ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

English is such an easy language.

1) The bandage was wound around the wound.

2) The farm was used to produce produce.

3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.

4) We must polish the Polish furniture.

5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.

6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.

7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.

8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.

9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.

10) I did not object to the object.

11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.

12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.

13) They were too close to the door to close it.

14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.

15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.

16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.

17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.

18) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear..

19) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.

20) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

I am told that English has more words for its use than any other language.
Some of those words on your list Bob vary in vowel pronunciation, but, as a poet Bob did you notice that some of the change in meanings for similar spelling happened because of difference in accented syllables ( e.g. 2. produce 3 refuse 10 object. There was also a more subtle difference in some words with a shift from " long " to " short " vowels e.g. 20 intimate,4 polish,13 close.

Interesting list Bob. Something that verse writers need to be aware of.

What do you reckon Bob, can we use words with same spelling but different pronunciations for rhymes.

NUP.

But it was an interesting read and maybe a poem hidden away in there.


Bob

Interesting point, Neville and Bob.

Once upon a time I may have, but now if I needed a rhyme for "had" for example, I would not choose "mad" due to the short vowel sound in "had" clashing with longer vowel sound in "mad".

There are many other examples, like "pod" and "God" - some with more subtle variations than others, many dependant on tribal or class distinctions in accents. For instance when I first immigrated from the South and learnt Queenslandish, the elongated vowel sound in words such as "baaank" really stood out, as opposed to how we Mexicans spoke (ay).

Whilst there is the line of thinking that this is simply another pedantic linguistic nuance of rhyming poetry to compromise the flow of the story, and general poetic rhythm, and generally to make everything more difficult - it is indeed an interesting topic.

Cheers, Marty

They're 'sight' rhymes Marty and definitely valid ...

Manfred, I think sight rhymes are one of those things that, in my efforts anyway, should be used very sparingly, if at all. It seems to me that they can be hard to put over in the spoken word, some seem to work OK, some grate on the ear. I theenk ?

"For instance when I first immigrated from the South and learnt Queenslandish, the elongated vowel sound in words such as "baaank" really stood out, as opposed to how we Mexicans spoke (ay)."


AY ! Whatcha talking bout

Bob

Sight rhymes might look ok but they don't sound so good and poetry is about "hearing".

Well, that's how I see it!

Bob Pacey wrote:AY ! Whatcha talking bout

pairs like

wound/wound,
tear/tear
row/row
wind/wind
as used in your examples. I think could be sight rhymes.

Look it up on Google , Bob, if you don't believe me.

Bit of double dutch there Heather



Sight rhymes might look ok but they don't sound so good and poetry is about "hearing".

Well, that's how I see it!

Bob