The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-09-13
a Curfous Vocabulary.
SINGULAR DEVELOPMENT OF LANGUAGE IN Chill

Under the title Of " Singular development Of
Language in Child DR.. E; r. Hun. Of Albany.
HsmmoDd,s Journal of Psychological Medicine:
The subject OF this observation is girl aged
four and half years, sprghtly intelligent, and In
good health. Her mother observed, when she
was two years old. that she was backward in
speaking and only used the words papa and
mama. After that she began to use words Of her
own invention, and though she understood readily
what was said, never employed the words used by
others. Gradually she enlarged her vocabulary,
until il has reached the extent described below.
"She has brother eighteen months younger
than herself who has learned her language, so
that they talk freely together. BE, however,
seems TO have adopted il only because he has
more intercourse with her than with others; and
in some instances he will use proper word with
his mother and the sisters word with her. She,
however. persists In using only her own words,
though her parents. who are uneasy about her
peculiarly Of speech, make great efforts to induce
her to use proper words.
GAS TO the possibility of her having learned
these words from others, II is proper 70 state that
her parents are persons OF cultivation, who only
use the English language. Her mother has
learned French, but never uses the language in
conversation. The domestics, as well as the
nurses, speak English without any peculiarites,
and the child has heard even less than usual OF
what is called baby talk.
Some of the words and phrases have re-
semblance to the French but IL ia certain that no
person using that language has frequented the
house, and il is doubtful whether the child has on
any occasion heard it spoken.
There seems to be no difficulty about the vocal
organs. She uses her language readily and freely,
and when she Is with her brother they converse
with great rapidity and fuency.
81 The following Is the vocabulary which | have
been able at different times to compile from the
child herself, and especially from the report of
the mother. In the spelling have endeavored as
much as possible to reproduce the sound of the
words
"Gummigsr. All the substantials Of the table.
such ss bread, meat, vegetables. etc., and the
same word is used to designate the cook. The
boy does not use this word, but uses gndDlignd
in the same sense, which the girl considers mis-
take.
Migno -migpo. Water. wash. bath.
"Go-go. Delicscies, as sugar, candy, as des.
sert.
"Ma. I. myself.
"odo. To send for. to go out. to take away.
ma odo; l want toy go out.
Gear. Horse.
Gear odo. Send for the horse. when the
father SENDS for q carriage he writes an order
and sends II TO the stable. Hence the children,
from seeing him write the order use the same
expression (gdr odol to denote pencil and paper.
+" Too. All, everything.
"Too odo. 1t is all gone, or in reference to
food. II il all eaten up
Fen. pronounced like the French word.)
Fire, heat, light, cigar. sun.
uddu. OOu. hutU IL rams tne O0ll0rcu
often run TO the window and cry out 'Gaan odo
migno migno fen odo,' which means, God. take
away the rain and send the sum- Od0 before
the object meaning to take away and after the
object TO send
Ne pa. Not. Ne pa fen. l am not warm.'
Eeu papa? do you wsnt) cigar, papag Ne pa
ttu d9e. (There is) no cigar there.
deer. Money OF any kind
PA ma. To go to sleep. pillow bed. Man,
ma ma pa ma. Mamma q WANT to 60 to Sleep
Naia.wiais. Black, darkness, negro.
Mes. Cat. furs. Med lcdid. tUaiur. Denotes
dark furs.' No trQid.lcdidr nled, light furs.'
Beer literature, books or school. Did odo
beer. Lizzie goes to school,
.apapa.maInIna. Church, prayer-book, cross
priest, 10 say their PreyAra
" Bau. Soldier, music. From seeing the bishop
in bis uitre and vestrnents thinking be was q SOL
der, they applied the word Bdu to him.
"Keh. To soil. Ma keh no. Il will not soil
myself
''Peer. Ball. During the last few days the
boy has begun 70 use a number OF English words.
such as up, down, please, boy, charcoal, etc.. and
upon his mother saying to him that grown up per-
did not call ball peer he at once called II
BAL to her, but continued to use the word peer
when speaking to his sister)
"Bsby. The name used by the boy In address
sing his sister until younger brother was born.
After which the girl objected to being called
baby and her name was changed 10 TutIi.'
"Petee.petee. The name was given the boy by
his sister.
"Babis. The name by which they both call
their younger brother.