A very large part of understanding how to speak a foreign language properly comes in understanding how the muscles of the mouth are meant to move to elicit certain sounds and pronunciations—that's why tongue twisters are so handy in teaching ESL students to speak English correctly and quickly.
Because tongue twisters consist of so many slight variations on the same sound, all of which are used colloquially in English, the ESL learner is able to get a clear grasp of how "pen" sounds different from "pin" or "pan," despite sharing a majority of the same letters and consonant sounds.
In the poem "Sally Sells Sea Shells by the Sea Shore," for instance, the speaker is able to go through every variation of the "s" sound in English, learning the difference between "sh" and "s" as well as "z" and "tch." Similarly, "Betty Botter" and "A Flea and a Fly" walk the speaker through all the "b" and "f" sounds.
Tongue Twisters - A Flea and a Fly
Tongue twisters are fun word games we use to challenge our pronunciation. As an English learner, you can use tongue twisters to help with pronunciation of certain sounds. In this tongue twister, A Flea and a Fly, you can work on your 'f's. Use lots of breath to help you get the fricative 'f' sound strong. Remember that 'f' is voiceless—pronounced without the voice by a strong push of air through pursed lips.
A Flea and a Fly
A flea and a fly flew up in a flue. Said the flea, "Let us fly!" Said the fly, "Let us flee!" So they flew through a flaw in the flue.
Listen to Flea and Fly a number of times and then try it for yourself!
Improving Your Pronunciation of F
A Flea and a Fly helps you practice 'f'. The 'f' sound is voiceless and sometimes confused with the 'v' sound which is voiced. Practice the difference in these sounds with minimal pairs—words that only have a difference between the 'f' and 'v' sound.
vie - fie food - voodoo fain - vain van - fan
Feel the Difference Between Voiced and Voiceless Sounds
Place your hand on your throat and say 'van' and you will feel a vibration for the 'v' sound. Place your hand on your throat and say 'fan' and you'll feel no vibration at all for the 'f'—a voiceless sound.
More Tongue Twisters
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