Mai Dao

The English Language
When the English tongue we speak,
Why is "break" not rhymed with "freak"?
Will you tell me why it's true
We say "sew" but likewise "few";
And the maker of verse
Cannot cap his "horse" with "worse"
"Beard" sounds not the same as "heard";
"Cord" is different from "word";
Cow is "cow", but low is "low";
"Show" is never rhymed with "foe";
Think of "hose" and "dose" and "lose";
And think of "goose" and yet of "choose."
Think of "comb" and "tomb" and "bomb";
"Doll" and "roll" and "home" and "some,"
And since "pay" is rhymed with "say,"
Why not "paid" with "said," I pray?
We have "blood" and "food" and "good";
"Mould" is not pronounced like "could."
Wherefore "done" but "gone" and "lone?"
Is there any reason known?
And, in short, it seems to me,
Sounds and letters disagree.

( Anonymous, 1987)

"The English Language," a poem of anonymous composition, depicts with
humor one Vietnamese-American's perspective on the English language.
Currently, there is a dearth of English language development programs based on
Vietnamese-American perspectives. While educators in the United States are
familiar with transitions form various Western languages to another Western
language, for example, from French or Spanish to English, they are less familiar
with the transfer from various Eastern to Western languages. This chapter
examines the linguistic differencs between Vietnamese and English and explores
how such differences may affect the English language and literacy development
of Vietnamese-American students.

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