Bongga, kilig, pandesal enter Oxford dictionary

MANILA, Philippines — The third and current edition of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) sees the addition of a number of words originating from the Philippines like bongga, despedida, gimmick, halo-halo, kikay kit, kilig, overseas Filipino worker or OFW, pandesal and trapo, also expanding the meanings of some existing English words.

An event celebrating the uniqueness and creativity of Philippine English, as seen through the lens of the OED, was held at the Philippine embassy in the United Kingdom, hosted by the recently inaugurated Sentro Rizal London. 

The OED is one of the largest and longest-running language research projects in the world. From its first edition to its latest, the OED has included a large number of words and senses from emerging varieties of English from across the globe, one of which is Philippine English.

There are new senses of existing English words like gimmick or a night out with friends and viand, meaning “meat, seafood or vegetable dish that accompanies rice in a typical Filipino meal.”

Loanwords from Filipino include bongga (extravagant, flamboyant; impressive, stylish), halo-halo (a dessert made of mixed fruits, sweet beans, milk and shaved ice) and kilig (exhilaration or elation caused by an exciting or romantic experience).

Other loanwords are from Chinese, such as pancit (noodles) and Spanish, like pandesal (bread roll) and despedida (going-away party).

Formations in English that are only used in the Philippines include kikay kit (cosmetics case), comfort room (toilet), OFW and trapo (traditional politician perceived as belonging to a corrupt ruling class).

The new additions to the OED were discussed at the event, attended by Philippine Ambassador to the UK Antonio Lagdameo, who opened the signing and turnover ceremony of the latest edition of the dictionary.

“Filipinos have enriched the English vocabulary since the language was first introduced to the country on a wide scale at the turn of the 19th century. Since then, Filipinos have not only contributed new words but have also expanded the meanings of existing ones,” Lagdameo said.

He added that the embassy through Sentro Rizal London is proud to work with OED in sharing how Philippine English has evolved over the years.

The OED was represented by John Simpson, its former chief editor, who spoke about how Philippine vocabulary has been covered by earlier editions of the dictionary and Danica Salazar, the dictionary’s World English Editor, who talked about more recent Philippine additions.

“The OED is pleased to have this opportunity to collaborate with Sentro Rizal and to present its work on Philippine English to a Filipino audience in London,” Salazar said. 

“The dictionary is committed to making space for words from the Philippines, as by doing so, we recognize how its Filipino speakers contribute to the richness and diversity of English,” she added.

Also participating in the ceremony was Ariane Borlongan of Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, editor of a handbook on Philippine English to be published by Routledge, who talked about the state of Philippine English research.