LL-L "Phonology" 2012.01.02 (03) [EN]

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 L O W L A N D S - L - 02 January 2012 - Volume 03
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From: Hellinckx Luc luc.hellinckx at gmail.com
Subject: LL-L "Phonology"
Beste Ron,

You wrote:

Little Jonah, my rabbi's 1+-year old son, tends to throw his arms up at
adults and say, "Puh!" ([pʰʌ]). I interpret this as a metathesized form of
"Up!" ([ʔʌp]). (In other words, he wants you to pick him up.) Would you
agree with this?

Do you have any further thoughts or inside into the phenomenon of
metathesis and "naturalness" of syllable structures?


On the level of children/babies, it is maybe also a matter of "mirroring"
sounds, rather than copying them. When you talk to him, and you say "u-p",
he reciprocates by first repeating the letter he heard last, his mind is
not (yet) focussed on remembering sounds in a premidated way and then
copying them. His response is more like an echo from the other side of the
valley. He's sending back what he heard last and wants to be some sort of
mirror of your sounds. Not a replica, but a mirror, because he knows he's
different. I think this sort of conversation taps into what we know as
"call and response" in blues and gospel. Just my two cents.

This reflection about a baby realising he is somebody else may match two
things I often heard: girls learn quicker how to speak + they exhibit
greater empathy...maybe one triggers the other.

Initially this habit sticks, and part of growing up is of course to learn
how to lose this behavior (bit comparable to learning the tenses, and then
notice there are strong verbs). For some it's just a lot more difficult to
unlearn than it is to learn.

Moreover, certain combinations are definitely favored above others, because
they hook better into previously acquired vocabulary, assimilation.

Kind greetings,

Luc Hellinckx, Halle, Belgium

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