The Oxford English Dictionary (OED), which is a big book that explains the meaning of English words, has added 20 new Nigerian words and phrases to its latest edition.
Some of these words include:
Yahoo boy: A person who does fraud online.
Japa: When someone leaves Nigeria to look for better opportunities abroad.
Suya: A popular Nigerian snack made of spiced, grilled meat on a stick.
419: A type of fraud or scam.
Eba: A Nigerian food made from cassava flour, often eaten with soup.
Kingsley Ugwuanyi, a Nigerian who works with the OED, helped make this happen. He was very excited and shared the news on social media. He even recorded how some of the words are pronounced so people can hear them correctly.
Other Nigerian words added include:
Abi: A way to ask “isn’t it?”
Area boy: A young person who may be part of a street gang.
Yarn: To tell a story.
Yarn dust: To talk nonsense.
Naija: A nickname for Nigeria.
These new words show how Nigerian English is influencing the world and sharing the country’s culture and way of speaking with everyone.
