Halo-halo, atbp: Filipino words make it to Oxford Dictionary

Go tell your “barkada” that you’ve been waiting for that “gimmick”; and don’t get surprised if “carnap” is now grammatically acceptable.

This, as 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’; loanwords 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 of leading 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]

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Twerking dates back to 1820, says Oxford dictionary

LONDON, United Kingdom - The word "twerk" dates back to as early as 1820, the Oxford English Dictionary said Thursday as it announced twerking as one of 500 new entries this year.

The word rocketed into popular use following US singer Miley Cyrus's controversial gyrating at a music awards performance in 2013.

However, research by the OED -- which styles itself as the definitive record of the English language -- found "twirk" was first used as a noun in 1820, referring to a "twisting or jerking movement".

The verb is believed to have emerged later in 1848, with the "twerk" spelling popularly used by 1901.

"We are confident that it is the same origins as the dance. There has been constant use up into the present day to mean that same thing," said OED senior editor Fiona McPherson.

"I think it's quite spectacular, the early origins for it. We were quite surprised."

Described as dancing "in a sexually provocative manner, using thrusting movements of the bottom and hips while in a low, squatting stance", twerking has its modern roots in the early 1990s New Orleans "bounce" music scene.

Webisode, e-cigarette and twitterati are among the other words entering the OED.

For a word to qualify, it must have been have been in common use for at least 10 years in both newspapers and novels.

McPherson said all the new entries had "earned their place" in the history of the English language.

An e-cigarette is described as a "cigarette-shaped device containing a nicotine-based liquid or other substance that is vaporized and inhaled, used to simulate the experience of smoking". The word's usage can be traced back to 2007.

Twitterati, describing users of the social media service, and "fo' shizzle", meaning "for sure", have also been added to the dictionary.

The word webisode -- "a short video, especially an instalment in a drama or comedy series, which is presented online rather than being broadcast on television" -- was first recorded in 1996.

Another new entry is FLOTUS, an acronym for the first lady of the United States which was used as early as 1983, and is now Michelle Obama's official twitter handle.

Freegan, first recorded in The Sunday Times newspaper in 1997 to describe a person who eats discarded food, typically from supermarket refuse, for ethical reasons, also enters the OED.

Meanwhile "meh", an interjection expressing lack of enthusiasm, has also been included and is thought to date back to 1992 before it was popularised by TV cartoon series "The Simpsons".

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com