Oi
Encyclopedia
Oi is a slang
interjection
used in Britain
, Ireland, Australia
, Singapore
, Malaysia and other countries to get someone's attention or to express surprise or disapproval. Its use is much rarer than the equivalent interjection "hey": in written British English "oi" appears at a rate of 64.3 instances per ten million words and is absent in American English
, versus 294.4 for "hey" in the UK and 472.5 in the US. "Oi" was added to the list of acceptable words in US Scrabble in 2006.
In the UK, the word is associated with working class
and Cockney
stereotypes. A survey of Cockney language in the 1950s found that whether it was being used to call attention or as a challenge depended on its tone and abruptness. The author noted that "The ejaculation, jaunty and self-assertive, is intensely cockney". The 1937 musical song The Lambeth Walk
from Me and My Girl ends with a cry of "Oi!", expressing defiance and transgression of the working class characters; it was newsworthy when the King and Queen "with the rest of the audience, cocked their thumbs and shouted Oi!" "Oi" may have come into Cockney speech from the Romani language
. It is used in informal Japanese in the same way as in English, typically by older men to subordinates; an elongated ōi is used when someone is at a distance. 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."
, leading to the "Oi!" subgenre.
"Oi" is also used repeatedly in T.N.T.
by AC/DC
.
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
interjection
Interjection
In grammar, an interjection or exclamation is a word used to express an emotion or sentiment on the part of the speaker . Filled pauses such as uh, er, um are also considered interjections...
used in Britain
British language
The British language was an ancient Celtic language spoken in Britain.British language may also refer to:* Any of the Languages of the United Kingdom.*The Welsh language or the Brythonic languages more generally* British English...
, Ireland, Australia
Australian English
Australian English is the name given to the group of dialects spoken in Australia that form a major variety of the English language....
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, Malaysia and other countries to get someone's attention or to express surprise or disapproval. Its use is much rarer than the equivalent interjection "hey": in written British English "oi" appears at a rate of 64.3 instances per ten million words and is absent in American English
American English
American English is a set of dialects of the English language used mostly in the United States. Approximately two-thirds of the world's native speakers of English live in the United States....
, versus 294.4 for "hey" in the UK and 472.5 in the US. "Oi" was added to the list of acceptable words in US Scrabble in 2006.
In the UK, the word is associated with working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
and Cockney
Cockney
The term Cockney has both geographical and linguistic associations. Geographically and culturally, it often refers to working class Londoners, particularly those in the East End...
stereotypes. A survey of Cockney language in the 1950s found that whether it was being used to call attention or as a challenge depended on its tone and abruptness. The author noted that "The ejaculation, jaunty and self-assertive, is intensely cockney". The 1937 musical song The Lambeth Walk
The Lambeth Walk
"The Lambeth Walk" is a song from the 1937 musical Me and My Girl . The song takes its name from a local street Lambeth Walk once notable for its street market and working class culture in Lambeth, an area of London.The tune gave its name to a Cockney dance first made popular in 1937 by Lupino Lane...
from Me and My Girl ends with a cry of "Oi!", expressing defiance and transgression of the working class characters; it was newsworthy when the King and Queen "with the rest of the audience, cocked their thumbs and shouted Oi!" "Oi" may have come into Cockney speech from the Romani language
Romani language
Romani or Romany, Gypsy or Gipsy is any of several languages of the Romani people. They are Indic, sometimes classified in the "Central" or "Northwestern" zone, and sometimes treated as a branch of their own....
. It is used in informal Japanese in the same way as in English, typically by older men to subordinates; an elongated ōi is used when someone is at a distance. 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."
In Music
The word is especially heard in punk rockPunk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
, leading to the "Oi!" subgenre.
"Oi" is also used repeatedly in T.N.T.
T.N.T. (song)
"T.N.T." is a single recorded in 1975 by the hard rock band AC/DC, taken from their Australian album T.N.T. and the international version of High Voltage. The song was written by Bon Scott, Angus Young and Malcolm Young...
by AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
.
Uses internationally
- In CatalanCatalan languageCatalan is a Romance language, the national and only official language of Andorra and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencian , as well as in the city of Alghero, on the Italian island...
, "Oi!" is an interjectionInterjectionIn grammar, an interjection or exclamation is a word used to express an emotion or sentiment on the part of the speaker . Filled pauses such as uh, er, um are also considered interjections...
used to call someone's attention or "Oi?" to ask for confirmation (sometimes rhetorically). Etymologically, it is believed to derive from Òc, the affirmative particle (i.e., yes) in Occitan. - In BengaliBengali languageBengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
, UrduUrduUrdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
, HindiHindiStandard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
, PunjabiPunjabi languagePunjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...
, Nepali and other languages of the larger Indian subcontinent, "Oi" can be used as an exclamation, to get another's attention-calling word in an informal environment. - In KoreanKorean languageKorean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
and JapaneseJapanese languageis a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
, as in Catalan, "Oi" can be used to get another person's attention, but its use in both cultures is considered too casual for many situations, and potentially offensive in some. In Japanese this word is considered part of "masculine" or "rough" slangSlangSlang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
vocabulary. - In Brazil, mostly in the Center-WestCenter-West Region, BrazilThe Central-West Region of Brazil is composed of the states of Goiás, Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul; along with Distrito Federal , where Brazil's national capital, Brasília, is situated...
, is common to use "oi!" in the same way they use in Britain, although it is more common to use the colloquial similars "ou!" or "ei!/hei!". But is also a way to call someone to stop whatever they are doing and pay attention on something else.
Alternative similar interjections
- In Cantonese, "wai" or "wei" is used to get someone's attention.
- In YiddishYiddish languageYiddish is a High German language of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, spoken throughout the world. It developed as a fusion of German dialects with Hebrew, Aramaic, Slavic languages and traces of Romance languages...
and HebrewHebrew languageHebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
, "אוי" is an interjection used as English "oh, my", "oh, dear" (see Oy veyOy veyOy vey , or just oy, is an exclamation of dismay or exasperation meaning "oh pain." According to Douglas Harper, the phrase is derived from Yiddish and is of Germanic origin...
). It is used to express fear, surprise, pain, or exasperation. - In GreekGreek languageGreek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
, in addition to the universal "E!" , a loud, long drawn "O" is used to call someone's attention in some places. - In the PhilippinesPhilippinesThe Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, the similar form "hoy" and "uy" is also used to get someone's attention; it is considered vulgar. - In LithuanianLithuanian languageLithuanian is the official state language of Lithuania and is recognized as one of the official languages of the European Union. There are about 2.96 million native Lithuanian speakers in Lithuania and about 170,000 abroad. Lithuanian is a Baltic language, closely related to Latvian, although they...
, the similar form of the saying is "ej" or "ei", used to get someone's attention. - In SpanishSpanish languageSpanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, a similar variation of "Oye" (the "y" sound may be dropped in the AmericasAmericasThe Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
) is used to the same effect, usually in a casual environment. - In GalicianGalician languageGalician is a language of the Western Ibero-Romance branch, spoken in Galicia, an autonomous community located in northwestern Spain, where it is co-official with Castilian Spanish, as well as in border zones of the neighbouring territories of Asturias and Castile and León.Modern Galician and...
and to a lesser degree PortuguesePortuguese languagePortuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
, specially in Brazil, the similarly sounding "Oe!" is also used to get someone's attention. - A similar variation to English "oi" is the word "ej" used in PolishPolish languagePolish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
to the same effect. In PoznańPoznanPoznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
dialect of Polish there is an interjection "tej" [tei] which is used to get attention or as an interpolation.
Alternative meanings
- In DutchDutch languageDutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
, the word "Oi" is sometimes used as a short for "Hoi", a greeting with the same meaning as "Hi" in English. - In DanishDanish languageDanish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
, NorwegianNorwegian languageNorwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
and SwedishSwedish languageSwedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
, "Oi" or "Oj" (Øj in Danish) is an expression of surprise, positively as an astonishment (similar to English "Wow", neutral as in startled (comparable with English "Oops"), or disappointed with a drawn out intonation and descending pitch. (The same can be found in FinnishFinnish languageFinnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
, but as "voi"). The English sense of "oi" is also used colloquially in Norwegian, but is written "øyh!" and "oj!" respectively. - In FinnishFinnish languageFinnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
"oi" is used as an expression of reverence, like "oh" in English ("Oh almighty God"), for example in the Finnish version of the national anthem of Finland, MaammeMaammeMaamme or Vårt land is the title of Finland's national anthem. There is no law on an official national anthem in Finland, but Maamme is firmly established by convention....
, which starts with Oi maamme, Suomi, i. e., "Oh our land, Finland". - In ItalianItalian languageItalian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, a slight variation is used, "Ohi". As the h is silent, this expression has exactly the same pronunciation as "Oi", and is therefore often misspelled. - In PortuguesePortuguese languagePortuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
, especially in Brazil, the word "Oi" is the most common and popular way of greeting people, having the same meaning as "Hi" in English. - In Slavic languagesSlavic languagesThe Slavic languages , a group of closely related languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup of Indo-European languages, have speakers in most of Eastern Europe, in much of the Balkans, in parts of Central Europe, and in the northern part of Asia.-Branches:Scholars traditionally divide Slavic...
like PolishPolish languagePolish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
or RussianRussian languageRussian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, the word "oj!" (or "ojej!") is an interjection used as English "oh, my", "oh, dear". It is used to express fear, surprise or pain. - According to Nietzsche, in Greek "oi" was an expression of pain, and someone who was in pain or miserable was said to be "oizuros". In Latin, the similar "oiei" was a cry of pain.
See also
- Mark "Jacko" Jackson, former Australian rules footballer whose catchphrase was "Oi!"
- Oi!Oi!Oi! is a working class subgenre of punk rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The music and its associated subculture had the goal of bringing together punks, skinheads and other working-class youths ....
a punk rock subgenre - Oggy Oggy OggyOggy Oggy OggyThe Oggy Oggy Oggy chant , and its numerous variations, are often heard at sporting events, political rallies and around Scout and Guide campfires, primarily in Britain, Ireland and some Commonwealth nations....
and Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi