The new South African words debuting in Oxford English Dictionary

The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) has released its latest quarterly update, featuring a vibrant collection of words from South Africa, highlighting the rich linguistic tapestry of the African continent.

The South African additions reveal a diverse range of expressions, from emotional interjections to terms describing everyday life.

Notably, the interjection "yoh", used to express surprise, wonder, or shock, has been traced back to 1855, with roots in the Afrikaans "jo" and Xhosa "yho" or "yo".

“Yoh in South African English is a cry or exclamation used to express various emotions or reactions, such as surprise, wonder, admiration, shock, or distress,” OED says in its latest update.

Colloquial phrases

The update also includes "gatvol", also from South Africa, "fed up", and "the hell-in” from Afrikaans, a phrase expressing intense frustration. "Tjoekie", a colloquial term for prison, with origins in Hindi via Afrikaans, also made the cut.