No surprise as PanSALB announces SA’s Word of the Year
The Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB) has crowned load shedding as the South African Word of the Year.
The South African Word of the Year is a word, term or expression preferred to reflect the passing year in language.
Terms which were also in the running were Inganekwane, Gaslighting, Xenophobia, and Phala Phala.
“It should come as no surprise to many South Africans that load shedding has been the most used word/term in South Africa as the dreaded rolling blackouts instituted by Eskom have largely defined our lived experience in 2022,” said PanSALB CEO Lance Schultz.
“Ultimately, the SA Word of the Year reflects the preoccupations of South Africans for that given period, and this year South Africans had to contend with the impact of the energy crisis in the country.
"The term ‘load shedding’ has superseded the first runner-up, which is Phala Phala, with over 40 000 clip counts and mentions across a broad range of media.”
