Learn some Afrikaans tongue twisters
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Intro |
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| Antoni: What are some Afrikaans tongue twisters? |
| Dewan: And are many Afrikaans words hard to pronounce? |
| Antoni: At AfrikaansPod101.com, we hear these questions often. Imagine the following scenario: Sasha Lee is trying to write a pamphlet with popular Afrikaans tongue twisters. She asks all of her friends for suggestions, including Carolina Van der Merwe. Sasha asks, |
| "Do you know any Afrikaans tongue twisters?" |
| Sasha Lee: Ken jy enige Afrikaanse tongknopers? |
| Dialogue |
| Sasha Lee: Ken jy enige Afrikaanse tongknopers? |
| Carolina Van der Merwe: Wat was was voor was was was? |
| Antoni: Once more with the English translation. |
| Sasha Lee: Ken jy enige Afrikaanse tongknopers? |
| Antoni: "Do you know any Afrikaans tongue twisters?" |
| Carolina Van der Merwe: Wat was was voor was was was? |
| Antoni: "What was wax before wax was wax?" |
Lesson focus |
| Antoni: In this lesson, you will be learning some Afrikaans |
| Dewan: tongknopers |
| Antoni: or tongue twisters, and you will find out if Afrikaans words are hard to pronounce. In fact, we'll start with that because, in general, Afrikaans words are not all that hard to pronounce. You just need a little bit of practice to wrap your tongue around them. The words that are the most difficult to pronounce tend to contain certain sounds. |
| For instance, the guttural G in Afrikaans can be especially tricky for non-native speakers to say, such as in the Afrikaans name |
| Dewan: Griet |
| Antoni: or the word for "big," which is |
| Dewan: groot. |
| Antoni: Most people struggle with the 'G' in Afrikaans, which is actually soundless. You create it in the back of your throat, very similar to the noise you'd make if you had a fishbone stuck in your throat. |
| You’ve also heard this fricative sound in the dialogue for this lesson, when Sasha Lee asked, “Do you know any Afrikaans tongue twisters?” |
| Sasha Lee: Ken jy enige Afrikaanse tongknopers? |
| Antoni: Could you hear it? It's in the word |
| Dewan: enige |
| Antoni: which means "any." The other sound non-native speakers usually battle with is the trilling "R" in Afrikaans. You can hear that sound in the word |
| Dewan: tongknopers. |
| Antoni: or take this word: |
| Dewan: reën |
| Antoni: which means "rain." Could you hear that the R sounds different? As the saying goes: "practice makes perfect," and that's what it will take to master these sounds! Now, let's discuss Afrikaans tongue twisters. Carolina gave an example of a good one in the dialogue. |
| Dewan: Wat was was voor was was was? |
| Antoni: As you should remember, this translates to "What was wax before wax was wax?" which brings us to the purpose of tongue twisters. |
| They are like verbal tricksters, where the emphasis is more on the sound than on meaning. They are meant to trip you up, and trying to avoid this is where saying tongue twisters becomes exciting and fun. |
| In good tongue twisters, there is always more than a little alliteration. Alliteration happens when a specific sound is repeated in a phrase or sentence. We just heard it in the phrase "little alliteration," where you can hear the L-sound being repeated. |
| Here’s another example of a fun Afrikaans tongue twister. |
| Dewan: Vlekkie vreet vinnig van verskillende veeragtige voëltjies voordat verskillende veeragtige voëltjies vinnig verdwyn. |
| Antoni: This is quite a long one and it translates to “Vlekkie eats different winged birds fast before different winged birds disappear fast.” In this one, the "V"-sound is alliterated, as you probably heard. |
| Homonyms are also an essential part of good tongue twisters. Homonyms are words that sound similar and might even be spelled the same way, but that do not have the same meaning. They often differ by only one sound or letter. |
| The Afrikaans tongue twister you heard in the dialogue for this lesson illustrates the kind of confusion that homonyms can cause. |
| Dewan: Wat was was voor was was was. |
| Antoni: As we’ve mentioned, this means “What was wax before wax was wax.” In the Afrikaans version, the word |
| Dewan: was |
| Antoni: means both “wax” and “was,” which is a good example of a homonym. Rhythm or accentual meter also plays an important role in tongue twisters. This explains why many rap artists or, as they're called in Afrikaans, |
| Dewan: kletsrymers |
| Antoni: like warming up with tongue twisters. They, and public speakers, actors, newsreaders, and even teachers, use tongue twisters to warm up the vocal cords and mouth muscles before stepping onto the podium. This is just another reason why it’s so good to practice tongue twisters. One way to do so is to try saying them faster and faster! |
| So, you can use them as verbal exercises to practice and improve your accent, your diction, and your articulation. It can even help those who stammer. In fact, it is claimed that King George the Sixth tried to overcome his stammering by endlessly repeating tongue twisters! |
| Let’s have a look at another example: |
| Dewan: Die kreef kleef aan die krap en die krap kleef aan die kreef. |
| Antoni: This means “The lobster sticks to the crab and the crab sticks to the lobster.” You might want to try it a few times to get it right, and when you do, remember to try saying it faster and faster without a mistake. |
| Does mastering these tongue twisters feel daunting to you? Well, let us share an excellent tip. Choose an uncomplicated tongue twister with the sounds you want to practice, and repeat the line very slowly at first. Just make sure your pronunciation is perfect. Then, keep repeating the line slowly and often, and soon you will find the pronunciation much easier. |
| Here is one that shouldn’t be too difficult because it’s shorter than most. This one is good to practice those difficult trilling R's. |
| Dewan: Rooi ribbok ram. |
| Antoni: This translates to "Red reedbuck ram." Try to produce this sound by pretending to be a growling tiger. The trilling R sound is made with the tip of the tongue pressed hard against the back of your front teeth. Now, let your tongue trill while you push the air against it, almost as if you're saying a prolonged "T." The next tongue twister is for the other difficult sound in Afrikaans: |
| Dewan: Geel goud gaan nie gou vergaan nie. |
| Antoni: It translates to "Yellow gold will not perish quickly." Remember to say these slowly at first while making sure your pronunciation is perfect. |
| Sometimes, very long words are considered tongue twisters too, and this is just because they're rather difficult to pronounce, even for native speakers! Listen to this one, for instance: |
| Dewan: presisiebenaderingsbaanaanwyser. |
| Antoni: This translates into English as a “precision approach path indicator,” a word generally used in the airline industry. |
| Why don't you search online for more tongue twisters in Afrikaans, and challenge a friend to a contest? It is a lot of fun and, in the process, your Afrikaans accent and pronunciation will improve. |
| Practice Section |
| Antoni: Let’s review. I will say the English translation, and you try to say the equivalent Afrikaans. Dewan will then repeat in Afrikaans. |
| Do you remember how Sasha says "Do you know any Afrikaans tongue twisters?" |
| (Beep. Pause 4 seconds) |
| Dewan: Ken jy enige Afrikaanse tongknopers? |
| Antoni: Next, do you remember how Carolina says "What was wax before wax was wax?" |
| (Beep. Pause 4 seconds) |
| Dewan: Wat was was voor was was was? |
| Antoni: Could you repeat the tongue twister in Afrikaans? Well done if you managed to do it! |
| Cultural Insight |
| Antoni: The following unique tongue twister is part of a poem written by a well-known and beloved South African author called |
| Dewan: Boerneef. |
| Antoni: The complete poem appears in the book |
| Dewan: Palissandryne |
| Antoni: which was published in 1964. It contains a couple of words that are no longer in use in Afrikaans, but it's a wonderful tongue twister nevertheless. Tune in to the repetitive sounds. |
| Dewan: Die skunnige skinnery van die skinneraars darem opdeesaardbobeven oor die kranke Jankemalanke Langklaasfranke se vrot eikehoutplanke. |
| Antoni: In English, it refers to bawdy gossip about the sickly Anke Manke Janse Jan Franken’s rotten oak planks. |
Outro |
| Antoni: Do you have any more questions? We’re here to answer them! |
| Dewan: Totsiens! |
| Antoni: See you soon! |
| Credits: Dewan (Afrikaans, Pietermaritzburg), Antoni (English, synthetic voice) |
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