‘ White monopoly capital’, ‘ Blesser’, and ‘ State Capture’ have been shortlisted in the South African Word of the Year 2017 race.
The Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB) – after opening for suggestions on what the word should be – has narrowed down the list to three options.
“After candidates for the (word) were debated and their merits considered, the board takes pleasure in announcing that the following words have been shortlisted: ‘White Monopoly Capital’; ‘Blesser’; and ‘State Capture’,” they said in a statement.
According to PanSALB the above words "capture the ethos, mood, or preoccupations" of 2017.
The winner would be announced on Monday, October 16, 2017, which is also International Dictionary Day.
“The SA Word of the Year need not have been coined within the past twelve months,” said PanSALB chief executive Dr Rakwena Monareng.
“To qualify for consideration we look for evidence that its usage has increased significantly across a broad range of media,” explained Monareng.
Some of the other words considered were: dololo, wololo, Satafrika and tholukuthi.
National Dictionary Day was created in honour of Noah Webster’s birthday in 1758 and was set aside as a day to emphasise the importance of learning and using dictionary skills and increasing one’s vocabulary.
Webster is considered the Father of the American Dictionary.
<a href="https://fans.vote/v/ACrLnd1rV1U">There are three possible contenders for #SAWordoftheYear 2017. What do you think the winning word should be? #DictionaryDay via @PanSALB</a> created by <a href="https://fans.vote">Poll</a>
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