Top Ten German Words Of 2010

Every year Die deutsche Gesellschaft der Deutsche Sprache selects the ten top words that best reflect the German people's social and political experience of that year. This year's list was chosen from among 2000 words and expressions which frequented often both printed and televised national media.

1. Wutbürger - Rage citizen: This word of the year demonstrates the great dissatisfaction and outrage that many German citizens felt over this year's various political and social issues.


2. Stuttgart 21: This expression stems from the popular protest throughout Germany about the plans to build a new underground through station in the current southern end of the Stuttgart central station.


3. Sarrazin-Gen – Sarrazin-Gene: A controversial book "Deutschland schafft sich ab"(Germany abolishes itself) came out this year, sparking tremendous fury in Germany. The author, former Senator of Finance of Berlin state, Thilo Sarrazin, discusses in his book the potential threat immigration poses to German society. The mock-term "Sarrazin-Gen" was coined after his remarks about ethnic groups having a predisposition to particular genes.


4. Cyberkrieg – Cyber war: This word describes the dispute between Wikileaks supporters and non-supporters as they fought over the net with information and payment "blockades".


5. Wikileaks: The name for the web organization that disseminates secret and classified news media from all over the world to the general public.


6. Schottern: A verb from the noun der Schotter (gravel) which was removed from under railways by protestors who wanted to sabotage the transportation of German radio-active waste.


7. Aschewolke - cloud of ash: This was the effect of the Icelandic volcano eruption in March over all of Europe, which caused the cancellation of many commercial flight plans.


8. Vuvuzuela: This plastic horn used by fans in soccer matches to express enthusiasm, proved to be annoying during the Fifa World Cup in South Africa.


9. Femitainment : The stars of this debate were German feminist Alice Schwarzer and the German Family Minister Kristina Schröder whose heated exchange on feminism caught the attention of headlines.


10. Unter den Eurorettungsschirm schlüpfen – to slip under the Euro safety umbrella: Attributed to Greece and most recently Ireland's bailout by the EU.