The term “biodeutsch” has been crowned the “Unword of the Year” for 2024. The word, which has been increasingly used in public and social media, has been employed to “segregate, evaluate, and discriminate against people based on supposed biological ancestry criteria” the jury announced in Marburg on Monday.
The term “biodeutsch” constructs a “racist, biological form of nationality.” Originally used as a satirical expression, the word has been used in a thoughtless and unreflected manner, implying that being German is naturally tied to biological characteristics, and thus, devaluing the German identity of people with migration backgrounds.
The jury also included “Heizungsverbot” (heating ban) and “imported antisemitism” on the list. A total of 3,172 submissions were received. Among the most frequent submissions (more than 10), although not necessarily meeting the jury’s criteria, were: “composure” (50), “biodeutsch” (10), “D-Day” (22), “Dubai chocolate” (14), “war-ready” (58), “livestock” (1,227), “remigration” (23), “special assets” (20), “state reason” (10), “actually” (24), “technology openness” (38), “animal welfare” (22), and “animal welfare label” (14).
The “Unword of the Year” jury consists of four linguists, a journalist, and two rotating members who join the jury annually.