of a disagreeable sort has happened to
the child. The probability is obvious that we have here a case of
imitation of the "Thanks" (Danke) which he has not seldom heard. But the
modifications _taggn_, _attagn_, _attatn_, pass over into the word,
undoubtedly the original favorite, _tai_, _atai_.

Among all the indistinct and distinct sounds of the babbling monologues,
no inspiratory ones appeared at this time either; but such did make
their appearance now and then, in a passive manner, in swallowing and in
the coughing that followed.

I spent much time in trying to get the child to repeat vowels and
syllables pronounced to him, but always without special success. When I
said plainly to him "pa-pa-pa," he answered loudly _ta-tai_, or with
manifest effort and a vigorous straining, _t-tai_, _k-tai_, _at-tai_,
_hattai_, and the same when "ma-ma" was said for him by any one, no
matter whom. He also moved lips and tongue often, as if trying to get
the sound in various ways; as if the _will_ of the child, as he
attentively observed the mouth of the speaker, were present, but not the
ability to reproduce the sound-impression. Evidently he is taking pains
to repeat what he has heard; and he laughs at the unsuccessful effort,
if others laugh over it. The earliest success is with the repetition of
the vowels "a-u-o," but this is irregular and inaccurate.

In contrast with these halting performances stands the precise,
_parrot-like repetition_ of such syllables as the child had uttered of
his own accord, and which I had immediately after pronounced to him.
Thus _attai_, _tai_, _atta_, were often easily and correctly repeated,
but, strangely enough, frequently in a whisper. The _ae-[)e]_, _ae-oe_,
_ae-[)e]_, accompanied by oscillatory movements of the hand, when
imitated directly by me was also produced again; in like manner,
regularly, the _dakkn_, but this course did not succeed in the case of
other primitive syllables or words, even under the most favorable
circumstances: here it is to be borne in mind that the last-named
utterances were precisely the most frequent at this period. When he was
requested with emphasis to say _papa_, _mama_, _tata_, he would bring
out one of the tricks he had been taught in the previous month; among
others, that of moving the head to one side and the other as if in
negation; but this it could not be, for this significance of the gesture
was wholly unknown to him at that time. Rather had the child