Double eagles and mental burden reflect Swiss society
Swiss national team player Xherdan Shaqiri is very attached to his Kosovo roots.
Keystone
“Doppeladler” and “gesto dell’aquila”, the Words of the Year in German- and Italian-speaking Switzerland this year, both refer to the double eagle hand gesture of an Albanian national symbol.
“The double eagle really spread its wings in 2018 and landed in everyday life. We will be discussing it for a long time to come,” said the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) in a statementExternal link on Thursday. Researchers at the institute used Switzerland’s largest text database and the judgement of a ten-person jury to pick the winners.
The double eagle made headlines around the world in June when three Swiss footballers – two of them of ethnic Albanian origin – made the gesture during a heated World Cup match against Serbia. The Serbs, the Swiss press and world football’s governing body FIFA were all unimpressed, with FIFA fining the players CHF5,000-CHF10,000 each for “unsporting behaviour contrary to the principles of fair-play”.
In the French-speaking part of the country, the word – or rather words – of the year are “charge mentale” (mental burden).
Although the phrase was popularised in 2017 during the debate on sexual equality thanks to a cartoon by the French blogger Emma, it wasn’t until this year that it was applied to other spheres.
“If stress is the ill of the 21st century, mental burden is probably one of the main causes,” the jury said. “From now on, it’s no longer the sole preserve of women or the home.”
The ZHAW has been choosing Words of the Year since 2003External link. Switzerland’s fourth national language, Romansh, will feature next year, they said.
More
More
Swiss president chosen as ‘Sign of the Year’ by deaf society
This content was published on
The Swiss Sign of the Year pokes gentle fun at Alain Berset.
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
Rhine could warm by up to 4°C by 2100, scientists warn
This content was published on
The water temperature of the Rhine River could rise by up to 4.2° degrees Celsius by the end of the century due to the warming planet, scientists warn.
This content was published on
The Federal Council wants to explore the possibilities of joining the European Union’s €800-billion rearmament programme without compromising Swiss neutrality.
Defence Minister Pfister stresses importance of Swiss mission in Balkans
This content was published on
During a visit to the Balkans region last week, Swiss Defence Minister Martin Pfister met Swisscoy peacekeeping troops in Kosovo.
Premiere for Swiss Air Force on French National Day
This content was published on
On July 14, the Swiss Air Force will take part in the traditional air parade in Paris to mark the French bank holidays with an F/A-18 fighter jet. This is a first for Switzerland.
Swiss launch competition for memorial to Nazi victims
This content was published on
The victims of Nazi Germany are to be commemorated on the Casinoterrasse in Bern. A competition will be held to determine what the site will look like.
This content was published on
The cantonal police of Graubünden in eastern Switzerland have arrested and convicted five cocaine dealers in Chur within a week.
This content was published on
The Swiss business umbrella organisation Economiesuisse and the employers' association broadly support the package of agreements negotiated with the European Union.
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.
Read more
More
Swiss words of the year: #metoo and harassment
This content was published on
#metoo and harcèlement (harassment) are the words of the year in German-speaking and (for the first time) French-speaking Switzerland.
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.