Trigger - Kathy

Just a silly 10 minute write... 

Have you ever had a word that stopped you in your tracks, a word you’ve spoken a gazillion times, but just now stopped to really think about it?  That happened to me today with the word trigger.  

Trigger, what an interesting word.  It’s sharp to the ears and active to pronounce, moving the tongue from the front to the middle and then to the back in two short syllables.  So much is going on, it’s quite the oral workout.  Try saying it slowly and pay attention to the movement. “TRRIII-GGERRR”  So satisfying.  It’s possible to stretch it out to three syllables, making the “I” its own syllable.  Try that… “TRRR-III-GGERRR”.  Notice your lips slinking to a camera ready smile before returning them to a purse, like a mom warning her child.  If taking control away from the “R” is the goal, Trigger can even be stretched to four syllables.  Try that one, paying attention to the acrobatics happening in your mouth.  TRRR-III-GG-EERRR  but that causes the “e” to sound like a “u”, don’t ask me why, but it does. And it’s not really syllables at this point, just an oral workout.   Now five syllables is how my six year old granddaughter read this word in her take home reader called Timmy the Triggered Tiger. TT-RRR-III-GGG-EEERRR and that completely loses all meaning of the word at all.  Reduced to soundbytes - phonemes.  So, watch your tongue and pay attention to the aerobics happening when you pronounce your favorite words.