The Lack of The Circumflex in the British Îles
Ah, the French, with their hats upon their vowels
That they wear as a reminder to the fickleness of fate –
For there used to be a consonant, since buried in the bowels,
And thus no letter’s truly safe unless it pulls its weight.
For even though the final consonants are free to stay,
L’Académie insists on hats, and French must all obey it –
These warn them of the missing ‘s’ they had, but threw away,
And how they must remember not to say it.
In English, though, it’s understood
We keep the silents hanging round –
Cos once they’re in, they’re in for good,
However pointless and unsound.
They’re traps, just waiting to be sprung –
We keep the buggers out of spite,
To trip up Johnny Foreign’s tongue.
Bloody minded ? Bloody right !
Rhyming Couplets 