language musings
I recently realized that 'whatchamacallit' comes from 'what you may/might call it'. Don't know why I didn't figure that out sooner, or even think about it.
Where does 'hold on' (meaning 'wait') come from? This was one of the first difficulties I had while talking with a newly verbal child. Our language is so ridiculously idiomatic.
The current difficulty is trying to get him to understand when to say 'you' and when to say 'me'. How do you explain subjectivity and objectivity to a 21-month-old? We're slowing getting there with finger-pointing. (Point his finger at himself and say 'me'; point his finger at me and say 'you'. Are you confused yet? Or simultaneously pointing at me with my finger and using his finger to point at him, saying 'me' and then pointing at each other saying 'you'.)
Edit: I seem to have miscommunicated what I was getting at with this last paragraph. I understand it's a developmental thing that he will get when he's ready. That's not a concern. Truly. I was more musing at the notion of *if it weren't a developmental milestone* how would you explain the difference between subjectivity and objectivity to a newly-verbal person?
Where does 'hold on' (meaning 'wait') come from? This was one of the first difficulties I had while talking with a newly verbal child. Our language is so ridiculously idiomatic.
The current difficulty is trying to get him to understand when to say 'you' and when to say 'me'. How do you explain subjectivity and objectivity to a 21-month-old? We're slowing getting there with finger-pointing. (Point his finger at himself and say 'me'; point his finger at me and say 'you'. Are you confused yet? Or simultaneously pointing at me with my finger and using his finger to point at him, saying 'me' and then pointing at each other saying 'you'.)
Edit: I seem to have miscommunicated what I was getting at with this last paragraph. I understand it's a developmental thing that he will get when he's ready. That's not a concern. Truly. I was more musing at the notion of *if it weren't a developmental milestone* how would you explain the difference between subjectivity and objectivity to a newly-verbal person?