Susanne Daubner (archive photo): The spokeswoman for the Tagesschau has caused a stir in the past with the youth word of the year.
The youth word of the year is chosen every year. This year’s word is reminiscent of a cartoon character created by Walt Disney.
This year’s youth word of the year is: “Goofy”. In the Langenscheidt publishing house’s voting, “Goofy” came out on top with around 39 percent of the votes among the top three terms. The word “Side eye” came in second place and “NPC” came in third place.
The winning word, which describes a clumsy, silly person or behavior that makes others laugh, was announced live for the first time on Sunday at the 75th Frankfurt Book Fair . “Goofy” is a character invented by Walt Disney in 1939 who, alongside Mickey Mouse, was particularly notable for his naivety and clumsiness.
“Side eye” means a skeptical look at a person or situation and “NPC” stands for “non-player character”, i.e. the term for someone who only passively perceives what is happening around them.
Susanne Daubner is a big fan of youth words
Susanne Daubner, spokeswoman for the “Tagesschau” can relate to the term “Goofy,” which was chosen as the youth word of the year, at her age, the 62-year-old told the German Press Agency. She immediately thinks of the clumsy cartoon character from the Disney cartoons. Daubner is considered a cult announcer for the “youth word of the year” and has numerous fans.
Daubner’s “personal, little favorite” among the youth words to date is “Yolo” (You only live once) – the term stands for taking advantage of opportunities and taking risks. He was the youth word in 2012 and was up for election again this time. “Yolo” somehow suits her, “the years of life are getting fewer,” said Daubner. Another word that Daubner has already used privately is “Digga”. But the other words are reserved for young people.
The youth word election takes place every year
The Tagesschau anchor caused a stir on social media for the first time in 2021 with the topic of youth words when she explained the winning word “Cringe” (to make others ashamed) in a state-supporting tone: “‘Cringe’ is the feeling you have when I say the following sentence say: “Digga, how fly is the ‘Tagesschau’ when it uses youth words. It’s on you – ARD .”
Since June 7th, young people have been able to vote on their favorite word in several rounds. Overall, participation in the voting was in the high six-figure range – higher than ever before, as the publisher announced.The youth word of the year has been determined by Langenscheidt-Verlag since 2008. Since 2020, young people have been able to submit their own suggestions for election. Previously it was determined by a jury. Last year’s winning word was “smash” and means something like “to start something with” or “to pick up” someone.