CHARACTERISTICS OF TONGUE TWISTERS
- Tongue twisters are characterized by alliteration (the use of the same consonant sound at the beginning of two or more words occurring close together in a sentence.
Example.
Kala kaka kaku kaka kokie kwakwa kala kaka kakwa kaka ke kwaku (kamba)
That female kaka of yours came to my place when that female kaka of mine was at your place.
- Tongue twisters pose a problem to the speaker especially when saying it quickly.
Example.
Wale wale watu wa liwali wala wali wa liwali (Swahili)
Those very people of the headman are eating the rice of the headman.
- Tongue twisters Sometimes carry specific messages or meanings and in this case they may be said consciously or unconsciously depending on the information being passed across.
Example
Thogota thogotera muthogoto (kikuyu)
Please make me a cigar.
Other times they are quite meaningless. That is they are composed solely for entertainment.
Example
Atud tond atonga tond atonga chodi (dholuo)
I tie the rope of the basket the rope of the basket breaks.
- Tongue twisters may be composed of a single sentence.
Example
Mosongo akabogoria obosongo akagenda bosongo agaita omosongo (ekegusii)
Mosongo carried poison, went to Bosongo town and killed a white man.
Or made up of several sentences
Example
Chieu chieu chieo chiege
Chiege chieu chwako chae
Chae chiek chieng chiro
Chieg chieu chieo chieu
Madho chae (dholuo)
Chieu wakes up, wakes up his wife. His wife wakes up, prepares tea. Tea gets ready on a market day. His wife wakes him up to drink tea.
- It is difficult to translate Tongue twisters without losing the alliterating quality they posses.
Example
Olakhalaka khaje khesilaka! (Lunyore)
How he is tearing to pieces my piece of cloth meant for mending!
- In some communities, a tongue twister can have more than one meaning.
