The age-old concept of aura has narrowly beaten a term for a trend among young men from a migrant background and some streetwise blame-taking jargon in Germany’s 2024 competition for the Youth Word of the Year.
In a vote by the Langenscheidt publishing house, which publishes German dictionaries among other language reference works, the winning word “Aura,” used to describe a person’s presence and charisma, was announced live at the 76th Frankfurt Book Fair on Saturday.
Aura came in just ahead of the popular term “Talahon,” used to describe young men of a migrant background in fake branded clothing who often exhibit anti-social behaviour.
The term apparently comes from the Arabic for “come here” and derives from a TikTok trend where young men use the term to describe themselves, but Talahons have been causing a stir on social media, sparking discussions about sexism, racism, migration and youth culture.
“Schere,” the German for scissors, came third in the poll, which in youth circles now means admitting a mistake or taking the blame.
The Youth Word of the Year award has existed since 2008, with “goofy” coming out on top last year.
Young people between the ages of 11 and 20 have voted for the award winners since 2020. According to the publisher, the number of votes submitted in this year’s competition was again in the high six-figure range.
