Twenty Nigerian words, including “Japa,” “419,” and “Agbero,” have been officially added to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED).
The new entries also include terms like abi, area boy, yahoo boy, yahoo, Edo, Kanuri, jand, cross-carpet, kobo, Naija, and suya. Other additions include adire, cross-carpeting, eba, gele, and Yarn Dust.
These additions reflect Nigeria’s cultural diversity, daily life, and street culture while highlighting the growing influence of Pidgin English across Africa and beyond.
Many of these words serve multiple grammatical functions. For example, Japa, meaning to flee or escape, is listed as both a noun and a verb. Similarly, Jand, a colloquial term for the United Kingdom, is listed as both a noun and a verb. To help non-Nigerians master these terms, the OED has also provided pronunciations for each entry.
Kingsley Ugwuanyi, a Nigerian English consultant to the Oxford English Dictionary, played a key role in this update.
Sharing his excitement on LinkedIn, the linguistic researcher wrote: “I’m thrilled to announce that the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) has officially published its latest updates, featuring a fantastic collection of Nigerian English words that beautifully reflect Nigeria’s culture, creativity, and the unique ways we express ourselves as Nigerians.
“This time, I drafted most of the words and had the incredible opportunity to provide their pronunciations. So, when you explore the OED online and click on the pronunciations, you’ll hear my voice bringing these words to life. This milestone is the result of years of hard work and dedication. I encourage Nigerians to share their favourite words from the list and suggest new ones for future updates,” Mr. Ugwuanyi stated.
This update is part of the OED’s quarterly review, which keeps the dictionary in tune with the ever-changing nature of the English language.
This inclusion builds on a similar addition in 2020 when the dictionary added 29 Nigerian words, such as danfo, okada, next tomorrow, and mama put—the first significant inclusion of Nigerian words since the OED’s inception in 1884.
These entries add to the 57 Nigerian words already in the dictionary.
The global dictionary has described Nigerian Pidgin as a rich source of new words and highlighted Nigeria’s unique contribution to global English, with most additions stemming from the 1970s and 1980s.
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