I think the French bother less with ryhme because it's all a mumbly blur anyway, what the hell. I was always embarrassed by the sing-songy quality of the few phrases I knew-- asking How much does it cost? in French always seemed to want to launch me into a jaunty "Alouetta" refrain, with a little dance. I suspect the whole language was originally a secret one that lovers made up between themselves, that nobody else was supposed to ever hear.