# Tongue Twisters in Many Languages

    	(From A Twister of Twists, a Tangler of Tongues, by Alvin Schwartz.
    	Philadelphia: J. Lippincott and Co., 1972)

    	   Man speaks in almost three thousand languages, and in almost
    	every one there are tongue twisters. In Spanish the word for tongue
    	twister is trabalengua, which is pronounced "tra-ba-len-gwa" and
    	means "troubled tongue." This section contains "tongue troublers'' from
    	nine languages. Their sounds are translated into English sounds so that
    	if you don't speak a particular language you still can enjoy the trouble.

    	FRENCH

    	Diderot dînait du dos d'un dodo dindon.
    	(Dee-de-ro dee-nay du dough dun doh-doh dahn-don.)
    	"Diderot dined on the back of a plump turkey."

    	Le ver vert va vers le verre vert.
    	(Le vhere vhere va vhere le vhere vhere.)
    	"The green grub goes to the green grass."

    	Six sous ces saucissons-ci?!
    	(See soo say so-see-son-see?!)
    	"Six cents for these sausages?!"

    	GERMAN

    	Fischers Fritz fischt frische Fische.
    	Frische Fische fischt Fischers Fritz.

    	(Fishers Fritz fisht frish-eh fish-eh.
    	Frish-eh fish-eh fisht Fischers Fritz.)

    	"Fritz Fischer fishes for fresh fish.
    	Fresh fish fish for Fritz Fischer."

    	GREEK

    	Μια παπια μα πια παπια?
    	(Mi-a papi-a ma pi-a papi-a?)
    	"One duck, but which duck?"

    	HEBREW
    	‭		‫שרה שרה שיר שמח
    	(Sah-ra sha-rah sheerrr sa-mayach.)
    	"Sarah sings a happy song."

    	HUNGARIAN

    	Mit sütsz kis szücs, sós húst? Sütsz kis szücs?
    	(Mit sheuts kish seuch, shosh hoosht? Sheuts kish seuch?)
    	"What are you roasting, little hunter? Are you roasting salt meat?"

    	ITALIAN

    	Paolo, pittore poco pratico, pinse pillole per poco prezzo.
    	(Paw-lo, pit-to-rey poko pra-tico, pin-sey pil-lo-ley per poko pret-zo.)
    	"Paul, an inexperienced painter, painted pills cheaply."

    	Un limon, mezzo limon.
    	(Oon lee-mon, medzo lee-mon.)
    	"One lemon, half a lemon."

    	JAPANESE

    	生むぎ　生ごめ　生たまご
    	(Nama-mugi, nama-gome, nama-tamago.)
    	"Raw wheat, raw rice, raw eggs."

    	POLISH

    	Nie pieprz wieprza pieprzem.
    	(Nyeh pey-epsch vey-ep-shah pey-ep-schem.)
    	"Do not pepper the hog with pepper."

    	SPANISH

    	Yo no compro coco. Porque como poco coco, poco coco compro.
    	(Yo no kom-pro koko. Por-kay komo poko koko, poko koko kom-pro.)
    	"I do not buy coconut. Since I eat little coconut, I buy little coconut."

    	Mi mama me mima mucho.
    	(Me mama me mee-ma moo-cho.)
    	"My mother spoils me a lot."

    	Tres tristes tigres trillaron trigo en un trigal.
    	(Tray tree-stays tee-grres tree-yarron tree-go en un tree-gal.)
    	"Three sad tigers threshing wheat in a wheat field."

    	Compre poco capa parda, porque el que poco
    	capa parda compra poco capa parda paga.

    	(Kom-prey poko ka-pah par-dah, pour-kay el keh
    	poko ka-pah par-dah kom-prah poko ka-pah par-dah pa-gah.)

    	"Buy only a little brown cape, for he who buys only a little
    	brown cape pays only for a little brown cape."

    	El otorrinolaringologo de Parangaricutirimicuaro se quiere
    	desotorrinolaringologoparangaricutirimicuarizar
    	porque si no se
    	desotorrinolaringologoparangaricutirimicuarizara
    	lo van a
    	desotorrinolaringologoparangaricutirimicuarizar.

    	(El oto-ree-no-lah-rine-go-logo deh Paran-gah-ree-coo-tee-ree-mi-quah-ro
    	sey keyai-reh
    	des-oto-ree-no-lah-rine-go-logo-paran-gah-ree-coo-tee-ree-mi-quah-ree-zar
    	pour-kay see no sey
    	des-oto- ree-no- lah-rine-go-logo-paran-gah-ree-coo-tee-ree-mi-quah-ree-zara
    	low vahn a
    	des-oto-ree-no-lah-rine-go-logo-paran-gah-ree-coo-tee-ree-mi-quah-ree-zar.)

    	"The eye-ear-nose-throat doctor in Parangaricutirimicuaro
    	wishes
    	to stop practicing in Parangaricutirimicuaro
    	because if he doesn't
    	stop practicing in Parangaricutirimicuaro
    	they will make him
    	stop practicing in Parangaricutirimicuaro."

    	AND MORE ENGLISH

    	A noisy noise annoys an oyster.

    	Cows graze in groves on grass which grows in grooves in groves.

    	The big black-backed bumblebee.

    	A critical cricket critic.

    	Four fat dogs frying fritters and fiddling ferociously.

    	Five French friars fanning a fainted flea.

    	Six slippery seals slipping silently ashore.

    	A pale pink proud peacock pompously preened its pretty plumage.

    	Swan, swim over the sea.
    	Swim, swan, swim!
    	Swan, swim back again.
    	Well swum, swan!

    	My dame hath a lame tame crane.
    	   My dame hath a crane that is lame.
    	Pray, gentle Jane, let my dame's tame crane
    	   Feed and come home again.

    	Sheep shouldn't sleep in a shack.
    	Sheep should sleep in a shed.

    	The wild wolf roams the wintry wastes.

    	Lotty licks lollies lolling in the lobby.

    	Sly Sam sips Sally's soup.

    	Nine nimble noblemen nibble nuts.

    	The two twenty-two tore through town.

    	Cross crossings cautiously!

    	He ran from the Indies to the Andes in his undies.

    	I go by a Blue Goose bus.

    	Toy boat.

    	Rubber baby buggy bumpers.

    	Thin sticks, thick bricks.

    	The wild wind whipped Whit from the wharf.

    	We surely shall see the sun shine soon.

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