The start of language

Whilst I am in no way claiming that Alby has started talking over the past few weeks he has certainly started babbling with much more fervour than ever before.  What’s more, sounds are not only being repeated but they are being applied to specific situations. 

If you ask him what Percy says he responds with “urrrggggghhhh” – which, incidentally is the same noise that both ducks and cows make.

If you are reading a story book and a duck or dog appear he will point and say “de de de”.  No such noise is made for cows, pigs or any animal not beginning with a “d”.  

We often get “ta” when we give him something.  If we ask him a question more often than not we get a firm shake of the head or a squat accompanied with a short “esh” which we’ve taken to interpret as Alby saying “yes”. 

Pointing accompanied by “dere” is quite routine and a few times now he has made noises which sound uncannily like “this one” and “out there” which is no doubt giving more talent to his vocabulary than due, but we’ve definitely moved on than everything and anything simply being “dadadadada”.

I’m a little but surprised that this is how language comes into being.  I had it in my mind that he would master the individual sounds and then piece them together to make words in the same way that when you learn to read you clump the individual letters together to make a word.  It turns out to be far less discriminate than that – understanding, application and delivery all coming in one swoop.

We’ve still got an awful long way to go before he is properly talking but I suspect that in his own head he is closer than I allow.  This evening I actually ended up crying with laughter when he picked up a delivery card from the doormat, studied it with a frown on his face and then started a constant stream of babble as he ran his fingers over the words.  He turned it over, frowned again and then started talking and running his fingers over the words once more.  Following a full examination he walked over to my dad, babbling all the way and offered the card to him.  Just as my dad went to take it he pulled it away, read it again (both sides) and then repeated the whole thing firstly with my mum and then with Percy.  No doubt before too long when I’m hounded by “why why why” and “no no no” I’ll be longing for the calm days of random noises spoken at a nice indoor volume, but for the moment I’m ever so excited about what’s to come.  As a serious chatterbox myself I can only think “God help Mark”.