Phonetics

Fanatic About Phonetics
( L.M. Baskaran )


Welcome to the world of Phonetics,
Just hope you don't turn too frenetic,
Nor end up too lunatic,
But only just be kind of fanatic
In attempting to understand
This universal language of man
Try not to be too elan
But just hope that your minds'll expand.
The unpredictability of sound and symbol
Makes language-learning not too simple
Take cough, tough, bough, although and through
Each spells "ough" but sounds individually new.
Then how about bush and rush
You really can't compare them much,
Then there's break, beak, read and reed.
For some sanity there is much need !
Isles, aisles, beguile,  and mile
Can we ever easily smile
And say "we'll bear it" - just for a while ?
Oh no - then there's women, orange and business
When orthograpic o, e, a, u are pronounced /i/,
Knew, hour, pneumonia, psychology
Have an unnecessary piece of orthography
The "silenced" one they often call it,
Why in the first place ever use it ?
Hour, our, grower and bower
Aren't these enough to make one cower
In fright and with no respite
Mind you, not really with delight !
High, buy, bye, and lie,
Can easily make a new learner cry
One surely cannot deny
That some sanity is now well night !