The James T. Callow Folklore Archive

Language

Tongue Twister:

Rush the washing, Russell.

Rush the washing, Russell.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [C870].

Return to make verse?

Keyword(s): Language ; TONGUE TWISTER

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Language

Tongue Twister:

Rush the washing Russell,

Rush the washing Russell.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

A question mark is written on the card.

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT ;

Keyword(s): ALLITERATION ; GAME ; Language ; RHYME ; TONGUE TWISTER

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Language

Tongue Twister:

Sheep shouldn't sleep in a shack

Sheep should sleep in a shed.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Malle Verse?

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; REDFORD

Keyword(s): GAME ; Language ; RHYME ; TONGUE TWISTER

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Language

Tongue Twister:

I stood on the steps of Burgesses fish sauce shop,

Mimicking him hiccuping and welcoming him in.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Burgess's?

Make Verse?

The word him is underlined, with an arrow pointing at it with the word Ant??

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): GAME ; Language ; RHYME ; TONGUE TWISTER

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Language

Tongue Twister:

That that is, is that that is not, is not. Is not that it?

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT ; DETROIT ;

Keyword(s): GAME ; Language ; RHYME ; TONGUE TWISTER

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Language

Tongue Twister:

A canner can can all the things that he can, but a canner can't can a can can he?

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Sense??

Keyword(s): ALLITERATION ; GAMES ; Language ; RHYME ; TONGUE TWISTER

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Toast

Down the hatch/ Past the tongue./ Watch out belly/ Here it comes!

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): ANATOMY ; BELLY ; DRINKING ; Social ; TOAST ; TONGUE

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Language: Tongue Twister

Sally Sawl, sitting on her slippery sled, saw a seesaw in some scratchy sand Saturday standing by a stop sign.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): ALLITERATION ; GAME ; Language ; RHYME ; tongue-twister ; VERSE

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Language: Tongue Twister

Wij willen Willem weg wouw Willem Wijzer worden wij willen Willem weer.

Submitter comment:

English translation: We want to do away with William, but if William wises up, we want William back again.

My father learned it when he was young and living in Belgium.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Not a good tongue-twister after being translated into English.

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): ALLITERATION ; Belgium ; ETHNIC ; Language ; tongue-twister

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Language: Tongue Twister

"Rugglins wee roon rid lums reek briskley."

Translated: The cities of Rugglin's chimneys were smoking freely.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Original BN [C700] crossed out. Replaced  with current classification.

Not a tongue-twister when translated into English.

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): Language ; RHYME ; TONGUE TWISTER ; VERSE

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Language: Tongue Twister

Shrewd Simon short sewed shoes, saved soles; Simon's shrewdish spouse, Sophie, sewed skirts, stitched sheets, stiffed sofas. Simon's seven stout sons sold several sundries. Sober sewell sold sodas, sorghum, sugar, spiars; Simple Sam sold studs, paddles, stirrups, Sagracious Stephen sold silver spoons, salves; Skeptical Saul sold silks, slacks, satins, shawls, stockings; Selfish Shelby sold shellfish, shells, shields. S:ender Silas sold sodas, salves, shoe-strings, soporifics; Sleepy SPencer sold sophists, stuffed sofas; Sophisticated Seth sold serums, screws, saws spikes, skates; Sister Sally scrawled signs, sang soprano songs.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Too Long.

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): ALLITERATION ; Language ; REPETITION ; RHYME ; TONGUE TWISTER

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Language: Tongue Twister

Sarah, Sarah, sitting in a shoe shine shop.

Sarah, Sarah, sitting in a shoe shine shop.

All day long she sits and shines

All day long she shines and sits.

Sarah, Sarah, sitting in a shoe shine shop.

Submitter comment:

I actually heard informant recite this. It circulated among Phi Kappa Theta fraternity brothers at University of Detroit in 1958-63.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Almost same thing already typed as prose.

Original BN [S570] crossed out. Replaced wtih current classification.

Where learned: HOME ; MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): ALLITERATION ; Language ; REPETITION ; RHYME ; TONGUE TWISTER

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Language: Tongue Twister

Tongue Holder:

How many sheets can a sheetcutter cut,

If a sheetcutter could cut sheets?

He'd cut all the sheets that a sheetcutter could, if a sheetcutter could cut sheets.

Submitter comment:

Spoken as rapidly as possible.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Verse?

Crossed out the word Holder in TongueHolder and wrote Twister.

Where learned: HOME

Keyword(s): ALLITERATION ; GAME ; Language ; Prose ; REPETITION ; RHYME ; TONGUE TWISTER ; VERSE

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Language: Tongue Twister

Tongue Twister:

She slid a sheet, a sheet she slid.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Meaning??

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Keyword(s): GAME ; Language ; RHYME ; tongue-twister ; VERSE

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Language: Tongue Twister

She sells sea shells by the sea shore.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Already typewritten as prose.

Keyword(s): ALLITERATION ; GAME ; Language ; REPETITION ; RHYME ; TONGUE TWISTER ; VERSE

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Language: Tongue Twister

Sally sells seashells by the seashore.

Submitter comment:

She thinks she learned this one in school.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Keyword(s): ALLITERATION ; Language ; REPETITION ; RHYME ; TONGUE TWISTER ; VERSE

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Language: Tongue Twister

She sells sea shells by the seashore.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Keyword(s): ALLITERATION ; Language ; REPETITION ; RHYME ; TONGUE TWISTER ; VERSE

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Language: Tongue Twister

She seels sea shells down by the seashore. If she sells sea shells down by the seashore where are the sea shells she sells down by the seashore?

Submitter comment:

Learned from Childhood.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs added by TRD

Keyword(s): ALLITERATION ; Language ; REPETITION ; RHYME ; TONGUE TWISTER ; VERSE

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Language

Tongue-Twister:

Rubber baby buggy bumpers.

Submitter comment:

She learned it when she was growing up.

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs Added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Why Verse?

Original BN [C870.570] crossed out. Replaced with current classification.

Keyword(s): ALLITERATION ; BABY ; Buggy ; Bumper ; Language ; Rubber ; TONGUE TWISTER

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Verse

The Tutor:

A tutor who tooted the flute
Tried to teach two young tooters to toot;
said the two to the tutor,
"Is it harder to toot, or
To tutor two tooters to toot?"

Submitter comment:

Origin: Grandmother: Sarah Lipchinsky, New York City

Data entry tech comment:

Motifs Added by TRD

James Callow comment:

Verse?

Where learned: Bagley School

Keyword(s): ALLITERATION ; Flute ; Language ; MUSIC ; PLAY ON WORDS ; PUN ; RHYME ; Teach ; TONGUE TWISTER ; Toot ; Tutor ; Youngster

James Callow Keyword(s): TONGUE TWISTER

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