This just in: word buffer expands from 3 to 5

[dreamshark]

In my last post (earlier this evening) I reported that granddaughter Lena was now speaking in sentences, but seemingly constrained by the inability to say more than 3 syllables at a time. She was clearly TRYING to say longer phrases, but would drop words out of the middle. For instance, she would try to say "I'll be right back" (sometimes, adorably, to one of her toys) but it would come out as "I'll right back."

"No more monkeys (jumping on the bed)" turned into "No....mon-keys" with an awkward pause in the middle, sometimes followed by an attempt at the second part of the line. I remember this buffering problem from when my own children were learning to talk. When Thorin first started repeating words, he could reproduce just the last syllable he had heard: "Daddy" became "Dee."  Then one day he could suddenly repeat 2 syllables, and "Dee" became just a fond memory.

Anyway, Amber just texted that Lena had suddenly started saying longer sentences, starting with the surprising declaration, "I am a robot."  A little later she said, "Gamma come visit me," a sentence noteworthy not only for the increased length and grammar but for the combination of remembering the recent past and projecting it into the future. And, of course, heartwarming. I miss you too, little Lena.

Comments

[seekerval.livejournal.com]

Awwww ... guess who is a Gamma's Girl? How thoroughly sweet!

[mle292.livejournal.com]

Awwww. Thanks for posting this, it made me smile. :)

[skylarker.livejournal.com]

"Gamma come visit me" leaves the tense a bit uncertain - she may equally have been remarking on the past or proposing a future event. It's interesting the way she's building up her word buffer. :)