Minaret ban makes word of the year
“Minarettverbot” – German for “minaret ban” – prevailed over some 2,000 other entries as word of the year for 2009 in German-speaking Switzerland.
The word had the potential to establish itself as a typically Swiss word like “muesli” (cereal), the seven-member jury said on Thursday.
The taboo word of the year is “Ventilklausel”, which describes the regulation of entry and migration of people from the European Union into Switzerland.
The word of the year has been chosen since 2003. The jury is headed by Hannes Hug, a radio personality, and made up of journalists from German-speaking Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
swissinfo.ch and agencies
More
In Switzerland, New Year brings ‘burka ban’ and pension hikes
More
Aussie adoptee gains Swiss citizenship at 54 thanks to old envelope
More
Thousands of emigrants’ descendants in Argentina demand Swiss citizenship
More
Switzerland’s most renowned trans person no longer wants to be a woman
More
Solothurn, the Swiss city that goes up to 11
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.