Easy-ish Tongue Twisters
Short tongue twisters to warm up your mouth, with my recordings to copy.
Tongue twister එකක් කියන්නේ කටට කරන ව්යායාමයක්. මුලින්ම හෙමින්, හැම sound එකක්ම පැහැදිලිව කියන්න. ඊට පස්සේ විතරක් වේගය වැඩි කරන්න. ඔයාගේ phone එකෙන් record කරලා මගේ recording එකත් එක්ක සසඳලා බලන්න.
When I teach these in class, everyone laughs at the first try, and that is the point. Your mouth has spent years making Sinhala sounds, so some English sounds feel strange at first. These short ones are where we start.
I have grouped them by the sound they train, starting with the sounds Sri Lankans find hardest. The little blue labels show the sounds in phonetic symbols.
Th: /θ/ and /ð/
Sinhala has no "th" sound, so most of us say ත or ද instead: "tink" for think, "dis" for this. Put the tip of your tongue between your teeth and blow. For /θ/ (think) there is no voice. For /ð/ (this) your throat hums.
Throne thieves.
- /θ/
- /v/
Three free throws.
- /θ/
- /f/
- /r/
Thundering horses.
- /θ/
- /h/
Thin sticks, thick bricks.
- /θ/
- /b/
Thunder sunders thick sticks.
- /θ/
- /s/
V and W
In Sinhala, ව does both jobs, so "wine" and "vine" can sound the same. For /v/, your top teeth touch your lower lip. For /w/, your teeth stay out of it: round your lips like you are going to say ඌ, then open them.
Wish of wishes.
- /w/
- /ʃ/
Rolling red wagons.
- /r/
- /w/
Willie's really weary.
- /w/
- /r/
Willy's real rear-wheel.
- /w/
- /r/
Eleven benevolent elephants.
- /el/
- /v/
S, Sh and Z
/s/ is ස, /ʃ/ is ශ, and /z/ is a buzzing /s/ that Sinhala does not have. Watch out for "z" hiding in words like was, is and sizzle. Keep your teeth close together and let the sound buzz.
Sick sheep.
- /s/
- /ʃ/
Flash message.
- /fl/
- /ʃ/
She sees cheese.
- /ʃ/
- /s/
Pre-shrunk silk shirts.
- /ʃ/
- /s/
Scissors sizzle, thistles sizzle.
- /s/
- /z/
R and L
Our Sinhala ර is a quick tap of the tongue. The English /r/ is softer: your tongue curls back a little and touches nothing. For /l/, the tip of the tongue sits behind your top teeth.
Truly rural.
- /tr/
- /r/
Brave brigadiers.
- /b/
- /r/
Fresh fried fish.
- /fr/
- /f/
Snap crackle pop.
- /sn/
- /kr/
- /p/
Daddy Draws Doors.
- /d/
- /dr/
Red lorry, yellow lorry.
- /r/
- /l/
Rubber baby buggy bumpers.
- /r/
- /b/
Really leery, rarely Larry.
- /r/
- /l/
Friendly fleas and fireflies.
- /f/
- /l/
F and P
Some of us say ප for both, so "fan" becomes "pan". For /f/, your top teeth rest on your lower lip and air comes through. For /p/, both lips close and then pop open.
Specific Pacific.
- /p/
- /s/
Two or three consonants together
In Sinhala we put a vowel before or between consonants, which is why "school" becomes ඉස්කෝලේ. In English, there is no vowel before sn, st or skr. Start straight on the /s/.
Eddie edited it.
- /ed/
- /d/
I scream, you scream.
- /skr/
- /s/
Six sticky skeletons.
- /s/
- /st/
Other sounds
These ones train sounds we already have in Sinhala, like /b/, /k/, /d/, /t/ and /m/. The hard part here is not the sound. It is keeping it clear when it comes again and again.
Toy boat.
- /t/
- /b/
Sick hicks.
- /s/
- /k/
Clam in can.
- /k/
- /n/
Black back bat.
- /b/
- /k/
Toast for saints.
- /t/
- /s/
Imaginary Menagerie.
- /m/
- /n/
Stupid Superstition.
- /s/
- /t/
Dodd's dad's dog's dead.
- /d/
Black background, brown background.
- /b/
- /k/
Quick check
Tap an answer. Nothing is saved.
Which sound is at the start of three?
How do you make the /w/ in wagons?
Which is the English way to say it?
Feeling good? Try the common tongue twisters next.
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