"Trippingly on the Tongue"

       Please read this paragraph ALOUD from this morning's Los Angeles Times front page:


          After years of government investigations, Corinthian Colleges Inc. will shut down more than two dozen of its remaining schools, displacing more than 10,000 California students.  The move ends the turmoil at what was once one of the nation's largest for-profit college chains but presents fresh challenges to students, who now must seek transfers or federal loan forgiveness.


       At the Los Angeles Radio Reading Service, we often read articles over the air which we've not read completely, sometimes at all, in advance of going on air.  I stumbled when I came to four words in this paragraph--"what was once one"--.

       The writer might not realize this is a tough chain of words to put together and get right aloud; the broadcaster knows very well.  The sound that begins all four words is [w]; the vowel sound that follows it is [uh] as in "sun" in all four words; the closing consonant sounds all differ.  It's hard to get your mouth around all these successive single similar syllables successfully.

       HAVE FUN!  READ ALOUD.