By Nicholas Yong
Reporter
nicy@sph.com.sg

 

THE sounds of 'boomz' this and 'boomz' that were spouted on Singapore Idol the other night confirmed it for me: 'boomz' is here to stay, and you better get used to it.

I  raised the point last week, with a blog entry on the word 'boomz', What does 'boomz' really mean?.

I suggested, tongue firmly in cheek, that Ris Low was an artist who created the word in a sudden burst of creative endeavour, then intentionally left its meaning unclear to mystify us all.

I added that the all-purpose word would eventually come to mean all things to all men (though a friend mischievously suggested that 'boomz' might well be the sound of prison gates clanging shut, given Ms Low's recently unearthed history).

Predictably enough, more than a few readers misunderstood the intended irony of the blog post. Some accused me of promoting bad English, while others spoke of Ms Low in terms usually reserved for convicted criminals.

Notwithstanding the fact that she has actually been convicted in a court of law (though this may well have had something to do with her unfortunate bipolar condition), it was all enough to make my head go boomz.

But one reader hit the nail on the head with the following observation:

" 'Boomz' defies a standard definition and can be used by all and sundry for every circumstance. The genius of Ris Low is that she has created a word that can mean anything to anyone. All the great words that enter our cultural lexicon have this unmistakable 'every-man' appeal."

Sure enough, Ms Low validated this point in her now famous Sunday Times interview: "If I cannot find the right word, I'll just go 'boom'! I have no idea where that comes from. It's like a comic book effect."

While it would be a stretch of anyone's imagination to acknowledge her as a genius, it must be said: There aren't that many people who can get everyone quoting them with just one soundbite.

Even though Ms Low is undoubtedly a polarising figure, she has arguably had a lasting impact on popular culture here. Facebook, YouTube and Twitter already bear the mark of her imprints (or should that be 'impreence'?)

So I daresay that, sooner or later, someone is going to use 'boomz' in an advertising campaign. This will then be followed by the obligatory, and no doubt prolonged, agonised soul-searching over the standard of English in our country.

Then, like the ugly step-child we had initially refused to acknowledge, we will grow to love it and embrace it. Before you know it, tourism campaigns will be urging visitors to visit our boomz island and help the economy go boomz.

Then the day will come when we will reach out, and come together to unveil our National Day slogan: Singapore Boomz!

In all seriousness, there is no doubt that standard English is important. But new words are being invented every day, intentionally or otherwise, and who is to say which are valid and which are not?

So let the debate about bad English, standard English and Singlish go on.

At the end of the day, the thankless task of improving the standard of English in this country will fall to our tireless teachers, who can only do so much.

Personally, I can't wait to see how the use of the word evolves. In fact, I'm feeling pretty boomz about it.

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