Darko

Tongue twisters

Sunday, 9. November 2008, 15:01:26

I must thank to MyOpera member Cois for giving me the idea of making this post. Thank you, Clint *taps wolfieboy behind ears*
While commenting on my previous post he put a sushi-sentence, made as a tongue twister:
How much sushi did the sushi chef sushi when the sushi chef sushied sushi?
I remembered an old one that I have heard a long time ago from one German girl who tried to teach me some of her language

Of course, I needed to google that phrase and found myself in a magical world of tongue twisters in a lot of languages

There were some easy one, at least for me, like this in Filipino (translation is in italic):

Butika - bituka - butiki
Pharmacy - Intestine - Lizard

But also some impossible ones like this Korean:

An chokchokhan chokochip nara-e saldeon an chokchokhan chokochibi chokchokhan chokochip nara-ui chokchokhan chokochibeul bogo chokchokhan chokochibi doego sipeoseo chokchokhan chokochip nara-e ganneunde chokchokhan chokochip nara-ui munjigiga "neon chokchokhan chokochibi anigo an chokchokhan chokochibinikka an chokchokhan chokochip nara-eseo sara" rago haeseo an chokchokhan chokochibeun chokchokhan chokochibi doeneun geoseul pogihago anchokchokhan chokochip nararo dora gatda.
(안촉촉한 초코칩 나라에 살던 안촉촉한 초코칩이 촉촉한 초코칩 나라의 촉촉한 초코칩을 보고 촉촉한 초코칩이 되고 싶어서 촉촉한 초코칩 나라에 갔는데 촉촉한 초코칩 나라의 문지기가 "넌 촉촉한 초코칩이 아니고 안촉촉한 초코칩이니까 안촉촉한 초코칩 나라에서 살아"라고해서 안촉촉한 초코칩은 촉촉한 초코칩이 되는것을 포기하고 안촉촉한 초코칩 나라로 돌아갔다.)
A non-moist chocolate chip cookie that lived in non-moist chocolate chip cookie land saw a moist chocolate chip cookie from moist chocolate chip cookie land and wanted to become a moist chocolate chip cookie and so went to moist chocolate chip cookie land, but the gate-keeper of moist chocolate chip cookie land said, "You are not a moist chocolate chip cookie, but a non-moist chocolate chip cookie, so live in non-moist chocolate chip cookie land," so the non-moist chocolate chip cookie gave up on becoming a moist chocolate chip cookie and went back to non-moist chocolate chip cookie land.

I got lost in all of this choko-words

I am not sure anyone, except natural born Koreans, could repeat it by heart

There were hilarious ones like this one in Italian:

Un pezzo di pizza che puzza nel pozzo del pazzo di pezza.
A piece of pizza that stinks in the well of the ragged fool.

but I am not sure that translation is correct. Maybe, this is impossible to translate at all and some translations sound very stupid in other language:

Belo jare prolajalo.
White goat kid started to bark.

This one is Serbian/Croatian and I laughed at translation, but I guess there was no better way. Also, even though you are good in languages, some of them has characters that only people from these countries could read.
Vietnamese:
Nồi đồng nấu ốc, nồi đất nấu ếch.
Bronze pot is for snails, pottery pot is for frogs.
Romanian:
Şase saşi saşii soseau pe o şosea în şase saci.
Six squinting Saxons arrived on a road in six bags.
Icelandic:
Hnoðri úr norðri verður að veðri þó síðar verði.
A northern cloud will be weather in the end.
Danish - Western Jutlandic
A æ u å æ ø i æ å! (answer:) A æ å u å æ ø i æ å!
I am out on the island in the river! I am also out on the island in the river!

Also, there were some twisters in specific characters like cyrilic/greek/hebrew/

Ехал Грека через реку, видит Грека — в реке рак. Сунул Грека руку в реку, рак за руку Греку цап.
(Yekhal Greka cheriez rieku, vidit Grieka v rieke rak. Sunul Grieka ruku v rieku, rak za ruku Grieku tsap.)
Greka (a Greek) was riding across a river, and saw that there was a lobster in the river. Greka put his hand in the river and the lobster bit his hand.

Καπνὸς παντοπάγκαπνος, καπνὸς καὶ παντοκαπνισμένος.
(Kapnos pantopankapnos, kapnos ke pantokapnismenos.)
Tobacco of all tobaccos, smoke and allsmoked.

פון אלעסק, ביז קיין טריסק, לויפט א פוקס מיט א ביקס אין פיסק
From Alesk until Trisk, a fox runs with a gun in its mouth.

But I think the most difficult ones are from Nordic countries:

Norvegian:
Ibsens ripsbusker og andre buskvekster
The redcurrant bushes of Ibsen and other bushy trees

Swedish:
Sju sjösjuka sjömän sköttes av sju sköna sjuksköterskor.
Seven seasick seamen were cared for by seven beautiful nurses.

But the absolute champion is this one in Greenlandic:
Nalunaarasuartaatilioqatigiiffissualiornialeraluarpunngooq
We are going to build a clockhouse

What a weird way to say it

So, if you are interested in tongue twisters in a lot of different languages click here. And if you can remember some interesting ones, you are more than welcome to put them in comments.
Have fun

Few mornings and eveningPink Panther theme

Comments

PainterWoman # 9. November 2008, 15:10

Great post Darko.

I slit a sheet, a sheet I slit, I sit upon the slitted sheet.

Zaphira # 9. November 2008, 15:16

- And eeew @ the giraffe's tongue!

LorenzoCelsi # 9. November 2008, 15:24

Trentatré Trentini entrarono a Trento, tutti e trentatré, trotterellando.
(33 people from the Trentino region entered in the city of Trento, all 33 trotting)

Sopra la panca la capra campa, sotto la panca la capra crepa
(over the bench the goat lives, under the bench the goad dies)

Dacotah # 9. November 2008, 15:38

SittingFox # 9. November 2008, 15:58

My tongue feels twisted even looking at some of those!

OkayPJs # 9. November 2008, 16:10

The cookie one is hilarious! And "white goat kid started to bark" - I think the translations are wonderful, this post really made me smile. Thank you

OkayPJs # 9. November 2008, 16:12

I just remembered one but it's boring:
"How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood"

And also:
"She sells seashells by the seashore..." there's more to that one but escapes my memory

SittingFox # 9. November 2008, 16:13

Yes, I remember that seashell one too but didn't know any more. A google found this though

She sells seashells by the seashore.
The shells she sells are surely seashells.
So if she sells shells on the seashore,
I'm sure she sells seashore shells.

kalynka # 9. November 2008, 16:37

Oh my

Great post, Darko! But it should have "don't try this at home" label

slackwrdave # 9. November 2008, 16:48

Wow! These are GOOD!

Here's one I had to learn for Spanish class:

Pablito clavó un clavito in la calva de un calvito,
en la calva de un calvito, Pablito calvó un clavito.

I think it means:

Little Pablo nailed a little nail in the bald spot of a little bald man,
in the bald spot of a little bald man, little Pablo nailed a little nail.

---

Also, when speaking of a type of lodging, it is hard to say "bed and breakfast" correctly. I often say and hear, "bread and breakfast".

slackwrdave # 9. November 2008, 16:50

I slit a sheet, a sheet I slit, I sit upon the slitted sheet.

PainterWoman, that one is golden! It's now my status message.

Dacotah # 9. November 2008, 17:08

I don't understand why I can't see the words in ( ) on your post, I think it must be Chinese writting, I can't see that on My Opera they show up as squares but here I can see them:
http://www.uebersetzung.at/twister/

Dacotah # 9. November 2008, 17:12

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
Did Peter Piper pick a peck of pickled peppers?
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?

gdare # 9. November 2008, 17:27

Pam - I felt like you read my mind on this

Zaphira - my tongue felt the same when I tried some of them

I would like to listen to that western Jutland

Lorenzo - thanks, Trento one is excellent

Adele - have you tried the Greenlandic one?

PJ - thank you, you are welcome

Alla - there was another Russian that I liked:
"Дорогой и дорогая, дорогие оба, дорогого дорогая довела до гроба!"
"He is dear, she is dear, both are dear, she managed to put her dear in the grave!"

Dave - thank you; what about:
Otorrinolaringólogo trabaja en la otorrinolaringología.
The otolaryngologist (ear, nose and throat doctor) works in otolaryngology.

Carol - I think this is because your operating system (Windows?) needs an adjustment/update on foreign languages, this one between brackets is Korean; but it is not that important; have you tried to say it?
Peter Piper is hilarious too

Zaphira # 9. November 2008, 17:28

In Western Jutland all they say is tongue twisters.

It's very hard to understand for others than themselves.

gdare # 9. November 2008, 17:30

It is amazing there are not consonants at all

Zaphira # 9. November 2008, 17:46

They don't actually write like this. This is pronouncation only. And therefore not a true tongue twister.

gdare # 9. November 2008, 17:53

One Danish for you:
Tyve trinde trolde trillede tyve tomme tønder gennem Tønder.

PainterWoman # 9. November 2008, 18:11

I think the slitted sheet one was made up on purpose for kids to hear each other say a curse word.

It never came out of my mouth the right way.......er, maybe it did, for everyone's amusement.

There is a name of a kid movie called 'Toy Story'. Simple...but if I said it in conversation, it never came out right. Toy Stoy or something like that.

kalynka # 9. November 2008, 18:20

I've never heard that saying! Thank you, I like it very much

Dacotah # 9. November 2008, 18:33

Could be but I guess I don't need too since I wouldn't understand what I'm looking at anyways.

thaodp # 9. November 2008, 18:35

Listening to some of them make me

Here, other short sentence from Vietnamese:
Buổi trưa đi hái bưởi chua
(In the midday, going to pick sour pamelo)

These words and "Nồi đồng nấu ốc, nồi đất nấu ếch." are really difficult if we try to speak quickly

I can't do without mistake.

Furie # 9. November 2008, 18:56

Anyone got a soundbite of the last one?

gdare # 9. November 2008, 19:42

Pam - it happens to me everytime I try to something fast in English; then I just hope the person I am talking to understand me

Alla -

Carol - you are right

Mit - I don`t even know how to read it

can you write down how you read these letters?

Mik - have you tried to say it? I am still trying but without much success

rose-marie # 9. November 2008, 19:45

That Korean one!
Love this post

.
I remember a Hungarian one:
Az Ipafai papnak fapipája van, ezért az Ipafai papi pipa papi fapipa.
(The priest of Ipafa has a wooden pipe, so the priestly pipe of Ipafa is a priestly wooden pipe.)

And searching for the exact words to the one above, made me find this one - also in Hungarian:
Egy picike pocakú picike pocok pocakon pöckölt egy picike pocakú picike pockot, mire a pocakon pöckölt, picike pocakú pocok pocakon pöckölte az őt pocakon pöckölő, picike pocakú pockot.
(A tiny vole with a tiny tummy flipped a tiny vole with a tiny tummy on the tummy, at which the vole with a tiny tummy flipped on the tummy flipped the vole with a tiny tummy on the tummy who flipped him on the tummy.)

gdare # 9. November 2008, 19:51

Rose -

Can you really say it?

Norvegian:
Ibsens ripsbusker og andre buskvekster
The redcurrant bushes of Ibsen and other bushy trees

Dacotah # 9. November 2008, 20:14

rose-marie # 9. November 2008, 21:14

The Norwegian one? Yes, I can. But probably not very fast and several times after oneanother

.

Another couple of Sweidsh ones:
Sex laxar i en laxask.
(Six salmons in a salmon box.)

Flyg fula fluga, flyg, och den fula flugan flög.
(Fly ugly fly, fly, and the ugly fly flew.)

Far, får får får? Nej, får får inte får, får får lamm.
(Father, do sheep get sheep? No, sheep don't get sheep, sheep get lambs.)

gdare # 9. November 2008, 21:30

No, I meant about Hungarian ones

@ får får får one

Cois # 9. November 2008, 22:17

makes me wonder what most of these sound like

one I remember from my childhood is : Sannie sê sy sal sewe sakke sout sleep,sewe sakke sout so swaar so waar..

Translated, Sannie (Sunny) says she'll drag seven bags of salt,seven bags of salt so heavy for sure..
It was usually said with a lisp making it a bit hard.

Dacotah # 9. November 2008, 22:18

Here's some for you Cois:
http://www.uebersetzung.at/twister/af.htm

PainterWoman # 9. November 2008, 22:42

Six in Swedish is really 'sex'?

Cois # 9. November 2008, 22:43

my childhood all over again

gdare # 9. November 2008, 22:55

Clint -

Carol - now I am afraid to click on that link

Pam - I laughed first time I saw it too, few months ago

Dacotah # 10. November 2008, 00:47

Darko, no need to be afraid. It's the link I gave you earlier in the comments. It's cool, with 2790 entries in 109 languages, also can translate to English, German, Russian, Spanish or Italian from another lanuage.

ellinidata # 10. November 2008, 01:32

nothings like a tongue twister!!!

I have two favorite Greek tongue twisters that even Greeks have hard time with!

here I go :

o tzitziras o mitziras o tzitzimitzihotziras
anevike stin tzitziria
tin tzitzimitzihotziria
na kopsi ena tzitziro
to tzitzimitzihotziro!

and

pethimisa na fao vrasta skasta koukia
me tin vrasti skasti koutala...

if any Greek reads these,
avoid saying the second fast you will end up saying the word (shit) in Greek more than you will want to!

thaodp # 10. November 2008, 02:06

If we read it quickly, two first words sound the same with two last words
and with the sentence you found, you have more consonant "đ" than you want

CedarFox # 10. November 2008, 04:40

I'm baffled by all these!

I used to be able to do one in Danish, but I've completely forgotten what it was. Oh well

gdare # 10. November 2008, 05:48

Carol - sure, but I don`t want my childhood back

Angeliki - tzitzimitzi one is hilarious

I wouldn`t know how to say it fast even if I try

Mit - I don`t know how to say that consonant, is it as "dj" or just "d"? in Serbian we have a consonant that is written the same and spoken as "dj", very soft; I don`t know how to explain

Eric - western Jutland one? I would really like to listen to that one

thaodp # 10. November 2008, 06:27

Sorry, I forgot

It is as /d/, I'll try to show you how we speak those words

gdare # 10. November 2008, 06:30

Words # 10. November 2008, 07:44

Oh what a fab post!

rose-marie # 10. November 2008, 08:09

Darko - The top one, yes. The second one I have never heard. I might struggle a little

.

Painter woman - Yes, it is. But it means sex too

gdare # 10. November 2008, 11:48

Words - thank you

Rose - then, how do you know when it is a number someone is talking about?

wickedlizard # 10. November 2008, 13:39

I can remember only one portugeuse one at the moment:

O Rato Roeu a Rolha do Garrafao de Rum do Rei da Russia.
The rat gnawed the cork of the jug of the king of Russia.

Shall I put the phonetics for that one?