Thursday, May 08, 2008

Language - and Bo Den

Lyddie has just started being aware of the existence of other countries and languages. This is something else I love about home educating - the pleasure and privilege of actually being there to witness my children's minds developing and opening up to encompass new ideas. Two months ago she had no conception of a place that wasn't like this place, where people might do things differently. But right now, she wants to know all about such places.

"How do they talk? Show me - you do it." LOL, this is not easy. Have you ever tried demonstrating a language you don't speak? I try to remember snatches of the sound of them, to give her some kind of flavour, but ideally we need a website that will play an excerpt of each one. (Suggestions welcome!)

Meanwhile, the baby is learning about colours. She knows they're all different and points to each one in turn, saying her own version of its name. The only thing is (language again) that she seems to think they're all called "Bo Den". Sounds are "Bo Day", possibly springing from bird song, described to her by an older sister as "Birdy", but colours are all "Bo Den".

There might have been a logical process involved in this, I realise, but while she has no more language to explain I can only take it at face value and accept that as far as she's concerned, Bo Den and Bo Day are perfectly adequate descriptions of all colours and all sounds respectively. And by this time next week, they might well be called something completely different anyway.

7 Comments:

Blogger Lee Barnard said...

www.poissonrouge.com and www.literacycenter.net are both excellent and free! Tried and tested by a very fussy 4 and 5 year old.
hth

Kate

12:53 pm, May 08, 2008  
Blogger Allie said...

I love Bo Den and Bo Day. There is something worderfully appealing about small children's words. I think its the way they say them with such certainty. What's a name anyway? Just a label. If Bo Den works for her... I wish people remembered their thought processes around this time as it would be fascinating to understand more about what is going on. Like you, I feel very lucky to witness these changes in my children's development.

1:00 pm, May 08, 2008  
Blogger Gill said...

Thanks very much Kate - much appreciated!

Allie, I quite agree. And it's spoken very clearly and precisely as well: Bo Den. Like, it really means what it's supposed to mean.

2:22 pm, May 09, 2008  
Blogger Annkrozeika said...

Agree very much with Allie about small children's words being so appealing.
My daughter when aged 2 was absolutely certain that her 'word' "Ah B'dah" was actually a word. This came about from me saying "home again" in a slightly sing-song voice every time I put my key in the front door on arriving home from somewhere. She began saying "A B'dah" in the same sing-song voice at the same time. She can remember this even now, 7 years later, and it came up in conversation recently. When I asked if she could remember what it meant, she said it meant that we were home again but that she just didn't know how to say it at the time.
So, to me it stands to reason that 'Bo Den' means red, or blue, or yellow or green, etc but that your daughter just doesn't know how to say them yet and 'Bo Den' will do for her, for now... :o)

1:34 am, May 13, 2008  
Blogger Annkrozeika said...

*said to self* oh at last, I've entered the correct password and can stop using my daughter's blogger account, lol

1:35 am, May 13, 2008  
Blogger Gill said...

Hi Zoe.

Your daughter must have a great memory! Lyddie used to inexplicably call our living room the "Wa weesh". She did it until she was nearly three, but she can't remember now!

8:01 am, May 15, 2008  
Blogger Annkrozeika said...

Hi Gill,
Yes she seems to have a fantastic long-term memory, but just like me her short-term memory is pretty poor!! lol

11:36 pm, May 23, 2008  

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