The word, which is a reflection of both national and international news, might surprise (or confuse) some readers as it doesn’t exactly sound like a word...
The ZLS clarifies that KI serves as an abbreviation for “Kënschtlech Intelligenz”, which translates to artificial intelligence (AI). The language experts elected it as their word of the year as it has left a significant impact on our everyday lives that is set to revolutionise many areas in the future.
This impact is further mirrored in the third most-voted word, “ChatGPT”, which is already firmly rooted in Luxembourgish vocabulary.
The top 5 words of the year in Luxembourg:
1. KI / Kënschtlech Intelligenz (artificial intelligence)
2. Fridden (peace)
3. ChatGPT
4. de neie Luc (“the new Luc”)
5. Superwaljoer (“super” election year)
Like every year, open submissions are accepted, from which the ZLS team selects 20. These are then passed on to the jury, which includes Commissioner for the Luxembourgish language Pierre Reding, the President of the Commission for the Luxembourgish Language Myriam Welschbillig, 100.7 editor Dany Weller, RTL.lu editorial manager Pierre Weimerskirch, and linguist Dr. Sara Martin from ZLS.
These then reduce the list to ten words before selecting the final five. “KI” succeeds “Ukrainkrich” (Ukraine war, WOTY 2022), “boosteren” (booster-shot for the anti-Covid vaccine, WOTY 2021), and “Corona” (WOTY 2020).
