Kampala, (UG): Common East African expressions such as ‘Rolex’ and ‘Kitu Kidogo’ make their ways into the Oxford English Dictionary, in what many will find a meaningful recognition of the region’s contribution to the global stage linguistically.
Omelette and vegetables rolled in a chapatti is the Rolex, a common Ugandan term that’s a playful take on ‘rolled eggs’; it is one of those dishes which have achieved staple status across the country. Entry into the OED defines cultural impact and purely specific vocabulary associated with Ugandan street food.
It is a Swahili word for ‘small thing’, applied these days as a colloquial way to refer to a bribe or an inducement. Its inclusion in the dictionary recognizes day-to-day use of Swahili in East African English and how it significantly shapes regional communication. The phrase is in common use in Kenya and Tanzania, and underlines how such socio-cultural terms are deeply entrenched in local parlance.
Another term to be included is ‘Panya Route’, coined from Sheng, a combination of Swahili and English spoken in Kenya. This means a secret or roundabout route, mostly used for smuggling or evading official check points. It represents everyday realities and street-smart language in East African communities.
The Oxford University Press noted that Swahili, the main lingua franca of East Africa, has supplied an enormous number of words to the English language since the early 19th century. ‘Nyama choma’ is a term for grilled meat, while ‘asante sana’ means thank you very much; ‘jembe’ is a hoe, among many of the expressions from East Africa to make their way into the vocabulary.
The update also includes words that originate from Rwanda, Burundi, and Mauritius: words like ‘Intore’, the name for a traditional dance about war normally executed at ceremonies, and ‘Seggae’, one style of music from Mauritius combining sega with reggae rhythms.
According to Oxford Languages, examples of word use are independently collected from a range of sources to demonstrate that words have been in use for a reasonable period. It is such rigors that make the OED qualify as a truly historical dictionary, representative of how the English language has changed and developed through borrowings from other languages.
The inclusion of these East African entries reveals the truly global nature of the English language and the cultural wealth that this region brings,” an Oxford Languages spokesperson said.
The Oxford English Dictionary includes more than 600,000 words and phrases in its monumental work on what various words mean, where they come from, and how they are pronounced.
