Pinay wants Pinoy-English words in Oxford English Dictionary

A Filipina currently part of the team working on the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is pushing the inclusion of Filipino-coined words like “presidentiable” and “senatoriable”. Danica Salazar, PhD, 28, got her job at the OED last year after she was awarded a Mellon Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in lexicography, working with both the Oxford’s Hertford College and the Oxford University Press which publishes the OED. Her proposal for the fellowship included the search, systematization and possible inclusion in the OED of English words uniquely coined and used in the Philippines. Part of her job is also to look for “extensions of meaning” of some English words which have taken on a different usage in the Philippines, like “salvage,” which she says has taken on a different meaning in the country that is the “opposite to its original meaning.” Salazar’s main goal is the official recognition of Philippine English and the publication of a Philippine English dictionary by the Oxford University Press. From her perspective, the way Filipinos speak and use English can enrich the language.

Read more about how Danica Salazar got involved with the team on Rappler.