trabalinguas

Galician

Etymology

From trabar (“to bite”) +‎ lingua (“tongue”). Compare Portuguese trava-língua and Spanish trabalenguas.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tɾaβaˈliŋɡwa̝s/

Noun

trabalinguas m (invariable)

1. tongue-twister (a phrase that is deliberately designed to be difficult to say correctly, usually because of varying combinations of similar phonemes)

   Un trabalinguas galego: “Se vou a Bueu nun bou, vou. Se non vou nun bou, non vou.” [sɪˈβowɐβuˈewnumˈbowˈβow sɪnʊmˈbownum'bownʊm'bow]

   A Galician tongue-twister: “If I'll go to Bueu in a bou (ship), I'll go; but if I won't go in a bou, I won't go.”

References

• “trabalinguas” in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega, SLI - ILGA 2006–2013.
• “trabalinguas” in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega. Santiago: ILG.