The World in Other Words in 2023
2023-12-30
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1Many people consider choices from dictionary publishers, including artificial intelligence, authentic or rizz, to be "words of the year."
2But the Associated Press reported on some words used in other parts of the world that have been gaining popularity.
3So today, we will look at other words from around the world for 2023.
4In Australia, the local Macquarie Dictionary has been selecting a "word of the month" all year.
5One was "cozzie livs," a word that Australians use to complain about the high cost of living.
6Another was "murder noodle" for a snake in a country that is home to the world's most poisonous snake.
7But "password child" is a word that many parents can recognize.
8Australians use the term to describe children seen as favored over their brothers or sisters because their name is used in their parents' passwords.
9Paul Mackenzie, a cleric in the East African nation of Kenya, said the word "kitawaramba" on his way to court.
10He was accused of asking his followers to starve themselves in order to meet Jesus.
11More than 400 people died as a result.
12The unfamiliar word appeared to be a threat.
13Now Kenyans use it to warn others that something bad might happen to them for their actions.
14Criminal groups have brought violence, including killings and kidnappings, to the daily lives of people in Haiti, an island nation in the Caribbean Sea.
15Civilians have been fighting back and saying "bwa kale" as they chase suspected criminals.
16"Bwa Kale" means "peeled wood" in the Haitian Creole language.
17The term had long been used to express male dominance and power.
18Now it has spread overseas.
19A video on social media shows a group of Latino soccer fans saying "Bwa kale!" after their team beat an opponent.
20No other word represents the tension between China and the United States more than "spy balloon."
21It began when a Chinese balloon entered U.S. airspace over Alaska.
22The balloon then flew slowly and stayed over some western states that were home to sensitive military areas.
23U.S. warplanes followed it for several days before shooting it out of the sky over water off the coast of South Carolina.
24China protested the downing and called it an attack on a "weather balloon" by U.S. military forces.
25A witness to the downing of the balloon compared it to a "Top Gun movie."
26The top Buddhist leader at the Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto wrote the word 税 (zei) in a closely watched yearly event.
27The Japanese public chose "zei," which means taxes, to best represent the year 2023.
28Many expect taxes to increase to pay for the country's military buildup. Under the latest national security plan, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's government aims to double Japan's yearly defense spending to about $69 billion.
29That would make the country the world's third largest military spender after the U.S. and China.
30山道猴子 (shan dao hou zi) or mountain road monkey was first used to describe young Taiwanese who like to ride motorcycles fast through the country's winding mountain roads.
31But the term became a popular expression for young people's economic pressures after a 20-minute film on YouTube called The Life of a Mountain Roadmonkey.
32In the movie, the "roadmonkey" lends his girlfriend money to improve her bike, but she cheats on him and leaves him.
33In debt, he works overtime to make money, does not have time for friends, and finally dies in a crash.
34His story started a discussion about the low pay and long hours for many in Taiwan, where housing and traditional "success" are often out of reach.
35In many countries, there has been a big increase in the number of people who select the word "none" when asked about their religion.
36The nonbelievers, atheists, or agnostics have become known as the "nones."
37The "nones" are believed to make up of 30 percent or more of the adult population in the United States and Canada, as well as several European countries.
38Japan, Israel and Uruguay are among other nations where large numbers of people are "nones."
39And that's the world in "other" words for 2023.
40I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.
1Many people consider choices from dictionary publishers, including artificial intelligence, authentic or rizz, to be "words of the year." But the Associated Press reported on some words used in other parts of the world that have been gaining popularity. 2So today, we will look at other words from around the world for 2023. 3Password child in Australia 4In Australia, the local Macquarie Dictionary has been selecting a "word of the month" all year. One was "cozzie livs," a word that Australians use to complain about the high cost of living. Another was "murder noodle" for a snake in a country that is home to the world's most poisonous snake. 5But "password child" is a word that many parents can recognize. Australians use the term to describe children seen as favored over their brothers or sisters because their name is used in their parents' passwords. 6Kitawaramba in Kenya (Swahili) 7Paul Mackenzie, a cleric in the East African nation of Kenya, said the word "kitawaramba" on his way to court. He was accused of asking his followers to starve themselves in order to meet Jesus. More than 400 people died as a result. 8The unfamiliar word appeared to be a threat. Now Kenyans use it to warn others that something bad might happen to them for their actions. 9Bwa kale in Haiti (Creole) 10Criminal groups have brought violence, including killings and kidnappings, to the daily lives of people in Haiti, an island nation in the Caribbean Sea. 11Civilians have been fighting back and saying "bwa kale" as they chase suspected criminals. "Bwa Kale" means "peeled wood" in the Haitian Creole language. 12The term had long been used to express male dominance and power. Now it has spread overseas. A video on social media shows a group of Latino soccer fans saying "Bwa kale!" after their team beat an opponent. 13Spy balloon in the United States 14No other word represents the tension between China and the United States more than "spy balloon." 15It began when a Chinese balloon entered U.S. airspace over Alaska. The balloon then flew slowly and stayed over some western states that were home to sensitive military areas. U.S. warplanes followed it for several days before shooting it out of the sky over water off the coast of South Carolina. 16China protested the downing and called it an attack on a "weather balloon" by U.S. military forces. A witness to the downing of the balloon compared it to a "Top Gun movie." 17税 (zei) in Japan (Japanese) 18The top Buddhist leader at the Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto wrote the word 税 (zei) in a closely watched yearly event. 19The Japanese public chose "zei," which means taxes, to best represent the year 2023. Many expect taxes to increase to pay for the country's military buildup. Under the latest national security plan, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's government aims to double Japan's yearly defense spending to about $69 billion. That would make the country the world's third largest military spender after the U.S. and China. 20山道猴子 (shan dao hou zi) in Taiwan (Mandarin) 21山道猴子 (shan dao hou zi) or mountain road monkey was first used to describe young Taiwanese who like to ride motorcycles fast through the country's winding mountain roads. 22But the term became a popular expression for young people's economic pressures after a 20-minute film on YouTube called The Life of a Mountain Roadmonkey. 23In the movie, the "roadmonkey" lends his girlfriend money to improve her bike, but she cheats on him and leaves him. In debt, he works overtime to make money, does not have time for friends, and finally dies in a crash. 24His story started a discussion about the low pay and long hours for many in Taiwan, where housing and traditional "success" are often out of reach. 25The nones around the world 26In many countries, there has been a big increase in the number of people who select the word "none" when asked about their religion. 27The nonbelievers, atheists, or agnostics have become known as the "nones." 28The "nones" are believed to make up of 30 percent or more of the adult population in the United States and Canada, as well as several European countries. Japan, Israel and Uruguay are among other nations where large numbers of people are "nones." 29And that's the world in "other" words for 2023. 30I'm Mario Ritter, Jr. 31Hai Do adapted this Associated Press report for VOA Learning English. 32_____________________________________ 33Words in This Story 34complain -v. to express your unhappiness about a situation or something someone has done 35peel -v. to remove the skin or outer layer from a fruit or similar object 36dominance -n. the quality of being the most powerful or the leader of others 37We want to hear from you. 38Our comment policy is here.