Now that my daughter is a toddler, she is talking up a storm. She first started babbling when she was almost six months old at the beginning of June. Now, in addition to a lot of babbling, she also says a handful of recognizable words. My twelve-month-old daughter’s vocabulary includes the following words:
- Mama
- Dada
- Kitty
- Dog (Guh)
- Pretty
- I do it
- Here you go
- Done
In terms of toddler talking, my daughter also says a few other words that I do not recognize as English words. However, she uses these words consistently, so I know that these sounds are words to her:
- Bee-ju (Probably an acknowledgement, similar to hey or what’s up)
- Bow (Probably blow, as in the verb)
As a linguist, I am absolutely fascinated by my daughter’s language development. I also get just as excited when she makes a new sound as when she says a new word. Her most recent sound is kind of like guh-ul-guh-ul-guh-ul, which, I must admit, is absolutely adorable!
And, although I am in no hurry for her to grow up too fast, I am excited for the day when my daughter and I can converse and both understand each other. Right now, I can understand a few words that she says and she can follow a few simple directions (Bring me a ball, Come here, Cheerios, Put the ball in the cup, Go to your room). Soon, however, she and I will be discussing philosophy and the meaning of life. Toddler philosophy, that is.
What were some of your children’s first words?
Image Credits
Poppy Is a Talking Toddler © 2012 Heather Johnson
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