Did the “leap-year-olds” take advantage of the year 2024, that of the “total eclipse”, to practice “escalotage” while avoiding “geomagnetic storms”? The Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) has decided and chosen the 12 terms which defined the year 2024. “These are not necessarily those which were used the most during the year, but they are terms which reflect current events or emerging realities,” explains Nicolas Trudel, communications director of the OQLF. A look at seven of them.
Published at 5:00 a.m.
Voice theft
That voice on the other end of the line isn’t your grandson calling to ask for financial help with his studies, or your dear friend needing money for expensive cancer treatments. which are only offered in Qatar. This is voice theft, or voice fraud, which consists of “using computer processes to reproduce the voice of a person in order to impersonate them”. And let’s face it, it’s never funny.
Ceiling the distant
PHOTO PABLO MARTINEZ MONSIVAIS, ARCHIVES ASSOCIATED PRESS
US Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris
Unbreakable, the glass ceiling that prevents women from reaching the highest positions? Definitely hard to smash, yes. For the second time, the presidency of the United States has passed to a woman in favor of Donald Trump. The term was “associated mainly with the candidacy of Kamala Harris and her defeat,” says Nicolas Trudel. “We thought it was a must this year. »
Total eclipse
Cloistered in their classroom, students in Quebec experienced the total eclipse of April 8, 2024 in front of the TV. Because long before the Moon completely obscured the Sun for a few minutes, the subject was on everyone’s lips: was it safe or not to let children watch this extremely rare phenomenon? Would there be enough safety glasses for everyone? The Minister of Education got involved, the scientists protested, but some did not flinch: the little ones should not go outside. As for those who experienced the moment, they will remember it for a long time.
Overtourism
PHOTO QUIQUE GARCIA, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE ARCHIVES
Crowded street in central Barcelona, Spain
Sitting on the terrace of a restaurant on La Rambla, Barcelona’s emblematic avenue, tourists discovered the hard way last summer that they were the physical representation of overtourism. Spanish demonstrators, angered by the growing presence of visitors to their homes, sprayed them with water.
Bissextilien, bissextilienne
A new sexual orientation? Nay! Rather, it is the term which designates a person born on February 29, who had the chance, in 2024, to finally see their birthday written on the calendar. When you can only celebrate once every four years, you can console yourself with your own adjective.
Scallotage
No, it is not the tradition of removing hats and caps before the playing of the national anthems. Created last year by the OQLF, this neologism designates a “practice which consists of booking a flight whose stopover constitutes the true desired destination and getting off without the knowledge of the air carrier”. “It’s a phenomenon that is growing,” observes Nicolas Trudel, of the OQLF. But before hopping off, think about overtourism (see above)!
Collective bargaining
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Demonstration by SAQ employees in Montreal in April
So, so, so, solidarity! Teachers, nurses, daycare workers, longshoremen, postmen: big year for negotiations. “It is a term which allows us to draw attention to a vocabulary of professional relations which is created at the Office,” explains Nicolas Trudel. So, we will not say scabbut “scab”. You have the chance to get a bonus ? Instead, talk about a “bonus”, whether it be motivation, performance or retention.
And the others…
It is the linguists and terminologists of the OQLF who choose the 12 terms retained each year. Also on the 2024 list are: geomagnetic storm, humanitarian drone, multimodal artificial intelligence, accessory dwelling unit and molecular recycling.
