Philippine originated words like OFW (overseas Filipino worker), “trapo” (a politician perceived as belonging to a conventional and corrupt ruling class), and “bongga” (extravagant, flamboyant, impressive, stylish) are just some of the new additions to the third edition of the Oxford English Dictionary.
These new Filipino contributions were unveiled during an event hosted by Sentro Rizal on June 14 at the Philippine Embassy in London in celebration of the uniqueness and creativity of Philippine English as seen through the lens of the Oxford English Dictionary.
Representatives from the Oxford English Dictionary led the presentation of its latest and current edition containing a large number of words and senses from emerging varieties of English from across the globe, one of which is Philippine English.
The OED’s third edition also sees the inclusion of several words originating in the Philippines and new senses of existing English words like “gimmick” (night out with friends) and viand (a meat, seafood, or vegetable dish that accompanies rice in a typical Filipino meal).
Likewise added in the OED are loan words from Filipino like “halo-halo” (a dessert made of mixed fruits, sweet beans, milk, and shaved ice), and “kilig” (exhilaration or elation caused by an exciting or romantic experience), from Chinese like “pancit” (noodles), from Spanish like “pan de sal” (a bread roll) and “despedida” (a going-away party), and formations in English that are only used in the Philippines like “kikay kit” (a cosmetics case) and “comfort room” (toilet).
“The OED is pleased to have this opportunity to collaborate with Sentro Rizal and to present its work on Philippine English to a Filipino audience in London,” said Dr. Danica Salazar, the dictionary’s World English Editor.
She added that OED is “committed to making space for words from the Philippines, as by doing so, we recognize how its Filipino speakers contribute to the richness and diversity of English.” (Roy Mabasa)
