By Charles Mkoka
A collection of popular Nigerian and West African words, including Afrobeats and Nyash, has been officially added to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), highlighting the growing influence of African language and pop culture on global English.
The nyash entry, a slang term for a woman’s behind, has been used across Nigeria and is increasingly familiar in East Africa through music and social media.
Afrobeats, the name for the globally popular music genre that fuses West African rhythms with modern pop and hip-hop sounds, also appears in the authoritative English reference work.
Other Nigerian-origin words added range from everyday expressions, including “abeg” (a casual plea for “please” or to soften a request) and “biko” (meaning “please” in Igbo), to cultural terms like “mammy market,” and food names such as “amala,” a dough made from yam or cassava flour.
The OED said the additions reflect the “growing global influence” of West African English, driven in part by music, migration, and digital culture.
Many of the words have spread far beyond their original communities, starring in Afrobeats lyrics, Nollywood films, and social media conversations, reaching Nairobi, Kampala, and Dar es Salaam.
Nyash, for example, is commonly heard in Afrobeats tracks and online memes, and has crossed borders with the rise of the genre in East Africa’s club and radio scenes.
The term has become part of everyday informal speech among young people in major cities, used playfully in conversation and pop culture.
The OED updates its dictionary quarterly to add new words, new senses, and revisions to reflect real-world usage.
This year’s update includes hundreds of new entries from around the world, acknowledging regional Englishes that are shaping global vocabulary.
For many observers in Africa, the inclusion of these words in one of the world’s most respected English dictionaries is a milestone for cultural recognition.
It shows that language born in the streets, markets, and music scenes of West Africa is now acknowledged in formal global language records.