The skorogovorka also has the charm of being a folk art form in itself, and any foreigner can take great delight in playing amateur ethnographer by collecting them in all their rich and diverse variations. In just a few days of polling my Russian friends, for instance, I came up with no fewer than four distinct versions of one common tongue twister.
Russian has everything it takes to create a world-class body of tongue twisters. Common words like vzglyad (glance) or mstit' (to take revenge) are in themselves enough to test anyone's tongue. Add to that Russian's ability to create almost unlimited forms and neologisms, plus centuries of long winter nights with nothing but the language, one's wits and a bottle of vodka for company, and you have the complete recipe for some tongue-numbing skorogovorki.
Russian's equivalent of "She sells seashells ... " is Shla Sasha po shosse i sosala sushku (Sasha walked along the highway and sucked a cracker). Another simple and very common one is Karl u Klary ukral korally, a Klara u Karla ukrala klarnet (Karl stole some coral from Klara, and Klara stole a clarinet from Karl). Such skorogovorki are the basic ones that every schoolchild learns.
But the very best ones really are little poems in themselves, with plots and characters, as well as exasperating oral contortions. Yekhal greka cherez reku. Vidit greka: V reke rak. Sunul greka ruku v reku. Rak za ruku greku -- tsap! (A Greek was riding across a river. The Greek sees: In the river there's a lobster. The Greek stuck his hand in the river. The lobster grabs the Greek's hand!).
Idyot kozyol s kosoi kozoi. Idyot kozyol s bosoi kozoi. Idyot koza s kosym kozlom. Idyot koza s bosym kozlom (A billy goat is walking with a cross-eyed nanny goat. A billy goat is walking with a barefoot nanny goat. A nanny goat is walking with a cross-eyed billy goat. A nanny goat is walking with a barefoot billy goat).
And finally, my personal favorite, the one that saw me through my Russian 301 final: Chetyre chyornenkikh chumazen'kikh chertyonka chertili chyornymi chernilami chertyozh cherezvychaino chisto (Four little black, dirty-faced little devils drew a blueprint with black ink extremely well).
Try that one three times fast, but only after a couple of shots to "loosen your tongue."
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.