FW: an onomatopoeic toddler

[Nelson, Katherine]

I'm sending on this comment that I originally sent to Marie and neglected to send to Info-childes because the discussion has gotten so interesting, especially with respect to the cases of children who seem to make a distinction between their own language and that of their parents' or other speakers. A further note: both my daughters had idiosyncratic "words" as many others do, and we did our best to use their words (e.g."enky" for bottle) until they were ready to use ours.  
 
Katherine  

________________________________

From: Nelson, Katherine
Sent: Wed 8/29/2007 9:19 AM
To: mariehojholt
Subject: RE: an onomatopoeic toddler


Dear Marie,
As you probably know, it is usual for toddlers to have some onomatopoeic "words" although I've rarely heard of a child who combined them in sentences in the way you quote.  However, individual differences and idiosyncratic approaches to learning to talk are far more prevalent than the current literature would lead you to believe, and most children settle on conventional sounds as well as meanings during the third year.  It is my belief (based on tracking a daughter and granddaughter during virtually wordless second years) that some children believe that understanding the language used by parents is fine, but that that language is theirs, and there is no persuasive reason for me (the child) to learn to use it, as it doesn't express what I have to say.  Or something like that.  In these cases, the dam was broken at around 2 years and language flowed. It could be that your child is working on a similar "theory."  My studies of word learning in natural environments, and those of other scholars, indicate very different patterns of acquisition, in terms of both numbers and kinds of words during the second year of life.  For reference to this literature see my 2007 book "Young Minds in Social Worlds" Harvard University Press.
 
And of course there are many who speculate that human languages arose using onomatopoetic sound patterns.  Harald may just be following this ancient strategy, despite the availability of a more conventional symbolic system.
 
Katherine Nelson

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From: info-childes at mail.talkbank.org on behalf of mariehojholt
Sent: Wed 8/29/2007 6:05 AM
To: info-childes at mail.talkbank.org
Subject: an onomatopoeic toddler


Dear all!
Being new at this network I wish to thank you all for a fantastic opportunity to correspond with equals, or, kind of. I am graduate student of linguistics in Aarhus, Denmark.
Here is my question:
I am looking for relevant studies of children who do not seem to acquire actual words as much as onomatopoeic sounds.
My two-year-old son Harald, is developing "according to plan" but doesn't care for the "linguistic symbols that the surrounding environment has as consensus": words.

Here is a short list of his sounds and utterances:
"Mor (mummy) aa-aj (~not) bzzz (sound of fly) krqr (sound of breaking which means "egg") - pip-pip (sound of bird) krqr (sound of breaking" 
- so: Mummy, flies don't have eggs, BIRDS have eggs!"

"words":
water: "aah!" (sound you make after drinking)
food: "mtl-mtl" (chewing-sound)
sleeping/bed: "hhhrr-pfffff" (sleeping sound)
toothbrush: "hrhr-hrhr"
Cracker/"broken"/egg: "krqr" 
Pooridge: "ph-ph-ph" (sound of boiling)



Apart from this he uses all the usual onomatopoeic sounds typical for children: animal sounds, vehicle sounds...
He does have some actual words: Mom, dad, diper, blue, Gorm (brother), home, now, more, shoe, in, ...but not too many verbs.
I hope some of you have comments on this, or links, references or anything.
I am not worried about him, since he is a happy, clever boy who communicates adequately and relevantly, and - to me - intelligably.
Though, I am hyperinterested in understanding his procedures and apparently somewhat onomatopoeic-ICONIC language behaviour. 
He is not interested in us telling him what the real words are, and if we try to push him, he ignores us or get angry.
All my best,
Marie Hoejholt

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