ext_3345 ([identity profile] rivka.livejournal.com) wrote in [personal profile] rivka 2006-06-08 06:23 pm (UTC)

Alex is really impressive at language!

She is, yes, but it's also very interesting to me to see what isn't there - where the gaps are. Of her first 75 words, almost all of them are names. She almost exclusively uses them when the objects they represent are in front of her, or when someone else mentions them first.

So, like, when she wants a drink, she'll say "Cup?" if she actually sees one. Or if I ask her, "Do you want a drink of water from your cup?" she will say "Wa" (water) or "Cup" to ask for some. But she won't express thirstiness by asking for her cup out of the blue. She'll say "Dog!" if we see one, or hear barking, or find a dog picture in a book, but she doesn't talk about dogs when they're not around.

She doesn't have any way to tell us verbally that she's hungry, thirsty, bored, tired, or in pain. I really noticed that over the weekend, when she was exceedingly cranky. 75 words, and none of them suitable for answering the question "What's the matter?"

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