‘Even slang is part of English’: Why and how Malaysian words like ‘alamak’ and ‘terror’ made it into Oxford Dictionary

‘Even slang is part of English’: Why and how Malaysian words like ‘alamak’ and ‘terror’ made it into Oxford Dictionary



The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) currently has 285 entries of words and slang used by Malaysian English speakers. — Pixabay pic

Monday, 07 Apr 2025 7:00 AM MYT


KUALA LUMPUR, April 7 — Last month, Malaysia’s colourful English stepped into the global linguistic spotlight after words like “alamak” and “tapau” found a home in the prestigious Oxford English Dictionary (OED).

But how exactly do these words make the cut, and who decides what gets in?

Danica Salazar, the executive editor for World English at the OED, told Malay Mail that the process behind each new entry is nothing short of meticulous — and can take anywhere from a few months to several years.

“The OED is a historical dictionary. You don’t consult it just to find out what a word means. It is also consulted by people who want to learn about when the word was first used in English,” Salazar said.

The editorial process begins with tracing the earliest known use of a word in written English. From there, editors construct the definition, etymology, and pronunciation.

This initial draft is reviewed by a team of experts — including etymologists, pronunciation editors, and library researchers — before the chief editor gives final approval and the entry is published, Salazar explained.



‘Kaya toast’ and ‘half-boiled egg’ are among Malaysian words included in the OED. — Picture by Choo Choy May



How does a word get on Oxford’s radar?

To decide which words earn a place in the OED, the editorial team taps into a vast digital database known as the corpus — a collection of English texts pulled from books, articles, websites, and social media, containing billions of words.

The corpus, she said, gives editors “an idea of how words are used in the wild”.

In addition to data mining, the OED team consults with linguistic experts from around the world, reviews regional dictionaries, and accepts suggestions from the public.

One important rule of thumb? A word should have been in use for at least a decade.

But the internet is speeding things up, she said.

“Someone could be using a word on TikTok in India and by the next day, the word would have spread to the US, the UK, and other English-speaking countries.

“So, we still follow the 10-year rule, but we can see things beginning to change and maybe in a few years' time, the rule may become obsolete,” she said.

She cited “Covid-19” as a prime example of an exception: coined in February 2020, it was added to the OED just two months later.



Danica Salazar, the executive editor for World English at OED, said her favourite words from Malaysian English include ‘lepak’ and ‘terror’. — Picture courtesy of Oxford University Press



Turning ‘terror’ from negative to positive

As a historical lexicographer from the Philippines, Salazar says she finds it fascinating — and sometimes funny — how Malaysians give their own spin to English words that typically have more serious meanings.

Take “terror”, for example.

First recorded in 1977, the use of “terror” in Malaysian English as an adjective meaning either “terrible” or, in a positive sense, “admirable” or “excellent”, was added to the OED in March 2025. The word is sometimes spelled “terer” or “terrer” in colloquial Malay.

“In the Philippines, we use ‘terror’ to describe a teacher who is very scary and strict. It’s a different sense of how we use terror in English but it is still negative.

“So, I like how Malaysians turned it around into something positive and by combining ‘terror’ with words like ‘lah’ and ‘wah’, they make it sound very Malaysian,” she said.

She also highlighted “lepak” as a personal favourite — a word meaning to loiter, hang out, or just chill.

With its earliest usage recorded in 1993, “lepak” entered the OED in 2016. Despite being borrowed from Malay, Salazar noted how it functions naturally in English.

“Though it is a borrowed word from Malay, ‘lepak’ is quite productive in English as well because it can be used as a noun and as a conjugated verb like lepak-ing or lepak-ed,” she explained.


The full list of words added into OED in March:

alamak, int.
fish head curry, n.
half-boiled egg, n.
kaya, n.2
kaya toast, n.
ketupat, n.
mat rempit, n.
nasi lemak, n.
otak-otak, n.
steamboat, n.
tapau, v.
terror, adj.

Other Malaysian loanwords already included in the OED:

atas, adj.
bak kwa, n.
bak kut teh, n.
belukar, n.
changkol, n.
char kway teow, n.
chicken rice, n.
kain songket, n.
kopitiam, n.
laksa, n.
lepak, v.
mamak, n. and adj.
shophouse, n.
sotong, n.
teh tarik, n.


Why local words matter in the global lexicon

Salazar said recognising words from other varieties of English besides British and American English is crucial to show how the over 1,000-year-old language is constantly evolving to fit the needs of its current speakers.

“Languages change, and that is just what languages do. The only time a language does not change is when it has died.

“As a historical dictionary, it is the job of OED to tell the whole story of the English language, and that story is not complete if it does not include contributions of Malaysian English speakers.

“Even slang words are part of the story,” she added.

Oxford University Press said the OED details 500,000 words and phrases from across the English-speaking world.

OED’s consultants for Malaysian loanwords are Prof Stefanie Pillai of the Faculty of Languages and Linguistics in University of Malaya, and Stuart Robson, adjunct associate professor from Monash University.


Recommended read:

Alamak! Malaysian loanwords ‘mat rempit’, ‘tapau’ and ‘terror’ among new additions to Oxford English Dictionary

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kt notes:

Other excellent words-terms recommended by kt for inclusion in the OED are:

(i) Karn-Neen Neh 😂

(ii) Limpeh 😂

(iii) Khau Peh Khau Boh 😂

(iv) Tua Pau Sian 😂

(v) Maka-Laut 😂