New English words you don't need to remember

Rau ram, qua sau and rau muong all have English names, but in most cases, you don't need to remember these words.

Below is the sharing of Mr. Quang Nguyen, an English pronunciation expert:

Vietnamese coriander is Vietnamese coriander, Indian jujube is Indian jujube, dracontomelon is Vietnamese dracontomelon, and water spinach is Vietnamese spinach.

These are words that Vietnamese people are very familiar with, but foreigners almost do not know. So do you need to remember these words when learning English? The answer in most cases is no.

Language is a tool for communication and conveying ideas. When talking, Westerners often have no idea about the typical tropical fruits and vegetables.

They don't eat balut - "balut" so they don't know what "rau ram" is in English.

So, instead of "stuffing" them with a completely new name, try something else, like: "OK, I'm gonna show you how to eat balut. This is a herb that we eat with ballut, we call it rau răm . Now repeat after me, rau răm ".

In my opinion, this will be much more useful and interesting for them, than remembering the long name: Vietnamese coriander.

Water spinach. Photo: Bui Thuy — Water spinach. Photo: *Bui Thuy*

Similarly, "water spinach" is popular in the US as "water spinach" or "morning glory".

If you go to an Asian market abroad, you can ask: "Do you have water spinach/morning glory?". But in a Vietnamese market, you can simply say: "Do you sell rau muong here?".

A friend of mine in Canada said that where he lives, "dracontomelon" is called "crocodile fruit". Many people think that "dracontomelon" is a more accurate name, but it is unfamiliar to both Vietnamese and Canadians.

In short, language is for use. If a new word is familiar to both you and your listener, for example "cabbage" is "cabbage", and you need to use it, then you should learn it. As for words referring to certain "special" objects or foods that are familiar only to Vietnamese people, it is not necessary to learn their scientific names, but you can be flexible in how you use them.

Quang Nguyen ( Moon ESL )

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