TERMIUM Plus®

The Government of Canada’s terminology and linguistic data bank.

TONGUE TWISTER [1 record]

Record 1 1998-07-17

English

Subject field(s)
  • Phonetics
DEF

a word, phrase, or sentence difficult to articulate readily because of a succession of similar chiefly consonantal sounds varied by small changes (as in "twin-screw steel cruiser", "shall he sell sea shells").

French

Domaine(s)
  • Phonétique
DEF

Mot, expression ou phrase qu'une succession de consonnes semblables rend difficile à articuler.

OBS

Rappelons que dans Traduire no 45, on trouve, à la p.26 : "L'allemand Zungenbrecher, l'anglais tongue-twister, l'italien sciolilingua et l'espagnol trabalenguas ne pouvaient se traduire que par une périphrase. Les folkloristes proposent, pour combler cette lacune, le joli terme de "virelangue".

OBS

Virelangue : Terme entériné par le Comité de linguistique de Radio-Canada et le Secrétariat d'État du Canada.

OBS

Fourchelangue : mot forgé par Claude Hagège (L'Homme de paroles, Paris, Fayard, 1986, p. 86).

Spanish

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