Peter Piper

"Peter Piper"
Roud #19745

The illustration of Peter Piper from the 1836 American edn. of Peter Piper's Practical Principles of Plain and Perfect Pronunciation
Written by Traditional
Published 1813
Written England
Language English
Form Nursery rhyme/tongue twister

"Peter Piper" is an English language nursery rhyme and well-known tongue twister. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 19745.

Contents

Lyrics

Common modern versions include:

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked;
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
Where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?[1]

Origins

The earliest version of this tongue twister was published in Peter Piper's Practical Principles of Plain and Perfect Pronunciation by John Harris (1756–1846) in London in 1813, which includes one name tongue twister for each letter of the alphabet in the same style. However, the rhyme was apparently known at least a generation earlier.[2] Some authors have identified the subject of the rhyme as Peter Poivre, a Mauritian government administrator of the eighteenth century who once investigated the Seychelles' potential for spice cultivation.[3][4] Not to be confused with comic strip Peter Piper which appeared in The Magic, The Topper and The Dandy drawn by Dudley Watkins, Vic Neill and Nick Brennan.

Notes

  1. ^ I. Opie and P. Opie, The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes (Oxford University Press, 1951, 2nd edn., 1997), p. 347.
  2. ^ H. Carpenter and M. Prichard, The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature (Oxford University Press, 1984), p. 408.
  3. ^ Hassall, S.; Hassall, P.J. (1988). "Exploration, Discovery and Settlement". Seychelles. Places and People of the World. Chelsea House. p. 26. ISBN 0-7910-0104-0. 
  4. ^ Lionnet, Guy (1972). "Geography, Geology and Government". The Seychelles. The Islands Series. Stackpole Books (U.S.)/David & Charles (UK). p. 28. ISBN 0-8117-1514-0. 

External links