The results are in - the word, or perhaps more accurately phrase - of 2018 is land expropriation without compensation. Announced today, which is #WorldDictionaryDay, the candidates for #WordOfTheDay were reviewed by the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB) and then debated and the data analysed.
The winner was chosen from three frontrunners - Land Expropriation Without Compensation, Commission of Inquiry and Thuma Mina - and the results were based on research conducted by Focal Points and Newsclip on statistics found within South African media between January 1 and October 15, 2018.
What the numbers say:
It was found that “land expropriation without compensation” was used over 25 000 times in all South African media (print, broadcast and online), beating Commission (of inquiry) at 18 690 and Thuma Mina at 5228.
The use of the phrase land expropriation without compensation has increased significantly in 2018. The concept of land expropriation without compensation has been in existence, but PanSALB has seen a spike in frequency this year in the context of Parliament’s effort to change the constitution.
The SA Word of the Year need not have been coined within the past 12 months. To qualify for consideration PanSALB looks for evidence that its usage has increased significantly across a broad range of media. - staff reporter