Words weavers
I play fast and loose with it of course. (Alliteration is my particular soft/weak spot). That’s my nature – I’d rather express than repress. Some people worry about getting tenses correct and their similes set just so, but not me. If I like it, and feel it, down it goes. That means that I mangle things at times. More often than not, I have to re-edit these posts because I wrote and pressed ‘Publish Post’ before proofing properly (and goodness me, I heart Blogger for this luxury! Much easier to fix up than already-printed newspapers!). It is why, despite my professed desire to be an architect as a teenager, I ended up right where the Good Lord intended. Writing. Sometimes I get it right. Sometimes not. But it always arrives with enthusiasm and passion. Not always well thought-through, but nonetheless truly felt!
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I encourage my kids to dive in and explore words too. To not be afraid of them. To let their tongues wrap around the unfamiliar and try it on for size. (And mix a metaphor or two!).
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And sometimes they hit the mark, sometimes not. Sometimes they try and use words that are beyond them. And the results would have to be the cutest thing ever. Especially when combined with some of their little speech impediments.
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I thought’d I share a little sample of the word weavers at work here at Granite Glen. Starting closest to home:
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Me
My mother always reminds me of my favourite saying as a 3-year old…
“I’m holping Mommy!” as a serious tot who was her Ma’s right hand girl.
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Pagi (my Dad)
My father always keeps us on our toes with his Pagi-isms. Words like “thriple” for triple, “fastiduous” for fastidious, “those Desperado Women” for Desperate Housewives (and yes, he does watch it with me on occasion!). And he says them with the straightest face in the world. (He might be overly adventurous in the language department, but the man is also the best proof-reader a girl could have. All errors on this site are found on posts not read by him!)
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Dash
When he was learning to talk (he was an early talker and late walker) his gems included:
“I talka your face?” meaning he wanted to whisper in your ear. Best copied in an Italian accent.
“I go blacklids!” – i.e. backwards
“My be-ah! My be-ah!” (pictured above)
“Come and sit next aside-a me”, an invitation no-one could refuse. 
“Ready, teddy, go!” usually uttered aboard the late, lamented Cosmo (also called “Smo-Jo” by one of Dash’s cousins).
A visit to the favourite fast-food restaurant is a trip to “Ha’McDonalls” (and there is a song called “Ha’McDonnall had a Farm”) …think ‘Old MacDonald Had a Farm’ and ‘We are going to have McDonalds’ … got it?
And his latest: “You know, I really LOVE mathalatics!” Perhaps more of a number cruncher (should that be mathelatition?) like his Dad!
The Little Woman
My daughter has been recently assessed by a speech pathologist at Kindy, and given the all-clear for her age-appropriate mannerisms. Darn but they are gorgeous… and I’m in no real hurry for them to disappear! Here we go:
Of course my girly girl is constantly on a bout her “La, La, La – Wipstick!” and “Naiw powish”.
One phrase guaranteed to allow access to my mother’s compact and lipstick: “I do wuv you Nana!”
My Dad would always greet her with the (Jerry Lee Lewis?) “Hellllllooooo Baaaabyyy!” to which she would (without fail) reply: I not a baby! I’s a BIG GIRW!!! Accompanied by fierce look. Like this…
She is extremely protective of her big brother and will fly at anyone looking like they may hurt him with the cry: “That’s my brudda – don’t you hurt my brudda!!”
Or if someone says something she really doesn’t like: “Stop it! That is a ‘wear word!”
Then there is: “Mummy I DO wuv fwogs you know!”
A night-time regular is her request/demand for one of her most loved food offerings ever: vanilla icecream with chocolate topping. In TLW-speak: Chopping Icing.
But my current favourite is this one, when I have done something to please her: “Mummy, I’m berry proud at you!”
That’s just a sample of course… each day brings more of these little language pearls. Little tongues being totally adventurous, exploring and trusting…
What do/did your kids say when they were little? You? I’d love to hear and share the joy of those early experiments in English… or Aussie, or Kiwi, or American or French or whatever language you grew up with!
In imagination, inspiration and incredulity!
Irrevocably yours…
BB
14 Comments
jeanie
‘Salina always gets complimented on her range and grasp of vocab – I think there are (at least) three generations we can thank for it!
My favourite was always her asking if we could listen to the “jatz” station, because she loved “jatz”.
Pencil Writer
I, too, love the particular vocabulary of young children. Loved this post! And I, too, love to work with words. (Big surprise!) I may mangle them, according to my children, esp. my son–but then, he does, too! He’s been reading since age 4–picked it up from all the reading his older three sisters, Mom and Dad, did with him–plus playing word/reading games on the computer beginning at age 3. He’s read voraciously ever since. He has come with some really interesting ways to pronounce words he’s not heard in conversation. His sisters and I correct him (and each other) rather mercilessly, at times–on many points of word usage. We should be far more kindly but we’re flawed that way.
I’ll have to really put my thinker on today to see if I can remember my children’s cute misuse, or should I say, very personal useage of language?
I might do better to share some of the grandchildren’s special twist on language. AND, since I’ll be seeing them in a bit over two weeks (YEA!) I might report on that more later!
Thank you so much for sharing, BB. I always enjoy your thoughtful, and picturesque posts.
Oh, Jeanie–I’m with Salina. I love “jatz” too!
Lavinia Ladyslipper
Your kids are so cute!
And I love when kids mispronounce. My daughter used to call lipstick ‘lipscrip’ and it sounded so adorable….
I really enjoyed these arty photos, espeically the youngster on the dog….that is so sweet…
debby
Brianna used to get upset if she ‘forleft’ something (forgot and left something behind). She was also very fond of Bugs Wabbit.
Dylan: Ooh. Once he got mad, and he was just transfixed with rage, he stood there ranting, “You…you…you..DONKEY!”He just said it like it was the very worst insult he could think of. We howled. This made him very mad. He was probably 3 or 4.
Cara: Goodness. She was very verbal very young. My father in law walked past her playing with her doll house once. She knocked some things over as she moved the doll. He came downstairs laughing hysterically. She had tsk’ed and then said in a very practical voice, “oh that is SO annoying.” She was very young, perhaps two. She didn’t butcher the language until she got older, and tried to impress people. Then it got funny.
Tracey
Our eldest had a couple of classics when she was around two years old. She had these socks with rabbits on them (and which started out with little pom poms for tails). They were her ‘waddi’ socks. Something her daddy hadn’t picked up on… till the days I was in hospital with the arrival of #2. One tired toddler at home screaming for her ‘waddi’ socks. One tired and perplexed father ringing one hormonal (at day 3 or whatever) mother, and asking ‘WTF are waddi socks?!’
Not all tantrums of course. She used to call yoghurt ‘Doh-doh’.. with an excited tilting of the head from side to side. She liked ‘doh-doh’.
Those are the ones that stick in my memory – of course there were many others with the three of them which of course you forget! How lovely that you have your blog to record it all for posterity!
(9 year old still says ‘liberry’ for library – to the amusement of her older sisters!)
alysonhill
I always loved my sons (one learnt it off the other) saying “I can’t want to..” as in ‘Sweetie, come pick up your toys,’ being met with a sad shake of the head and ‘I can’t want to,’ Apparently it’s not funny when I say it to them when they ask me to drive them into town.
Bush Babe (of Granite Glen)
Fabulous selection of kid-speak, guys… I love the comments part of blogging!! I imagine my little ones will be equal parts horrified and fascinated by the way they once communicated, in about 20 years time… here’s hoping this lasts that long!!!!
Thanks for sharing your snippets – see how much we have in common!!!
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BB
PS And yes, dear sister, our love of language dates back more than two generations… boy those grandma’s could use words like whips!!!
Leslie
Oh that was gorgeous to read!
My oldest, Giancarlo, who is now 20, used to say bee bees for insects and lellow – for the colour yellow. 🙂
Me & Boo
How cute! Off the top of my head I can’t think of any of Boo’s funny words at the moment – I think I’ve just got so used to them. Though she always speaks in the 3rd person “Why is Boo doing this?” “What’s this gal (girl) doing?” Very occasionally she uses ‘I’ or ‘me’
She’s certainly not afraid to experiment with words. Her favourite this week is talking about her ‘shurious (luxurious) locks’. She can pronounce it if she tries but when you’re looking in the mirror concentrating on brushing your ‘shurious locks’ who’s bothered with pronounciation 🙂
mikey
My lil 4 yr old darling has a hard time with S’s and F’s. We think it’s so adorable that spiders are “fiders” but we do avoid her saying the word “stuck” in public.
jeanie
leslie reminded me – was it Tom or D who coined the “lellow chidoda”, making all toyotas “chidodas” for all time?
And baby brother with “sminking it up” when we helped mum cook? And “nummies” for vitamin C?
Bush Babe (of Granite Glen)
I am totally FRAMING these responses!!! What a ‘sminked up’ lot of wee ones we have… if you think of more, don’t ‘forleft’ to leave a note to record it here!!
Thanks and hugs
BB
steviewren
My daughter used to say hang coaters instead of coat hangers. I heard her say it on purpose recently. She is 27. She always mauled girl too by pronoucing it goil and world was woild.
rhubarbwhine
I’m here! What a fantastic post – and what a lovely compliment you have paid me. Thank you. I also loved reading other people’s kid speak – words are just wonderful, are they not! Thanks for bearing with me while I was offline, and sending me the link to this post.
Oh – and you are tagged – and awarded!