative term for forced repatriation was being used in demands to expel people with a background of migration to Germany.

What the jury said about the word

The word was not the problem in itself, according to the jury, but the way it was being deployed to promote far-right policies was.

The value-neutral technical term comes from social science.

"The new right's use of the word aims to achieve cultural hegemony and ethnic homogeneity. What is demanded by the use of the word violates the basic freedom and civil rights of people with a migration background," said jury spokeswoman Constanze Spiess.

And, the runners-up...

Second on this year's list was "Sozialklimbim" (social fuss), which arose in discussions about social security and child benefits.

The jury said the word was "classic discriminatory rhetoric" to denigrate social benefits that ensure a life of dignity as useless accessories or pointless fuss.

In third place was Heizungs-Stasi (heating Stasi), referring to the former East German secret police who were known for their intrusion into individuals' lives for ostensibly ideological purposes.

The jury said the word was used as propaganda against climate protection measures espoused by environmentalists, including members of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's ruling coalition government.

At the same time, the panel said, the use of the word was disrespectful to the victims of East German state security.

Previous 'non-word' winners

Last year, the jury criticized the phrase "climate terrorists" for defaming and criminalizing activists campaigning for action against climate change.

A policeman (L) works on the hand of a man who has glued himself on the street as climate activists of the "Last Generation" movement are removed from the street
The jury last year selected a German term meaning "climate terrorists" for climate change activists Image: Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty Images

The "Non-Word of the Year" (Unwort des Jahres) jury selects inhumane or inappropriate terms that violate the principle of human dignity, misleadingly gloss over negative issues, or are used to discriminate.

The jury is mainly made up of linguists and seeks to draw attention to "undifferentiated, obfuscating or defamatory public language use."

In 2021, the term "pushback" was chosen as the non-word of the year. The committee explained that it glossed over an inhumane process of pushing back asylum-seekers and migrants at the borders.

rc/lo (AFP, dpa, epd)

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