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Several English-Filipino words have been included in the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) as part of the organization’s move to record words “from all varieties of English” including words categorized as “Philippine English.”
OED said “barangay,” “balikbayan,” and even “high-blood” are now recognized as a variation of the English language.
OED also emphasized that the term “presidentiable” (‘a person who is a likely or confirmed candidate for president’)” is not just used in the Philippines “but also in parts of the United States that have large Filipino populations. “
“There are new senses of common English words like gimmick to mean ‘a night out with friends’; loan words from Spanish (like estafa ‘fraud’) and Tagalog like barkada (‘group of friends’); and formations in English that are only used in Philippine English, like carnap (‘to steal a car’),” OED also said in a statement.
Interjections such as KKB (kaniya-kaniyang bayad; used as an adjective), nouns like “halo-halo,” and terms such as “batchmate (‘a member of the same graduation class as another’)” and “topper” (meaning a high-achieving student), are also included in the OED list, along with 500 other new words from around the world.
OED claims to lead the world’s largest and longest-running language research projects, with at least 900 newly revised words included in this month’s new OED list.
The following is a selection of new words included in the OED list, reposted from the statement: (for full definitions, please see OED Online):
barangay (noun): In the Philippines: a village, suburb, or other demarcated neighborhood; a small territorial and administrative district forming the most local level of government. [First recorded 1840]
balikbayan (noun): A Filipino visiting or returning to the Philippines after a period of living in another country. [1976]
KKB (interjection): ‘Kaniya-kaniyang bayad’, literally ‘each one pays their own’, used especially to indicate that the cost of a meal is to be shared. It can also be used as an adjective. [1987]
high blood: (a) n.colloq. hypertension; (b) adj.Philippine English angry, agitated.
despedida (noun): More fully despedida party. A social event honoring someone who is about to depart on a journey or leave an organization; a going-away party. [1929]
halo-halo (noun): A dessert made of mixed fruits, sweet beans, milk, and shaved ice, typically topped with purple yam, crème caramel, and ice cream. [1922]
sari-sari store (noun): A small neighborhood store selling a variety of goods. [1925]
utang na loob (noun): A sense of obligation to return a favor owed to someone. [1906]
Text: Thea Alberto Makasayan
This story was republished with permission from ABS-CBNnews.com.
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