Sweden adds 43 new words to its language
The word experts at the Swedish Language Council have revealed their annual list of new words making it into the Swedish language this year – showing what Swedes were talking about in 2016.
Every year, the language council publishes a list of new, popular or topical words of the year. This year 43 new words that have become part of daily conversations in Sweden are on the much-anticipated list.
READ ALSO: Ten new Swedish words you need to learn right now
Global politics have had a major influence on the language in 2016, according to the list, with many international words getting their Swedish equivalent. Swedes have for example been talking about the 'trumpifiering' (trumpifying) of politics after the US election and of 'filterbubblor' (filter bubbles).
The 'Dylanman' (Dylan man) also became a much-talked about phenomenon after Bob Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. He is described as a man who admires the artist and claims to understand him better than anyone else, usually seen carrying a guitar while explaining Dylan's superiority.
'Pokenad' also became a new word in 2016. It is a composition of Pokémon Go – the app game that became a global mega hit – and the Swedish word for going for a walk or a stroll ('promenad').
READ ALSO: Eight horrible Swedish words that get on my nerves
Most of the new words are borrowed from the English language (such as the verb 'ghosta', from the English 'ghosting', breaking up with someone by not replying to their calls or texts).
However, two exceptions in 2016 are 'mukbang' (a South Korean trend of filming yourself eating and talking to the camera online) and 'poke' (a Hawaiian raw fish salad). They both became trendy in Sweden this year, with several new poke restaurants opening in Stockholm within weeks.
“Popular culture and food are two areas where Swedish often borrows words from other languages than English. But even if the origin is not English these loanwords have still made it to the Swedish language via English,” said Anders Svensson of language magazine Språktidningen, which helped create the list.
Read the full list (in Swedish) here.
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Every year, the language council publishes a list of new, popular or topical words of the year. This year 43 new words that have become part of daily conversations in Sweden are on the much-anticipated list.
READ ALSO: Ten new Swedish words you need to learn right now
Global politics have had a major influence on the language in 2016, according to the list, with many international words getting their Swedish equivalent. Swedes have for example been talking about the 'trumpifiering' (trumpifying) of politics after the US election and of 'filterbubblor' (filter bubbles).
The 'Dylanman' (Dylan man) also became a much-talked about phenomenon after Bob Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. He is described as a man who admires the artist and claims to understand him better than anyone else, usually seen carrying a guitar while explaining Dylan's superiority.
'Pokenad' also became a new word in 2016. It is a composition of Pokémon Go – the app game that became a global mega hit – and the Swedish word for going for a walk or a stroll ('promenad').
READ ALSO: Eight horrible Swedish words that get on my nerves
Most of the new words are borrowed from the English language (such as the verb 'ghosta', from the English 'ghosting', breaking up with someone by not replying to their calls or texts).
However, two exceptions in 2016 are 'mukbang' (a South Korean trend of filming yourself eating and talking to the camera online) and 'poke' (a Hawaiian raw fish salad). They both became trendy in Sweden this year, with several new poke restaurants opening in Stockholm within weeks.
“Popular culture and food are two areas where Swedish often borrows words from other languages than English. But even if the origin is not English these loanwords have still made it to the Swedish language via English,” said Anders Svensson of language magazine Språktidningen, which helped create the list.
Read the full list (in Swedish) here.
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