Скільки дров міг би нарубати бабак Чака Вудса, якби бабак Чака Вудса міг би й бажав рубати дрова? Безглузде запитання, чи не так? Інша річ — оригінал: «How much wood could Chuck Woods’ woodchuck chuck, if Chuck Woods’ woodchuck could and would chuck wood?» Одразу зрозуміло, що тут форма стала змістом, найцікавіше тут — не лексика, а фонетика. Цим і примітні скоромовки всіх народів світу — кумедні й водночас корисні маленькі твори. Ми запрошуємо вас і ваших учнів випробувати себе в мовній (ба навіть язиковій) еквілібристиці, а також, можливо, дізнатися, скільки дров таки нарубав би бабак Чака Вудса.
Peter Piper
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked.
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
Where’s the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?
The Wish the Witch Wishes
I wish to wish the wish you wish to wish, but if you wish the wish the witch wishes, I won’t wish the wish you wish to wish.
The Race Horses
One-one was a race horse.
Two-two was one too.
One-one won one race.
Two-two won one too.
A Good Cook
How many cookies could a good cook cook If a good cook could cook cookies? A good cook could cook as much cookies as a good cook who could cook cookies.
Chuck Woods’ woodchuck
How much wood could Chuck Woods’ woodchuck chuck, if Chuck Woods’ woodchuck could and would chuck wood? If Chuck Woods’ woodchuck could and would chuck wood, how much wood could and would Chuck Woods’ woodchuck chuck? Chuck Woods’ woodchuck would chuck, he would, as much as he could, and chuck as much wood as any woodchuck would, if a woodchuck could and would chuck wood.
Mr. Tongue Twister
Mr. Tongue Twister tried to train his tongue to twist and turn, and twit an twat, to learn the letter “T”.
Don’t eat with your mouth full!
Yellow butter, purple jelly, red jam, black bread.
Spread it thick, say it quick!
Yellow butter, purple jelly, red jam, black bread.
Spread it thicker, say it quicker!
Yellow butter, purple jelly, red jam, black bread.
Don’t eat with your mouth full!
Toad Story
A tree toad loved a she-toad,
Who lived up in a tree.
He was a three-toed tree toad,
But a two-toed toad was she.
The three-toed tree toad tried to win,
The two-toed she-toad’s heart,
For the three-toed tree toad loved the ground,
That the two-toed tree toad trod.
But the three-toed tree toad tried in vain.
He couldn’t please her whim.
From her tree toad bower,
With her two-toed power,
The she-toad vetoed him.
Betty Botter
Betty Botter bought some butter
But she said the butter’s bitter
If I put it in my batter, it will make my batter bitter
But a bit of better butter will make my batter better
So ‘twas better Betty Botter bought a bit of better butter
Silly Sally
Silly Sally swiftly shooed seven silly sheep.
The seven silly sheep Silly Sally shooed
Shilly-shallied south.
These sheep shouldn’t sleep in a shack;
Sheep should sleep in a shed.
A Proper Cup of Coffee
All I want is a proper cup of coffee,
Made in a proper copper coffee pot
I may be off my dot
But I want a cup of coffee
From a proper coffee pot.
Tin coffee pots and iron coffee pots
They’re no use to me —
If I can’t have a proper cup of coffee
In a proper copper coffee pot
I’ll have a cup of tea.
My Thoughts
I thought a thought.
But the thought I thought wasn’t the thought I thought I thought.
If the thought I thought I thought had been the thought I thought, I wouldn’t have thought so much.
Fisher the Fisherman
There was a fi sherman named Fisher
who fi shed for some fi sh in a fissure.
Till a fi sh with a grin,
pulled the fi sherman in.
Now they’re fi shing the fi ssure for Fisher.
Three Fleas
Through three cheese trees three free fleas flew.
While these fl eas fl ew, freezy breeze blew.
Freezy breeze made these three trees freeze.
Freezy trees made these trees’ cheese freeze.
That’s what made these three free fl eas sneeze.
Bobby Bippy
Bobby Bippy bought a bat.
Bobby Bippy bought a ball.
With his bat Bob banged the ball
Banged it bump against the wall
But so boldly Bobby banged it
That he burst his rubber ball
“Boo!” cried Bobby
Bad luck ball
Bad luck Bobby, bad luck ball
Now to drown his many troubles
Bobby Bippy’s blowing bubbles.
Підготував Олександр ПОДОЛЯК,
редактор