rj_anderson (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
rj_anderson) wrote2005-11-21 09:52 am
rj_anderson) wrote2005-11-21 09:52 am
Can he talk? Ooh, can he talk?
Let the world tremble before me, for I am a mother who has captured her ten week-old baby on video. Don't worry, though, it's only about 20 seconds long:
Of course I talk, I'm Minister for Overseas Development (2 MB, YSI).
The audio is unfortunately marred by the speaker being on in the background (since this clip was taken in the church nursery during a service), but you can hear a couple of Paul's sage observations quite clearly toward the end.
Also, many happy returns to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
callyperry, a delightful, warm-hearted and generous person who has been a great encouragement to me and whose endless good humour makes her a pleasure to talk to and be with. Thanks for everything, Cally -- and come see us again some time!
Of course I talk, I'm Minister for Overseas Development (2 MB, YSI).
The audio is unfortunately marred by the speaker being on in the background (since this clip was taken in the church nursery during a service), but you can hear a couple of Paul's sage observations quite clearly toward the end.
Also, many happy returns to
callyperry, a delightful, warm-hearted and generous person who has been a great encouragement to me and whose endless good humour makes her a pleasure to talk to and be with. Thanks for everything, Cally -- and come see us again some time!
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(My youngest turned 4 last week.)
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You win at life. That's one of my favourite sketches. Probably because it mentions Rhodesia.
*uses Alec the Dissertation icon for the heck of it*
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*puts on linguist cap*
As you may know, Paul is trying to mimic the sounds you make. He's not completely successful as of yet, but he is figuring out how his whole vocal apparatus works--which is terribly complex and difficult, actually--and what sort of sounds he needs to learn to make.
One of my linguistic professors joked that she understands why babies and toddlers sleep so much: it's because they're constantly learning, and they just tire their little brains out! (I think the fact that most babies double in size from birth to six months also has something to do with it.) English has around 40 distinct sounds that we form into words. Each sound has to be learned and repeated often so that the vocal apparatus becomes accustomed to making the sound.
You'll see that once he gets a sound, he'll repeat it over and over and over (da-da-da-da-da-da-da). But then, he'll find a neat new sound (kind of like "Ooh, shiny! New!") and he'll drop the old sound in favor of the new (ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma). This does not mean he prefers one parent over the other, but just that he wants to practice his new sound. Then he'll start getting really adventuresome and combine the sounds!
Interesting bit of trivia here: the last sounds kids learn to produce are the two th- sounds, as in breath and breathe. Kids usually can't accurately reproduce these sounds until age four or later (which is why, when asked his age, a three-year-old will instead declare his independence. "I'm free!"). It is also the sound that non-English speakers have the most trouble with if they are coming from a non-Germanic language.
Of course, as a mother of three, you probably know all this, but I couldn't resist.
*doffs linguist cap*
He's so adorable!