Recently my husband and I were taking a short hike in Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve and were surprised to find this cautionary sign. I wondered if a non-native speaker would understand that this is a warning sign of what lies ahead for a visitor or if (s)he would recognize the meaning of steep stone steps.
Why write a warning sign as a tongue twister? What are tongue twisters? Every language has them. They are often poems or lines with combinations of words that are difficult to say in quick succession, such as "She sells seashells by the seashore." In the example above, after the number "118," there are three words all beginning with the two-letter combination of "st" (steep, stone, and steps). Try to say these three words as quickly as possible. Here you have a sign written as a tongue-twister.
The important part of the sign, however, comes at the end "proceed with care." It is great to have fun with native speakers visiting the park, but what about the non-native speaker who fails to understand that this is a warning sign to be cautious or careful? I think it fails.
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