Home / Lifestyle / OED Adds Global Slang: Gigil, Yoh Now Official!
OED Adds Global Slang: Gigil, Yoh Now Official!
4 Dec
Summary
- OED's 2025 update includes words from Irish, Tagalog, and South African English.
- New terms reflect growing influence of global cultures and digital communication.
- Words like 'gigil' (Filipino) and 'yoh' (South African) show language's dynamic growth.
The latest Oxford English Dictionary update for 2025 introduces a wealth of new words and expressions, reflecting English's continuous global expansion. These additions capture evolving language influenced by various cultures, online trends, and everyday expressions from across the world.
The 2025 entries highlight linguistic diversity, featuring terms from Irish English, Tagalog, South African English, and Southeast Asian English. Notable inclusions like 'gigil' (Tagalog for the urge to squeeze something cute) and 'alamak' (a Malaysian/Singaporean exclamation of surprise) underscore the growing influence of non-Western English variants on the global vocabulary.
This expansion demonstrates two significant trends: English is increasingly shaped by global cultures, particularly from Asia, Africa, and Ireland. Furthermore, digital communication rapidly accelerates word adoption, allowing regional terms to spread swiftly across borders and gain official recognition.
