For most people hailing form South India, especially for those from Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the word ‘Aiyoh’ or ‘Ayyo’ is a very common word in their lingo.
When one say Ayioh or ‘Ayyo’ it means that person is expressing pain, dismay or reluctance.
Now you would be swearing in English each time when you scream Aiyoh or ayyo, for the word got listed in the latest set of vocabulary additions by the Oxford English Dictionary.
In its September 2016 update, the dictionary has added over 500 new words, including “Aiyoh”.
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Besides, it also added the word “Aiyah” that is used to express derision, joy or victory, as per the context demands.
It is learned that these expressions are not reserved to just South Indians, but people in other Asian countries like China, Sri Lanka, Singapore and Malaysia too use them.
As a matter of fact, the dictionary has credited origin of these words from countries other than India. While ‘Aiyoh’ is credited to have origins in Mandarin, Aiyah is claimed to come from Cantonese.
The September update of the dictionary pays tribute children’s writer Ronald Dahl. Marking his birth centenary, the dictionary also added words like “splendiferous”, “human bean” and “Oompa Loompa” which the author used in his works of fiction.
Other additions were “YOLO” (You Only Live Once), “moobs” (man boobs) and “gender-fluid” (to describe a person who does not subscribe to a single, fixed gender identity).
