At the end of the year, in many countries and regions, authoritative language organizations will select the vocabulary of the year. Local high-frequency words will appear in the annual reviews of major media. People will also "summarize" new buzzwords in daily communication... …
These newly released hot words at the end of the year either “hit the mark” on major events in the country or region over the past year, or “accurately grasp the pulse” of new trends in local social development. 2023 is coming to an end. Let us look back at what we have experienced this year through the hot words of the year in many places around the world.
United States: “authentic”
American Merriam-Webster Dictionary selected “authentic” as this year’s hot word based on query frequency and popularity. Webster's dictionary said on its official website that the frequency of searches for the word "real" has increased significantly this year, making it one of the most frequently searched words among the dictionary's 500,000 entries.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary analyzed that "authentic is difficult to define and can easily cause controversy. These are two reasons why many people look up the dictionary." In addition, American singer Taylor Swift was criticized this year for seeking "authentic voice" and " "True Self" has made headlines, and the boost from popular culture cannot be underestimated; furthermore, the rise of artificial intelligence has boosted deep fake videos and impacted academic integrity, making it increasingly difficult to distinguish between true and false.
On March 12, in Austin, the capital of Texas, the United States, a visitor to the South by Southwest conference and art festival was experiencing the British multi-sensory augmented reality game "Time Detective" that won the Innovation Award. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xu Jianmei
The US National Public Radio reported that in 2023, the meaning of "truth" will become blurred under the impact of "algorithms and alternative facts"; US media quoted Silicon Valley entrepreneur Elon Musk as calling for, People should be as "authentic" as possible on social media.
UK: "Hallucinate"
The British "Cambridge Dictionary" selected the word "hallucinate" as the word of the year. The reason for its selection is similar to the word of the year selected by the American Merriam-Webster Dictionary - and this year's fire The topic of artificial intelligence is closely related. "Cambridge Dictionary" adds a new explanation to the traditional meaning of this word, that is, "artificial intelligence produces false information."
Since this year, many fake pictures and videos have been proven to be produced by artificial intelligence. As the publisher of Cambridge Dictionaries said, artificial intelligence can confuse truth with falsehood when answering questions, which reminds people that "critical thinking is needed when using these tools."
Jennifer Graham, a law lecturer at Liverpool John Moores University, believes that the use of artificial intelligence technology may or has caused very real harm, such as prejudice and discrimination, which highlights the need for policy coordination and coordination by the international community. The need for joint supervision.
On December 20, in the "Little Market Hall" in Frankfurt, Germany, a stall owner selected fruits for customers. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Fan
Germany: “Crisis Mode”
The German Language Association recently selected Germany’s word of the year: “crisis mode” (krisenmodus). The agency said that crises always exist, but the crisis faced by Germany in 2023 will "explode".
The German Language Association pointed out that at present, Germany is surrounded by multiple problems such as climate change, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the energy crisis, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, inflation, and the debt crisis. Insecurity, fear, anger, helplessness and powerlessness permeate the daily lives of many Germans.
Moritz Lohmann, a German self-media person, said that the term "crisis mode" has a sense of humor. It is an ironic way for Germans to express their feelings about the current situation. "Crisis mode" sounds pessimistic, but he personally feels that not all Germans are living in crisis.
Japan: "Tax"
The Japanese Kanji Ability Test Association has a tradition of selecting annual kanji. The association recently announced that the annual Chinese character that can reflect Japan's world and people's sentiments in 2023 is "tax".
Among the nearly 148,000 total votes collected from all over Japan by the Japan Kanji Ability Test Association, the character "tax" was selected as the Kanji of the Year with 5,976 votes.This is also the second time since 2014 that the character "tax" has been selected as Japan's Kanji of the Year. The reason for its selection is that Japan has been very active on the topic of "taxes" in the past year, including discussions on tax increases, fixed tax reduction policies for income tax and resident tax, and the consumption tax "invoice system" implemented this year.
On December 12, Mori Kiyonori (second from right), the abbot of Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto, Japan, used an extra-large brush to write the word "tax" on the paper. Video screenshot
Japan's annual kanji announcer and abbot of Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto, Mori Kiyonori, said: "I feel that the Japanese people are paying close attention to the whereabouts of taxes. I hope that this 'tax' can make the world better and make the people happy."
South Korea: "Meet "Benefit forgets justice"
South Korea's "Professor News" has selected the annual four-character idiom every year since 2001. The 2023 idiom recently announced by the media is "seeing profits and forgetting one's righteousness". The recommendation committee composed of 20 Korean university professors recommended 26 idioms, and "Professor News" selected 5 of them for a questionnaire survey of 1,315 Korean university professors. The results show that "seeking profit and forgetting one's righteousness" ranks first.
Kim Byung-ki, an honorary professor at Chonbuk University who recommends "seeking profits and forgetting one's righteousness", said in an interview with the media that South Korean politicians pay more attention to their own interests than to guide the people correctly. These politicians formulate and implement policies in a direction that benefits their own interests. It is understood that many of the professors who choose to "see gains and forget one's righteousness" express the view that Korean society is entering an era in which values are lost due to the pursuit of interests.
Palestine: "October 7th"
On October 7, 2023, this time scale has left a painful mark on the decades-long Palestinian-Israeli conflict. "October 7th" has also become a symbol of Palestinian media reports and the public. Frequent words in daily conversation.
On the morning of October 7, Palestinian armed organizations raided Israel, and a new round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict broke out. The Palestinian people, especially residents of the Gaza Strip, are trapped in "hell on earth." So far, more than 21,000 people have been killed and at least 1.9 million people have been displaced in the Gaza Strip. The local humanitarian disaster has triggered widespread concern in the international community.
In the West Bank, conflicts between Palestinian armed personnel and the Israeli army have killed more than 300 Palestinians since October 7. Cafes, restaurants, etc. were once places where people gathered to play cards and watch football. Today, news about the war in Gaza is broadcast in these places every day. People pay close attention to the progress of the conflict and pray devoutly.
Ohud, a foreign reporter from Xinhua News Agency’s Gaza Branch, said that since October 7, the media reports she has followed and the communication between her and interviewees cannot avoid this date. At present, the conflict is still continuing, and she hopes that lasting peace will come soon and people will no longer suffer from the war.
Planner: Feng Junyang
Producer: Yan Junyan Jiang Guopeng
Note-taker: Xu Xiaolei
Reporter: Xiong Maoling, Hu Yousong, Zhao Xiaona, Huang Yan, Wu Hao, Jiang Qiaomei, Guo Dan, Feng Yasong, Yang Chang (reporter), Liu Weijian, Ohude (reporter)
Editor: Xu Xiaolei indifferently Wang Pei, Shen Haoyang, Wang Yujue
Editor: Lu Yu, Chen Dan, Diaoze, Wang Fengfeng
Produced by Xinhua News Agency International Department
