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Home > Blog > Philippine English in the October 2018 update

Philippine English in the October 2018 update

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In its latest update, the Oxford English Dictionary published several new words from Philippine English.
These new additions are notable for having been brought to the dictionary’s attention by Filipino
speakers of English who answered the OED’s online call for word suggestions.

This crowdsourcing appeal resulted in an interesting selection of words representing different aspects
of Philippine life and culture. Many of the words are related to Filipino food items, whose varied
Categories
linguistic origins reflect the diverse international influences that have enriched Filipino cuisine:
bagoong from Tagalog, bihon from Hokkien, turon and sorbetes from Spanish, ensaimada from Catalan. History of English 23
Even the words referring to places where Filipinos eat are equally hybrid in nature: carinderia,
referring to a typical Filipino food stall, is from kari, the Tagalog word for curry, which itself was
Nigerian English 3
borrowed from Tamil, combined with the Spanish suffix –teria, the same ending as in the word
cafeteria. Following the same pattern is the word panciteria, signifying a Philippine noodle stall
(Tagalog pancit for ‘noodle’, ultimately from Hokkien + Spanish teria suffix). OED & Research 3

Dirty ice cream is another food word that may sound surprising to non-Filipinos, but it’s just another OED Appeals 9
term for sorbetes, the traditional Philippine ice cream that is usually sold by ambulant vendors from
colourfully painted handcarts. For the unusual name, we can thank generations of Filipino children People and the OED 46
who gleefully ignored their mothers’ warnings not to buy ‘dirty’ street food.
Quarterly updates 90
Lexical creativity in Philippine English is further illustrated by other idiosyncratic usages in this batch
of new words. Filipinos accomplish forms and questionnaires rather than fill them out. A bold movie in
the Philippines is not one that is particularly courageous or hard-hitting, but one that is erotic, risqué, The language of… 20
or sexually explicit. For Filipinos, viand is not an archaic word for any article of food, but a current term
for a meat, seafood, or vegetable dish that accompanies rice in a typical Filipino meal. Uncategorized 90

But perhaps no other word is more quintessentially Filipino than the word trapo—a derogatory term Varieties of English 23
for a politician perceived as belonging to a conventional and corrupt ruling class. Trapo is a
combination of the two words that make up the English phrase traditional politician, but it is also the
World English 3
Spanish word for a cleaning cloth, which has also been borrowed into Tagalog and other Philippine
languages. This elevates trapo from a simple portmanteau to a clever and provocative play on words
that equates a corrupt politician to a dirty rag, and from a mere loanword to a five-letter distillation of
centuries of Philippine political, cultural, and linguistic history.

The twenty Philippine English words that have just been added to the OED demonstrate how the Further Reading
insider knowledge of local informants can help the dictionary in documenting the highly creative
vocabulary of English speakers all over the world. The OED thanks everyone who contributed words to
the Philippine English appeal, for making this update just that little bit more bongga.

Here you can find a list of the new Filipino words and senses added to the OED in the September
2018 update.

ambush interview, n.

accomplish, v.
Words from the 1920s
bagoong, n.

bihon, n.

bold, adj.

bongga, adj.

carinderia, n.

cartolina, n.

dine-in, n. and adj.

dirty ice cream, n. ‘There remains something

extraordinary’: David Whitley on the
ensaimada, n.
OED
holdupper, n.

palay, n.

panciteria, n.

querida, n.

rotonda, n.

sorbetes, n.

trapo, n.
100 words that define the First
turon, n.
World War
viand, n.

The opinions and other information contained in the OED blog posts and comments do not necessarily
reflect the opinions or positions of Oxford University Press.

$ % &
Danica Salazar
World English Editor, OED Lexicographers at war

Published time:
October 15 / 2018

Categories:
Quarterly updates

Tags:
Philippine English, September 2018
Words from the 1930s

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New words notes for October 2018

New words notes for October 2018

The latest update of the OED adds more than 1400 new words, senses, and phrases, including the
selection of items described in greater detail below. The full list of entries…

MORE
A look under the bonnet in the
October 2018 update

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