绕口令是一种语言游戏。汉语中的绕口令是将声、韵、调极易混淆的字交叉重叠,编成句子,说快了容易发生错误。美国人也说绕口令。由于英语中只有重音,不像汉语那么复杂,因此英语中的绕口令远不如汉语中的那么多,其繁复的程度也不如汉语中那么有趣。总之,显得“薄了一点。
但是,绕口令是多少代人创作、提炼、升华而成的,可以说是群众集体智慧的结晶。因此,美国人所说的绕口令,也不乏有看了或读来令人忍俊不禁的佳句。让我们来看下面的例句:
1. Sixty-six sick chicks
2. The sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick.
例句1可以说是美国人说的最简单的绕口令了,比较容易理解;例句2还被列入《吉尼斯世界纪录大全》。的这里还要说明的是,把美国人说的绕口令译成汉语,同时又能让中国人听了捧腹大笑,这几乎是不可能的。就拿被《吉尼斯世界纪录大全》收入的例句2来说,翻译成中文只能是:第六位生病的酋长第六只羊病了。把这句话说给不懂英语的人听,是不会觉得有趣,不会发笑的。但对于懂英语的人来说,学说英语绕口令,无论从练习口齿的伶俐性还是了解英语语言的特点来说,都是一个极好的素材。
下面再提几个常见的绕口令,相信在你耐心地读,细心地品味后,最终会发出会心的笑声,感叹美国人的睿智的。
3. She sells seashells by the seashore.
4. Amidst the mists and coldest frosts, with barest wrists and stoutest boasts, he thrust his fist against the posts, and insists he sees the ghosts.
5. Betty Botter bought a bit of butter,"But,"she said,"this butter is 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 Betty Botty bought a bit of better butter, and it makes her batter better.
最后,再向读者推荐一则被美国许多绕口令爱好者认为是最难的,最拗口的绕口令。
6.Theophilus Thistle, the thistle—sifter,sifted a sieve of unsifted thistles. If Theophilus Thistles, where is the sieve of unsifted thistles Theophilus Thistle, the thistle—sifter,sifted.
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