Oi /ɔɪ/ is an interjection used in various varieties of the English language, particularly Australian English, British English, Indian English, Irish English, New Zealand English, and South African English, as well as non-English languages such as Chinese, Tagalog, Tamil, Hindi/Urdu, Italian, Japanese, and Portuguese to get the attention of another person or to express surprise or disapproval.[1][2][3] It is sometimes used in Canadian English and very rarely in American English. The word is also common in the Indian subcontinent, where it has varied pronunciations of "O-ee" and "O-ye".
"Oi" has been particularly associated with working class and Cockney speech.[4] It is effectively a local pronunciation of "hoy"[5] (see H-dropping), an older expression.[6] A study of the Cockney dialect in the 1950s found that whether it was being used to call attention or as a challenge depended on its tone and abruptness. The study's author noted that the expression is "jaunty and self-assertive" as well as "intensely cockney".[7]
A poll of non-English speakers by the British Council in 2004 found that "oi" was considered the 61st most beautiful word in the English language. A spokesman commented that "Oi is not a word that I would've thought turned up in English manuals all that often."[8] "Oi" was added to the list of acceptable words in US Scrabble in 2006.[9]
- ^ "Oi". Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
- ^ "Oi". Dictionary.com. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
- ^ "Oi". Oxford Dictionaries. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
- ^ Sutton, Terri (January 1996). "Blur". Spin. 11 (10): 36.
- ^ "Oi". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
- ^ "Hoy". Oxford Dictionaries. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
- ^ Franklyn, Julian (1953). The Cockney: A Survey of London Life and Language. A. Deutsch. p. 259.
- ^ "Mum's the word, says the world". BBC News. 27 November 2004.
- ^ Linn, Virginia (9 April 2006). "Scrabble players adjust as official dictionary adds 'za', 'qi' and 3,300 others". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.