By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
The Oxford English Dictionary (EOD) has released a list of 500 new words and phrases added to the English Language lexicon.
The new words and phrases come from different countries especially from West Africa and East Asia, including Japan, Nigeria, Korea, Ghana, Philippines among many others.
Nigeria has the most influence from the African continent with 20 words and phrases while Ghana has seven new words and phrases adopted into the lexicon.
In an introductory article authored by Lexicographer and the Executive Director of the OED, Danica Salazar, she paid tribute to two Nigerian authors, Flora Nwakpa and Ben Okri whose works introduced some of the words originating from Nigeria.
According to her, “In Nigerian cookery, suya is a dish consisting of thinly sliced pieces of spiced meat grilled or roasted on a skewer, usually sold by street vendors and eaten as a snack. Its first quotation in the OED was taken from a piece published in the literary magazine Présence Africaine, written by Nigerian author Flora Nwapa, considered to be the mother of modern African literature: ‘Will you eat suya Ona?’ Phil asked me. ‘Oh yes. I hear they have delicious suya here.’”
“Abi, another borrowing from Yoruba, is used in Nigerian English as a sentence adverb to mean clearly, obviously, of course. It is also used interrogatively, at the end of a statement, to prompt agreement, approval, or confirmation, like ‘isn’t that so?’ or ‘am I not correct?’. Its first quotation in the OED is from the 1980 novel Flowers and Shadows by Nigerian-born British poet and novelist Ben Okri: ‘If one doesn’t talk doesn’t mean one is foolish, abi’.”
Also, Nigerian linguist and consultant to OED, Kingsley Ugwuanyi who played a part in the current listing expressed excitement over the inclusion of Nigerian words and phrases into the lexicon. In a statement shared on his Linkedin page, Ugwuanyi revealed that he also played a role in the pronunciation of the new words and phrases.
He wrote:
“I’m thrilled to announce that the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) Oxford Languages | OUP has officially published its latest updates, featuring an amazing collection of Nigerian English words that beautifully reflect Nigeria’s culture, creativity, and the unique ways we express ourselves as Nigerians.
“This time, I not only drafted most of the words but also had the incredible opportunity to provide their hashtag#pronunciations! So, when you explore the OED online and click on the pronunciations, you’ll hear my hashtag#voice bringing these words to life.”
Below is the full list of the new entries from Nigeria, Ghana, Japan and Korea:
Ghanaian English
azonto, n.
banku, n.
burger, n.2
burger highlife, n.
galamsey, n.
galamseyer, n.
Veronica bucket, n.
Nigerian English
419, n.
abi, adv.
adire, n.
agbero, n.
area boy, n.
cross-carpeting, n.
cross-carpet, v.
gele, n.2
jand, n.
jand, v.
janded, adj.
Japa, n.
japa. v.
Naija, n. and adj.
suya, n.
to yarn dust, phrase in yarn, v.
yahoo, n.2
yahoo boy, n.
Words of Korean origin
dalgona, n.
dalgona coffee, n.
hyung, n.
jjigae, n.
maknae, n.
noraebang, n.
pansori, n.
tteokbokki, n.
Words of Japanese origin
dorayaki, n.
furikake, n.
furoshiki, n.
gaman, n.
gaman, v.
Golden Week, n.
J-, comb._form
maneki-neko, n.
omiyage, n.
omurice, n.
sando, n.2