Tongue twisters (or, as the French call them, virelangues - what torments the language) are very useful to correct your speech. Not only children need tongue twisters, but also adults who engage in public activities (actors, guides, politicians, journalists, teachers, TV presenters, etc.) or who simply want to speak beautifully.
French is not easy to pronounce, which is why tongue twisters will always be useful for both adults and children, and at any stage of training. Even real "pros" in the language are sometimes forced to turn to tongue twisters to keep their pronunciation and diction at a high level.
History and specifics of tongue twisters
No one knows for sure when the first tongue twisters appeared, but we can assume that they arose long ago. In almost all folklore collections there is a small section with tongue twisters, as they form part of oral folk art, but are considered to be an exclusively comic genre.
At the heart of the tongue twister is a combination of sounds that are difficult to pronounce together. First of all, tongue twisters were invented in order to "amuse, amuse the people." They reflect the worldview and history of the people who created them, their manners, traditions, customs, humor and common sense. Since few were able to pronounce tongue twisters correctly and quickly, this gave rise to a comic effect.
In addition, in most cases tongue twisters told about an event in an embellished form, and an unpronounceable combination of sounds added an ironic coloring to the story, and the more often the "performer" made mistakes, the more fun the audience was! Often it was nonsense, although it sounds rhythmic, it does not require much effort to remember. In tongue twisters you can find the names of animals and plants, proper names - this makes the tongue twister informative.
In the French language there are many sounds that do not exist in Russian, and which cause difficulties for people studying it. Such difficulties are overcome by memorizing and training tongue twisters after the announcer, as well as by repeatedly listening to them.
On the Internet you can find special videos in which native speakers pronounce the necessary tongue twisters. It is best to repeat them and follow the articulation and intonation - this is one of the best methods!
How to learn tongue twisters?
French tongue twisters need to be given attention at every lesson, especially at the initial level of language learning. There are several rules so that the pronunciation of tongue twisters is not meaningless, but rather an effective process.
- It is necessary to translate tongue twisters into Russian. It is difficult to memorize obscure phrases whose meaning you do not understand.
- We train with the pronunciation of the most difficult words, pay attention to enchaînement (melodic linking of sounds in speech) and iaison (pronunciation of unpronounceable sounds at the junction of words in some cases).
- Slowly, using syllables, we pronounce the tongue twister in French until it sounds without hesitation. We try to actively articulate, monitoring the position of the organs of speech.
- We articulate a tongue twister several times, and then we pronounce it in a whisper.
- Then you need to say the tongue twister 3-5 times aloud, but a little faster.
- We meaningfully pronounce the French tongue twister, correctly placing the semantic stress and following the intonation. Note: it is allowed to work at once with 2-3 tongue twisters.
- Learn the tongue twister by heart.
If you can pronounce the French tongue twister three times at a fast pace without stopping, it means that you have worked well on it. It is better to work slower, but carefully - you should not "drive horses" and learn in a hurry, without making the necessary effort. Better yet, find the right motivation to make memorization easier.
Tongue Twisters
How to interest in memorizing tongue twisters of the most demanding students, children? They do not have the perseverance that adults can boast (and even not all). The surefire way to interest a child is to come up with a funny story related to a tongue twister, illustrate it with a funny picture, or ask the child to draw a funny picture himself. The main thing is to make the process fun and boring so that the child does not perceive memorizing tongue twisters as torture, otherwise this "punishment" will be associated with language. It is important from a young age to cultivate a love of the language even with such uncomplicated methods.
Next, we give you examples of French tongue twisters for children and adults. Practice and improve!
- Les chaussettes de l'archiduchesse sont-elles sèches, archisèches! “And the sons of the Grand Duchess are dry, extremely dry!”
- Trois petites truites crues, trois petites truites cuites. “Three little fresh trout, three little boiled trout.”
- Rat vit riz, Rat mit patte à ras, Rat mit patte à riz, Riz cuit patte à rat. - Rats sees rice, rats puts a foot on the edge, rats puts a paw on rice, rice burns a rat's paw.
- La roue sur la rue roule, la roue sous la rue reste. - The wheel rolls along the road, but the road remains under the wheel.
- Napoléon cédant Sédan, céda ses dents. - Having lost the Sedan, Napoleon lost his teeth.
By constantly practicing the pronunciation of tongue twisters, you will improve your phonetic skills and sound no worse than native speakers. Verified by experience and time! Do not be lazy, and your work will not go unnoticed. Arrive in France, and even the French themselves will appreciate them.