STYLISTIC FEATURES OF TONGUE TWISTERS RELATED TO THE FLORA AND FAUNA

Abstract

This article examines the stylistic features of English tongue twisters related to the conceptual spheres of flora and fauna. Tongue twisters represent a specific type of folklore and verbal art in which phonetic repetition, lexical selection, imagery, rhythm, and expressive devices are closely interconnected. The study focuses on such stylistic devices as alliteration, assonance, consonance, repetition, rhyme, parallelism, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, sound symbolism, and humorous imagery. Particular attention is given to the stylistic function of names of animals, birds, insects, trees, flowers, fruits, and other natural phenomena. The analysis demonstrates that flora- and fauna-related lexical units do not merely identify objects of nature but also contribute to expressiveness, memorability, imagery, emotional colouring, and comic effect. It is concluded that tongue twisters belonging to the flora-fauna conceptual sphere constitute an important linguistic and stylistic resource reflecting the interaction between sound, meaning, imagery, and cultural experience.