The Lubbock avalanche. (Lubbock, Tex.) 1909-1922, 1922-07-21
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PARENTS As EDUCATORS
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Beginnings in Language and
Literature
By Martha Gallaudet Waring.


The three most wonderful things
in nature have always been to me,
the unfolding Of flower, the dawn
Of a new day, ard the way in which
a child learns the use Of language.
There are never two Of these ex-
actly alike; they are always happen
ing and always different.
| have watched three children
closely and their way Of learning
10 talk has been absolutely as in
dividual as are the children them
selves. The eldest begin at nine
months 20 say mama, dada, man, BOY,
dog and so forth, and after awhile,
come, go, stay, run, and all the nee
essary verbs, and then the connee-
ting words, in such absolute agree
ment with the best authorities on
Learning TO speak," that | began
to plume myself upon il as a per-
sonal matter. II is interesting 70
note that this interest in language,
in words and their exact meaning
and accurate use, has always been
a part Of the child's development.
My personal vanity as good
trainer in language received a shock
when the second baby came TO the
speaking age. Not a word would
she say, "Uh-hum" doing a duty for
everything; and so clever was she
and well developed mentally that II
was almost uncanny 60 see how she
conveyed her entire meaning ana
got what she wanted without words.
We tried encouragement, discipline,
and example (as her sister was then
five) and when We had begun to
feel Disconnected, she suddenly at
about eighteen months, burst into
whole sentences run together such
as Give il TO me, 81 don't want
to do it, and others Of which not
one single word was clearly defin-
ed. but az a whole perfectly IN
telligihle. As she grew older she
showed the same impotence OF lam
guage as a means Of communication,
making a language Of her own TO
which she chung until she was six,
which was ineligible only TO her
family and playmates, as strangers
could make nothing Of il, a fact
which rather pleased her than other
wise-"Me don't min II dey tant
understan' wat me say; me likes 70
talk ike dis" was frequent re-
mark while we were trying to train
her out OF IL. We had at six to have
recourse to expert help in proper
articulation. There was no physical
defect, and now her enunciation is
unusually clear and she reads better
than any child Of ten ! have ever
/ known.
Why should such things be IN
children Of the same family, with
I the SAME training and the same en-
yironneut? II Is an interesting
I problem. The third child being a
l boy. have watched for his use OF
/ language with great interest, and
find that AZ his present age Of two,
he has a large and growing vocabu-
larry end very clear cnunciaiion with
a slight tendency 90 let 70 the IS.
He does not, like his eldest sister,
I substitute 20, or ike a first cousin,
put an N everywhere This little
girl when learning TO talk was most
amusing on account Of this pro-
pensity. "Hum and hee the no.
4 was Come and see the show and
she was often a puzzle 10 her ell
ders. Ny own little girl Of her age
was always understood and this is
the dialogue | heard one day when
they were having a tea-party.
Alice. | buck hork in base and Il
hell on the hoor" and then from