News
Oxford English Dictionary OED Adds Danfo, Okada, Tokunbo, 26 Others In Its Latest Update
Oxford English Dictionary OED has added Danfo, Okada, Tokunbo and 26 other Nigerian words and expressions in its January 2020 updates to the dictionary.
Oxford English Dictionary has added 29 Nigerian words and expressions in its January 2020 updates to the dictionary.
In a blog post on Oxford English Dictionary’s website, OED’s World English editor Danica Salazar said some of the words were borrowed while others are coinages.
“The majority of these new additions are either borrowings from Nigerian languages, or unique Nigerian coinages that have only begun to be used in English in the second half of the twentieth century, mostly in the 1970s and 1980s,”
-
Related Post : 511 Lagos Roads Where Okada And Keke NAPEP Have Been Banned
Below are some of the new Nigerian words and senses in the January 2020 update :
okada, n.: “In Nigeria: a motorcycle which passengers can use as a taxi service.”
danfo, n.: “A yellow minibus that carries passengers for a fare as part of an informal transport system in Lagos, the largest city in Nigeria. Also as a…”
tokunbo, adj.: “Denoting an imported second-hand product, esp. a car.
Other non-automotive Nigerian words like Mama put, Kannywood, Buka and K-leg were also added in its latest updates.
The OED publishes four updates a year. The next update comes up in March 2020
We hope to see other automotive Nigerian words like Marwa, Keke NAPEP, in the nearest future.