Australia’s Macquarie Dictionary has announced the shortlist for its annual Word of the Year contest, selected from new words added to the dictionary online.
The word of the year often reflect the zeitgeist of the time, with past Words of the Year including “doomscrolling” and “rona” (2020), “strollout” (2021) and “teal” (2022).
The 2023 shortlist includes “hostile architecture” and “YIMBY,” both from the social interest category, Macquarie Dictionary editors told ArchitectureAU.
“While examples of hostile architecture are now encountered by the public on a daily basis, very few of us have been aware of the mostly undisclosed ‘why’ behind the introduction of the measures until recently,” the editors said.
Hostile architecture often takes the form of anti-homelessness spikes in public areas, but it can also include anti-skateboarding fins or even arm rests between seats on public benches.
“The term itself, once confined to discussions within the realms of councils and planning, is now spilling over into general language as more people become aware of the motivation behind it. In many cases, awareness is accompanied by a healthy dose of outrage. We’re now seeing petitions to ban the practice and rid our public spaces of such design features – the resistance not just local, but worldwide.”
YIMBY is a “direction reaction to “NIMBYism,” Macquarie Dictionary editors said. “The use of either term often instigates volatile debate, descending quickly into a free-for-all. The promotion of high- and medium-density housing is a big part of YIMBYism, in response to the current housing shortage and the implications of high cost-of-living figures.
“Both hostile architecture and YIMBY are in the arena of serious social issues such as homelessness, the cost-of-living crisis, and the housing shortage.”
In fact, cost of living features heavily in the 2023 shortlist with its shortened colloquialism “cozzie livs” and “skimpflation” also in contention for Word of the Year.
The words on the shortlist provide a snapshot of the sort of language, practices, fashion and phenomena which have become established enough in Australian English to warrant an entry in the dictionary,” the editors said.
The Macquarie Word of the Year 2023 will be announced on 28 November.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
