Oi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the subgenre of punk rock see Oi!.
- For the Brazilian mobile phone network see Oi (mobile phone network).
- For the digraph, see oi (digraph).
Oi, pronounced [ɔɪ], is a British and Australian working class slang interjection used to get someone's attention, or to express surprise or disapproval. It is also used in Singapore, with the alternate pronunciation [oɪ]. It is not polite, but it is not especially offensive. It is not to be confused with the Yiddish exclamation of dismay or exasperation "oy" or "oy vey".
[edit] Oi in other languages
Similar interjections are found in many languages:
- In Catalan, "Oi!" is an interjection used to call someone's attention. Etymologically, it is believed to either derive from Òc, the affirmative particle (i.e., yes) in Occitan, or to be a corruption of the word Noi (meaning boy). As in English, it is an informal, but not offensive, form of address.
- In Dutch, the word "Oi" is sometimes used as a short for "Hoi", a greeting with the same meaning as "Hi" in English.
- In Japanese, as in Catalan, "Oi" can be used to get another person's attention, but its use is considered too casual for many situations, and potentially offensive in some.
- In Yiddish and Hebrew, "אוי" is an interjection used as English "oh, my", "oh, dear". It is used to express fear, surprise or pain.
- In Norwegian, Finnish and Swedish, "Oi" or "Oj" 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 English sense of "oi" is used colloquially in Norwegian, but is written "øyh!".
- In Polish a similar interjection is used to call someone's attention. Spelled 'Ej', pronounced 'əi'.
- In Portuguese, 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 the Philippines, the similar form "hoy" is also used to get someone's attention; it is considered vulgar.
- In Spanish a similar variation of "Oye" (the "y" sound may be dropped in the Americas) is used to the same effect, usually in a casual environment.
- In Galician The similarly sounding "Oe!" is also used to get someone's attention.
- In Slavic languages, word "oj!" (or "ojej!") is an interjection used as English "oh, my", "oh, dear". It is used to express fear, surprise or pain. In Poznań dialect there is an interjection "tej" [tei] which is used to get attention or as an interpolation.
