"whip, stick, match, pen." Objects of this sort are
surely distinguished by the child, for, upon receiving orders, he gets,
picks up, brings, lays down, gives these things each by itself.
This understanding of spoken words is the more surprising, as his
repetition of them continues still to be of a very rudimentary
character. With the exception of some interjections, especially
_j[=a][)e]_ as a joyous sound and of crowing sounds, also screaming
sounds, which, however, have become more rare, the child has but few
expressions of his own with a recognizable meaning; _ndae_, _ndae_, _da_
is demonstrative "da" ("there") at new impressions.
_Att_, _att_, _att_, is unintelligible, perhaps indicative of movement.
_Attah_ means "we are off" (upon setting out) and "I want to go" ("ich
will fort"); _tatass_, _tatass_ is unintelligible, possibly a
sound-imitation.
When traveling by rail the child tried several times to imitate the
hissing of the steam of the locomotive.
In the twenty-second month again there are several observations to
record, which show the progress in understanding, the strengthening of
the memory, and the greater facility in articulation. The child executes
the orders given him with surprising accuracy, although the words spoken
have not previously been impressed on him separately. Here, indeed, it
is essential to consider the looks and gestures of those who give the
orders; but the child also does what I request of him without looking
at me. Instances of confusion among the words known to him are also
perceptibly more rare. Once I asked him very distinctly, "Where's the
moon?" (Mond), and for answer the child pointed to his mouth (Mund). But
the error was not repeated.
The strength of the word-memory appears particularly in this, that all
the objects learned are more quickly pointed out on request than they
were previously, and the facility of articulation is perceived in the
multiplying of consonants in the monologues and in the frequent
spontaneous utterance of _pss_, _ps_, _ptsch_ (once), and _pth_ (Engl.).
The child says, without any occasion, _pa-ptl-dae_, _pt_, and gives a
loud greeting from a distance with _h[=aa]-oe_, with _ada_, and _ana_.
It seemed to me remarkable that the boy began several times without the
least incitement to _sing_ tolerably well. When I expressed my approval
of it, he sprang about, overjoyed. At one time he sang, holding his
finger on his tongue, first _rollo_, _ro
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