Propose your Year’s Word, Unword and Winged Saying 2013!

On December 27 was announced the annual inquiry regarding Latvian Language Year’s Word, Unword and Winged Saying that will continue until January 13, 2014. Received material will be evaluated by the jury that are the organisers of the inquiry – commissions of the RLS Latvian Language Advancement Group (LLAG), Latvian Writers Union (LWU) and Latvian Academy of Science Terminology Commission.

The inquiries of the Latvian Language Year’s Word, Unword and the Winged Saying have been taking place from the year 2003 on every eve of the New Year. They finish on the second part of January with press conference in the RLS House, when all the society get to know, which word, unword and saying have been acknowledged as the brighter in their categories.  

Each year we receive a lot of various proposals. The submitters come from various society circles and age groups – all, who care about language development.  

In the Year’s Word category should be proposed words that have been made taking into account Latvian Language rules that have appeared from the first time or describe new phenomenon. In 2010 Latvian Academy of Culture students made Year’s Word “zibakcija” (flesh mob). In 2011 Year’s Word was “staidzināt” (to take, for example, a dog for a walk). In 2012 Year’s Word was “ziemotne” (birds’ wintering places) that came from biologists and ornithologists.

Year’s Unwords can be unnecessary borrowed words that have appeared from the first time or have notedly spread or have been made from already known words that have been widely used in impertinent or unnecessary changed meaning For example in 2008 it was “šis te… šo te… (this one… that one…), in 2004 – “māsterplāns” (master plan), in 2006 – “handlings” (handling), in 2003  – “eiro” (euro), in 2007 – “siera products” (cheese product), in 2011 – “konsolidēt” (consolidate) and in 2005 – “centrs” (centre).

Year’s Winged Saying usually is some phrase that is brighter or most strange from sayings that have been often used or have been especially noticed in the society. The Winged Saying can be very neat or it can be as a boomerang that can catch the speaker himself – it can be said about the year’s 2007 saying „damaged horizontal time code”, where in Latvian it is used with two thirds foreign words.

Retrospect to last years words can be found here:
LVAK.wordpress.com/gada-vards-nevards-teiciens/

RLS Language Advancement Group invites people all year long to look for, write down and send the most interesting words, unwords and sayings – both, that are used once and that have already become part of Latvian Language – in the press, internet, documents, translations, writings, public speeches, conversations, etc.

Year’s 2013 Word’s, Unword’s and Winged Saying’s proposals we are waiting until January 13, 2014 to the e-mail: gadavards@inbox.lv or via mail to the RLS Latvian Language Advancement Group, Riga Latvian Society House, Merķeļa Street 13, Riga, LV-1050.