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Hitting New Lows, Like Always, in 2013

???»?????° ???????° 2013: Words of the Year 2013


Now that 2013 is drawing to a close, I checked out my favorite word-obsessed Russian sites for the final tallies of ???»?????° ???????° (words of the year).

In one of my favorite competitions, more than 500 linguists, writers and other language-minded folks vote for the year's top words in various categories, including words, expression and phrases of the year. Their top word of the year was ???????????€?° — a play on ?????????????° (state duma) that means state fool. This phrase was coined by television host Vladimir Pozner, who later said that it had just been ???????????€???° (slip of the tongue). Perhaps it was an ?­???????????€???° ???? ?¤?€?µ?????? (Freudian slip)?

In 2013, the Russian parliamentarians were busy little bees. They produced more — and more bizarre — laws in a year than in the previous decade. So it's no wonder that the top expressions of the year included ?°???‚???????€???‚???????? ?·?°?????? (anti-orphan law), aka ?·?°?????? ?”?????‹ ?????????»?µ???° (the Dima Yakovlev law, named after the little boy who died in an overheated car after being adopted in the U.S.), aka ?·?°?????? ???????»?µ?†???? (the law of scoundrels, named after the deputies who passed it).

Another top phrase was ???·?±?µ???????????????? ???€?????‚?µ?€ (berserk printer), used to describe the law-printing machine in the Russian parliament.

Organized religion in Russia also took a linguistic hit this year with ???????‚???±?µ?????µ, which was defined as ?????µ?€?¶?????????‚?? ???????µ?? ???????‚?????‚???? ???»?? ???????‚?????‚???? ?????????… ???€?????†???????? ?? ???±?µ?¶???µ?????? … ???‹???»?µ???? ???µ???°???????‚?? ?? ?????€???‹???? ?????? ?????????? ?·?°?‰???‚?‹ ???????‚?‹???? (an obsession with one's own righteousness or the righteousness of one's principles and beliefs … an outpouring of hatred and pridefulness under the guise of defending what is sacred). Someone who acts like this is ???????‚???±?µ??, what I would call a "self-righteous religious nutcase."

???????‚???±?µ???‹ are often part of another top 2013 word: ?€?µ?»?????°?€?…???? (religiarchy) — ???€?°?‰?µ?????µ ?????»???‚?????? ?? ?€?µ?»???????? ???? ???»?°???‚???‹?… ???‚?€?????‚???€?°?… (the fusion of politics and religion in the state structures).

This year, I enjoyed several of the top-rated phrases. The winner was ?????‚ ???°??-?‚?? ?‚?°?? (something like that, that's about it), which has apparently become a parasite phrase used to end blog posts or statements. Since to my great shame, I'm already an over-user of linguistic hedges — ???°??-?‚??, ???°?? ?±?‹, ???€?????µ ???°?? (somehow, sort of, something like) — I haven't noticed it.

Most of the other 2013 phrases were terribly grim, like the play on Viktor Chernomyrdin's "?…???‚?µ?»?????? ???°?? ?»???‡???µ, ?° ?????»???‡???»?????? ???°?? ?????µ?????°" (we wanted the best, but it turned out like usual): ?…???‚?µ?»?????? ???°?? ?»???‡???µ, ?° ?????»???‡???»?????? ???°?????µ?????° (we wanted the best, but it turned out to be forever). Or: ?????µ?€?‘?? ?? ?‚?‘???????µ ???€?????»???µ (onward into the dark past), or ?????‘ ?????¶?µ ?? ?????¶?µ ?? ?????¶?µ (lower and lower and lower, a play on the upbeat Soviet-era March of the Aviators: ?????‘ ???‹???µ ?? ???‹???µ — higher and higher).

The group had a new category this year, ?‚?€?°?????????????‡?µ???????µ ?? ???·?‹???µ (tragicomic in language), which I thought was ???°???»?? ???°???»???????µ (buttery butter, i.e., tautology) since the entire list makes you ?????µ???‚?????? ?‡?µ?€?µ?· ???»?‘?·?‹ (laugh through tears). But I did like one of the words here: ???µ???°?€?????€?????°?‚?? (to pull a Depardieu, that is, to emigrate to avoid taxes).

My favorite word for 2013 is what I've been clinging to: ???µ?€?° (faith). Because you have to have faith that sooner or later ?????‘ ?????»???‡???‚???? ???°?? ?????¶???? ?»???‡???µ ?? ???°?????µ?????° (everything will turn out as good as possible and forever).

Maybe next year?

?? ???????‹?? ??????????! (Happy New Year!)

Michele A. Berdy, a Moscow-based translator and interpreter, is author of "The Russian Word's Worth" (Glas), a collection of her columns.

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