tongue twister

Culture

2022

We explain what a tongue twister is, its characteristics and educational benefits. Also, examples of short and difficult tongue twisters.

Tongue twisters are a good exercise to improve diction.

What is a tongue twister?

It is known as tongue twisters or tongue twisters to certain word games that consist of one or more prayers difficult to pronounce, because they present rhymes internal or alliterations that require a greater effort in the speaks. They usually deal with humorous or imaginative topics, and exist in practically all Languages.

Tongue twisters are part of the oral tradition and are generally passed down from generation to generation. On the other hand, they have also been extensively studied by linguists and teachers, since they are often understood as a good exercise to improve diction, especially in children.

Tongue twisters are generally inherited anonymously from previous generations. His history is more or less uncertain, although it is known that they existed in the Ancient Greece, as part of exercises aimed at improving the capacities of politicians and orators, a tradition that later inherited the Roman culture.

Characteristics of tongue twisters

Broadly speaking, a tongue twister is characterized by the following:

  • They consist of short sentences, made up of phonemes (sounds) very similar, repeated in words different, according to the pattern of a sound order or a rhyme.
  • Although it seems obvious, they are difficult to pronounce, especially for the first time.
  • They are anonymous, do not have an author, and are transmitted by oral tradition.
  • They exist in all languages ​​and their content often reflects the culture local.

Benefits of tongue twisters

Tongue twisters are widely used in books and classes during the initial stages of educational training, when children are still acquiring and perfecting their grasp of the language.

In this sense, they are ideal for exercising the speech apparatus and, precisely, "unlocking" the tongue to facilitate speech. That is the reason why they are also convenient when learning new languages, as an exercise in pronunciation and fluency, and why they are a common tool of speech therapists.

Short tongue twisters

Here are some examples of short tongue twisters, as an example:

  • Three sad tigers swallow wheat in a wheat field.
  • When I say Diego, I say I say, and when I say I say, I say Diego.
  • Pablito nailed a little nail into the bald head of a bald man.
  • Go outside and take the salt sack out in the sun to dry.
  • The abbot gave rice to the fox.
  • On a carriage ride, a page came and lost his luggage.
  • The mischievous pájara bites the typical gourd.

Difficult tongue twisters

The following are tongue twisters considered particularly complex:

  • Compadre, buy me a coconut! Buddy, coco I don't buy! Because he who eats little coconut, buys little coconut, and eats little coconut, he buys little coconut.
  • When you tell stories, count how many stories you tell, because without knowing how many stories you told, you will not know how many stories you have to tell.
  • Pedro Pablo Pérez Pereira, a poor Portuguese painter, paints for little money beautiful landscapes to walk around Paris.
  • Erre con erre cigarro, erre con erre barrel, cars run fast on the railroad tracks.
  • The bishop of Constantinople wants to deconstantinopolize. Whoever deconstantinopolizes him well, he will be a good deconstantinopolizer.
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