29 Nigerian English Phrases Added to the Oxford English Dictionary The latest update to the Oxford English Dictionary includes 29 words, phrases and colloquialisms from Nigerian English—most of which have been used for decades, and have been adopted by English-speakers elsewhere. Some words already exist in English, but have a different meaning; such as “gist,” which in Nigerian English “is a noun which means ‘rumor’ …
In a significant step toward inclusivity, and another reminder of how powerful words are, Merriam-Webster has added the non-binary “them” to their dictionary. While accepting that the singular “they” has actually been in use for centuries (since the late 1300s, in fact), by adding it as a non-binary pronoun Merriam-Webster reinforces a more recent and remarkably important development. As Dennis Baron, professor emeritus of English …
The Oxford English Dictionary adds dozens of words to its glossary each year and, right now, it contains about a quarter-of-a-million words. By comparison, Toki Pona—a new language born from the pursuit of minimalism—consists of just 123 words. But from those few, Toki Pona speakers argue that they can flesh out nearly every idea, action or item. The language’s creator, Sonja Lang, explains, “If you …
