pansalb word of the year load shedding

PanSALB said load shedding is the South African word of the year for 2022. Images: Pixabay/Facebook/Phala Phala Wildlife.

Load shedding declared ‘Word of the Year 2022’ after beating Phala Phala

Perhaps the least-liked term in South Africa was declared the Word of the Year by the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB).

pansalb word of the year load shedding

PanSALB said load shedding is the South African word of the year for 2022. Images: Pixabay/Facebook/Phala Phala Wildlife.

Perhaps the least-liked word in the South African lexicon was announced as the word of the year for 2022 by the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB).

2022 WORD OF THE YEAR, ACCORDING TO PANSALB

The Board said the South African Word of the Year is a word, term or expression that encapsulates the past year in language. Other terms that were in the running were Phala Phala, Inganekwane, Gaslighting and Xenophobia.

Other words that were considered include Immigrant, Gender-Based Violence, iSigaxa sendaba and Wishy wishy.

READ: Phala Phala

PanSALB and its media research partner, Focal Point, tracked the shortlisted words between October 2021 and September 2022.

The data was analysed to see how frequently the terms were used in the media and how prominent they were in credible print, broadcast and online media.

“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.

“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,” said PanSALB CEO, Lance Schultz.

Load shedding superseded the first runner-up – Phala Phala – with over 40 000 clip counts and mentions in the media.

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