The Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB), in association with media research company Focal Points, released five words that will be competing.

These are Phala Phala, load-shedding, xenophobia, inganekwane (IsiZulu for fairy tale or legend) and gaslighting. 

In the competition, researchers chose a term or expression that reflects the passing year in language.

For a phrase or word to be considered, there must be evidence that its usage has increased significantly in the past 12 months across a broad range of media.

PanSALB said the top five shortlisted words "captured the ethos, mood or preoccupations of 2022".

The winner in the competition will be announced on Monday when the commemoration of International Dictionary Day is observed on October 16, in remembrance of the American lexicographer Noah Webster, who is considered to be the father of the American dictionary.

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It is aimed at emphasising the importance of learning while using dictionary skills and increasing one’s vocabulary.

"The SA Word of the Year shortlist gives a glimpse of the social issues that have been the preoccupation of our discourse and conversations on matters that affect us in the country. Social media has also brought that fun element of language use to the fore and subsequently made trans-languaging more prominent," said PanSALB CEO Lance Schultz.

Phala Phala has dominated the SA landscape after a criminal case was opened by former spy boss Arthur Fraser against Ramaphosa, alleging that he failed to report a crime that took place on his farm in Limpopo where large sums of cash in foreign currency were stolen.

Load-shedding has become the norm for weeks in SA as Eskom has failed to deliver reliable electricity, which has forced the government to change its board.

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Other words and terms which were submitted for this year are: immigrant, gender-based violence, isigaxa sendaba (big story) and wishy-wishy.

The competition began in 2017. Among the words and terms that have won are state capture, land expropriation without compensation, Zondo commission, lockdown and vaccination.

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