绕口令，英语称之为tongue twister，是一种古老而传统的口语游戏，是劳动人民智慧之结晶，因其绕口难说而得名。说其古老，是因为早在人类有文字以前，绕口令就已广为流传。据史料记载，在古罗马时代，已经有人背诵绕口令了。The Drunken Sailor（醉醺醺的水手）堪称最为古老的绕口令之一。但是令人遗憾的是，史书上并没有记载其出自何人之手和确切含义。该绕口令如下：

    Amidst the mists and coldest frosts,

    With barest wrists and stoutest boasts,

    He thrusts his fists against the posts,

    And still insists he see the ghosts.

    绕口令不仅是一种口头游戏，同时还是一项语言技能。人们编制或诵读绕口令通常是为了娱乐，但如果反复读诵之，则可以使人口齿伶俐，有助于矫正发音、口吃以及克服和解决其他各种语言与非语言障碍和困难。

影视广播等媒体单位在考核言语的流利程度时，常让应试者朗读或背诵绕口令。如：

1/ Pure food for poor mules.

  Shave a cedar shingle thin.

2/ Mike likes to write by the nice bright light at night.

    从前，英国警察局曾使用以下两则绕口令，以检查人们是否酗酒。

 1/ The big black bug bit a big black bear,

   Made the big black bear bleed blood.

 2/ As round the rough and rugged rocks,

   the ragged rascal ran.

更有趣的是，牙科医生常让患者朗读绕口令，以检查新镶的假牙是否合适。例如以下两句绕口令就很适用于这方面的需要。

1/ She sells seashells by the sea shore.

2/ The sun shines on the small shop signs.

此外，不少英美人士甚至相信有些绕口令可用来治打嗝儿。有人认为，如果一口气朗读完下面这则Peter Piper（吹笛人彼得）绕口令，打嗝儿就会终止。

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled pepper.

    If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled pepper.

    Where is the peck of pickled pepper Peter Piper picked?

绕口令除了采用诵读形式外，还常见于儿歌，即将绕口令编成儿歌，更加琅琅上口。《游泳》和《贝蒂•鲍特和她的黄油》就是两首广为流传的绕口令儿歌。它们分别如下：

1/ Swim son, swim, show me you’re a swimmer.

  Swim just how the swans swim.

  You know how the swans swim.

  Six sharp sharks have come to swipe

  Your limb,

  So swim as swiftly as you can.

  Swim son swim.

2/ Betty Botter bought some butter,

  But she said, “This butter’s bitter:

  If I put it in my batter,

  It will make my batter bitter.

  But a bit of better butter,

  That would make my batter better.

  So she bought a bit of butter

  Better than her bitter butter,

  And she put it in her batter,

  And the batter was not bitter.

  So ‘twas better Betty Botter

  Bought a bit of better butter.

    诵读绕口令，最要紧的是既要流利，又要吐词清楚，努力做到复诵数遍不出错误。英语中最难朗读的绕口令恐怕要算《病羊》：

The sixth sick shiek’s sixth sheep’s sick.

就其构成方式而言，英语绕口令大致有以下几种：

一、由相同或相似的辅音构成

1/ The brisk brave brigade broke the brick bridge across the broad bloody river.

这个士气旺盛的劲旅拆毁了血水染红的大河上的砖桥。

2/ Rollo’s rolling a rock. If rollo rolls a round roll around where’s the round roll Rollo rolls around?

罗洛在抛滚一块岩石。要是罗洛旋滚一只圆筒，那么罗洛旋滚地圆筒在哪儿呢？

3/ A pale pink proud peacock pompously preened its pretty plumage.

一只浅粉红色的骄傲的孔雀炫耀地梳整着漂亮地羽毛。

二、由相同或相似的元音构成

1/ A little pickle picked by Piper mixedly makes a mickle.

派珀采集的腌菜聚合起来，积少成多了。

2/ The doctor’s naughty daughter knocked at the locked door. 

医生的调皮的女儿敲过锁着的门了。

3/ Can you imagine an imaginative menagerie manager managing an imaginary manatee? 

你能想象一个富有想象力的动物驯养者是如何驯服一头想象中的海牛的吗？

三、由相同或相似的辅音和元音混合构成

1/ The ragged rascal ran around a rugged rock.

这个衣衫破烂的家伙绕着一块凹凸不平的岩石奔跑。

2/ The rough tough ruffian makes fierce faces to frighten the four friends. The friends fight off the ruffian who falls flat on the floor. 

这个粗暴鲁莽的流氓做出狰狞的面目以恐吓四个朋友，朋友们拳头一伸，赶跑了流氓，使他重重地摔倒在地上。

3/ Six silly sleepers sleep on soft silk sheets.

六个人傻乎乎地人睡在柔软地丝织床单上。

四、由一个或几个词多次重复形成

1/ Forty fourteen forty-four, forty’s forty not fourteen and fourteen’s fourteen not forty.

四十十四四十四，四十是四十不是十四，十四是十四不是四十。

2/ Sheep should not sleep in a shabby shack, sheep should sleep in sheep shed.

羊不该睡在破棚里，羊应该睡在羊棚里。

3/ How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

要是土拨鼠啃木头，它能啃多少木头？