This morning I was talking to Stephanie, BEST daughter-in-law "(BDIL) in the world, about the English language. I made a comment about how "people" wrongly think that English is such a sensible language. Stephanie then mentioned that Spanish is so much more sensible than English. I countered with the example of "el sofá".
Note: The majority of Spanish words that end with the letter 'a' are of the feminine gender so the definite article ''la'' comes before the word. However, sofä has the definite article ''el'' (masculine gender) despite the ''a'' ending on sofä.
I asked, "What kind of sense does that make?"
Stephanie kindly tutored me on the origin of the word sofá as an English word that was Spanishized. I agreed that it was possible, but then asked, "Why didn't they (the Spanish Linguistics Council) use "la'' as the definite article?
In a classic Stephanie teaching moment the answer came in question form.
"Actually it makes perfect sense for the article to be masculine, Who do you think sits on the couch the most?".
Well, I must say I had never looked at it that way and thanks to my incredible BDIL, I will never make the mistake of saying "la sofá" for "el sofá" again.
After drying the tears from my eyes from laughing so hard, I then went back to my original point that people are wrong to think that English is a sensible language. My proof is the following poem.
The English Tongue
(author unknown)
When the English tongue we speak
Why is ''break'' not rhymed with "weak''?
When we want to make a verse,
We can't rhyme a "horse with ''worse.''
''Beard'' is different from ''heard'',
''Lord'' is not pronounced like ''word''.
''Cow'' is ''cow'' but ''show'' is ''show'',
''Do'' is never rhymed with ''go''.
Think of ''rose'' and ''nose'' and lose''
And of ''goose'' and yet of ''choose''!
''Cough'' and ''through'' don't rhyme with ''plough''
Nor do ''rough'' or ''dough'' with ''bough''.
Don't rhyme ''flood'' or ''food'' with ''good'',
You'd be laughed at if you should.
We have ''year'' and ''hear'' and ''pear'',
''Come'' and ''home'' and ''are'' and ''care"!
''Five'' and ''give'' and ''boot'' and ''foot'',
''Post'' and ''cost'' and ''shut'' and ''put''.
And since ''lay'' is rhymed with ''say'',
Why not ''laid'' with ''said'' I pray?
Wherefore ''done'', but ''gone'' and ''stone''?
Is there any reason that is known?
And in short, it seems to me
Sounds and letters disagree.
