New Oxford lexicon has alap, chawl

NEW DELHI: Bollywood, along with over 600 words of Indian origin, has found place in the latest edition of Concise Oxford Dictionary (COD). The tenth edition of the COD was launched by the Oxford University Press (OUP) in Delhi and Kolkata simultaneously. The launch, held at the British Council here, was attended by academics and linguistic experts of both the cities, who shared their observations through video-conferencing.Judy Pearsall, publishing manager of English dictionaries, OUP, told Times News Network,''Until recently, the usage of many of Indian words included in the dictionary, was confined to the subcontinent.With globalisation, the Indian literature has gained tremendous popularity. It thus became imminent to include Indian words, which have gained acceptability on international level, in the COD.''Some of the common Indian words included in the new COD are: achkan, akasha, alap, amrit, bustee, chawl, gherao, godown, gymkhana, yantra, zakat, zilla.Manzar Khan, managing director, OUP, said, ''English has moved from being the Queen's language to a truly international language. The inclusion of so many Indian words in the COD is a tribute to the Indian authors writing in English.'' Another highlight of the new 1,600-page edition of the COD is the introduction of a new glossary of short messaging services (SMS) abbreviations. So, alphanumeric abbreviations such as B4 (before); CUL8R (see you later); HAND (have a nice day); RUOK? (are you okay?); XOXOX (hugs and kisses) also find place in the COD.Explaining the move, Pearsall said, ''The rapid growth of new means of communication meant creation of a new language within a language. The international nature of the new vocabulary compelled us to take note of it.''