The Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB) has on Monday proclaimed the 2022 South African Word of the Year.

Candidates for SA Word of the Year were reviewed by PanSALB, and shortlisted, and through media research company, Focal Point, keywords were tracked for the period October 2021 to September 2022.

This media data was analysed to determine the prominence of the keywords within the media and to identify the frequency with which they were used in credible print, broadcast and online media.

The South African Word of the Year is a word, term or expression preferred to reflect the passing year in language.

It should thus come as no surprise that Load-shedding has been declared as the 2022 South African Word of the Year.

Terms that were shortlisted were; Inganekwane, Gaslighting, Xenophobia, and Phala-phala.

PanSALB CEO, Mr Lance Schultz:

“Ultimately, the SA Word of the Year reflects the preoccupations of South Africans for that given period, and this year South Africans had to contend with the impact of the energy crisis in the country. The term ‘Load-shedding’ has superseded the first runner-up, which is Phala-phala, with over 40 000 clip counts and mentions across a broad range of media.”

Other words/terms that were submitted and considered include: Immigrant, Gender-Based Violence, iSigaxa sendaba, Wishy wishy.

Some South Africans might say load-shedding has been the de-facto word of the year since 2008, when the country first started regular power outages.