Strč prst skrz krk
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2011) |
Strč prst skrz krk (
listen (help·info)) is a Czech and Slovak tongue-twister meaning "stick your finger through your throat". [1]
The sentence is well known for having a total absence of vowels, the nucleus of each syllable being a syllabic r, a common feature amongst many Slavic languages. It is often used as an example of such a phrase when learning Czech or Slovak as a foreign language.[1] Sometimes in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the phrase is used to judge whether or not a particular person is drunk.[citation needed]
An even longer phrase in Czech with no vowels is Chrt pln skvrn vtrhl skrz trs chrp v čtvrť Krč. ("A greyhound full of stains burst through a cluster of cornflowers in the district of Krč"), though it relies on irregular and dated forms, whereas Strč prst skrz krk does not. A variation is Plch pln skvrn prch skrz drn prv zhlt čtvrt hrst zrn ("A dormouse full of stains escaped through grass after first eating a quarterhandful of grain").
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b (French) "Le virelangue - jazykolam : strč prst skrz krk" - Radio Prague article about the phrase
