Peter Piper’s Popularity Permeates

PepperPeter Piper is famous in his nursery rhyme for picking pickled peppers. Pierre Poivre, who many suggest the rhyme began with, is famous for introducing spice plants, like cloves, nutmeg, or peppers, to the Seychelles. He lived from 1719-1786, suggesting that the rhyme was first recited during that time. In addition to being a horticulturalist who brought plants from one country to another, Pierre Poivre also lost an arm when engaged in a British naval battle during his travels; he was struck by a cannonball. While that story did not perpetrate a proclivity for popularity, the rhyme of Peter Piper lived on to be first published in Peter Piper’s Practical Principles of Plain and Perfect Pronunciation in 1813 by John Harris. It was published in England and required the approval of Parliament after what many believe to be nearly a century of living in oral tradition. That book was full of baby songs that used alliteration of each letter to make up a rhyme. These tongue twisters would sound amusing to young children, as well as forcing them to work on pronunciation. The book was even cataloged as being “Printed and Published with Pretty Pleasing Pictures.” The preface to the book was written with alliteration of the letter ‘P’ as well. The attention to alliteration was pervasive. The picture chosen for the top of Peter’s rhyme was of a young boy standing on a stool at the stove. Conceivably, Peter is pickling his peppers. Peter Piper’s rhyme repeats in various ways that Peter is picking a peck of pickled peppers. Peck refers to the measurement of eight quarts or a fourth of a bushel. Despite being among baby songs and nursery rhymes, this text has also been included in the Roud Folk Song Index, clarifying its importance as part of the cannon of oral tradition in the English language. Modern day early childhood education advocates recognize the importance of nursery rhymes and baby songs in language development. Peter Piper’s peck of pickled peppers is just one that has stood firm through time.