Tell me something — can you read this clearly, cleanly, without mistake?
Amidst the mists and coldest frosts
With barest fists and stoutest boasts
He thrusts his fists against the posts
And still insists he sees the ghosts.
Oh man, that's a tough one, isn't it? It's targeting the /s/ and /st/ clusters (mists, frosts, fists, posts), and repeated /θ/ and /ð/ contrasts — that is the voiced and unvoiced th (thrusts / the), all the while rhythmically challenging alternation between /s/, /st/, and /ts/ endings.
It was a very famous elocution drill in the 19th and early 20th century, used for actors and public speakers. No one quite knows who originally wrote it. It's been attributed to Lewis Carroll, but there has never been any confirmation of that.
These days it's not quite as popular as it once was, but it is still used in speaking classes for people who need to speak clearly and quickly without fumbling their words, like newscasters.
I use it with my more advanced students sometimes. No matter how good someone thinks their pronunciation is, this is one tongue twister that will quickly humble them. But if one is up to the challenge and actually devotes some daily practice to it, it really can aid their speech.
You might smirk and think it easy. And indeed, recited in your head it undoubtedly is easy. But humor me and recite it out loud in a normal speaking voice. If you want to have some fun with it, even put on an elevated theater accent — one of those faux-English RP accents you probably picture classically trained actors using — and try saying it clearly.
Let me know in the comments how successful you are. 😃
| David is an American teacher and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku. He blogs here and at laspina.org. Write him on Bluesky. |
