Bayreuth (dpa / lby) - "Waafn" is Upper Franconia's word of the year 2022. The term is "a symbol of togetherness in conversation and the connecting factor of the dialect," said District President Henry Schramm (CSU) according to a message on Monday. "Waafn" means "to talk, to chat" and, according to the district, goes back to the Middle High German word "weifen". The verb denoted the unwinding of yarn from the bobbin in a direction to create a skein of yarn.
Weifen was a woman's job. The district government explained that women usually chatted extensively with each other during the activity. At some point the meaning of the word expanded to include the lively conversations during the manual work.
According to the information, a five-member jury had selected "waafn" from several hundred suggestions. Schramm said that the word shows a linguistic connection to the textile industry, which played a major role in Upper Franconia's industrial history. The word is also used in parts of Middle Franconia.
