German joke choice

“Aura” ahead of “Talahon” youth word of the year

The current use of "aura" has to do with soccer star Virgil Van Dijk.

(Bild: AFP/Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV )

Young people have chosen "Aura" as the German "Youth Word of the Year" 2024. In a vote by the Langenscheidt publishing house, "Aura" was in first place among the top three terms. What does it actually mean?

The winning word, which describes a person's special aura and charisma, was announced live at the 76th Frankfurt Book Fair. In youth language, the term "aura" is often used jokingly.

In social media, the term is particularly widespread in the context of sport. Athletes or coaches are said to have an aura. According to Langenscheidt, the word was first used for the first time in 2020 in an article in the New York Times about Dutch footballer Virgil van Dijk. Since then, "aura" has become a common word in sport.

Further meaning in youth language
A negative aura or "minus aura" also occurs in youth language, for example due to an embarrassing misstep. "I thought there was no more step and stumbled - minus 50 aura," Langenscheidt cites as a joking example.

According to the data, "Aura" landed in first place by a wafer-thin margin ahead of "Talahon". "Talahon" is derived from the Arabic "Tahal lahon", which translates as "come here". The term refers to young men who wear fake luxury clothes and walk through the city center with fanny packs, tracksuit bottoms and gold chains to make themselves important.

It often also refers to young men with a migration background. This year, the term caused controversy and sometimes racist discussions about migration and youth culture. The word is categorized somewhere between racism, resentment and self-irony. "Verknallt in einen Talahon" is also considered the first AI-made song in the German charts.

The publisher Langenscheidt, on the other hand, does not see a clearly negative connotation of the word and therefore did not remove it from the vote. The reasoning: The group addressed itself, young men with stereotypical looks, also jokingly refer to themselves in this way, without any discriminatory meaning.

"Scissors" makes it to third place
Third place was taken by "scissors": the new meaning of the word or "scissor lifting" comes from online gaming and the streaming scene. It means admitting that you have made a mistake or that you are to blame. In these cases, you "lift the scissors" to confess and admit it.

The "youth word of the year" has been around since 2008, when "Gammelfleischparty" was chosen as a synonym for an over-30s party. Last year, "goofy" won the race. It describes a clumsy, silly person or behavior.

Only young people eligible to vote
According to the publisher, the number of votes submitted was once again in the high six-figure range. Since July 30, young people have been voting for their favorite word in two rounds. The publisher had previously collected suggestions. In the final and decisive phase of the vote, the number of submissions increased by eleven percent compared to the previous year.

Young people between the ages of eleven and 20 have only been voting for the Youth Word of the Year on their own since 2020. In previous years, the jury's selection of youth words often caused astonishment or amusement among young people.