Oxford English Dictionary adds new Malaysian, Singaporean words

The Oxford English Dictionary has added several Malaysian English terms in its latest update, with words originating from the Malay language and dialect of the Minnan (Hokkien) language, reported Xinhua. The update contains 11 new words from Singaporean or Malaysian English, highlighting the region's linguistic influence on global English, the dictionary publisher Oxford Languages said in a statement on Tuesday. Among the new additions are "agak-agak," which appears as both a noun and a verb and refers to approximation or estimation, most frequently used in the context of a particular way of cooking, as well as the word "boleh," an intransitive verb meaning to have the power, ability, or capacity to do or deal with something successfully. Hokkien contributions in this update include "jialat," which describes a difficult or terrible situation. It originally also carried the sense of something irksome or exhausting. Another Hokkien borrowing is "kaypoh," which refers to a busybody and can function as a noun, adjective or verb. Oxford Languages also said that readers can find more details on updates from Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, South Africa and Ireland in its World English release notes.

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