3V1096.1

3V1096.01 Time sensitivity: When vs. Before (1/22/81) Miriam and I got back from Boston around 9 pm. We emptied the car, got off our coats, and all that. I talked with Peggy a while and she told me of her activities earlier in the day. I can’t recall the specific activity, but at one point …

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3V1091.1

3V1091.01 Breaking up an idiomatic expression: [By Beatrix Potter] (1/17/81) Peggy brought “Peter Rabbit” and “The Flopsy bunnies” to my lap. As I have read them to her in the past, I have moved my finger along the title. Earlier (1/26/80) Peggy recognized “by” in two books as being “the same.” Here when I finished …

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3V1069.3

3V1069.03 Her first orthographic word: “by” (very impt) (12/26/80) Especially as we read the titles of Peggy’s many books, Peggy imitates my pointing to words and saying words. After I read “The Tale of Peter Rabbit,” she pointed more or less randomly: “The” (for the tale of); “Tale” (for Peter); “of” (Rabbit) “Peter” (by) (Rabbit” …

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3V1069.2

3V1069.02 Counting and one-to-one correspondence (12/26/80) Having bought her two of Beatrix Potter’s books for Christmas, I have read them over and over to Peggy. At one point in the story of Peter Rabbit, old Mrs. Rabbit goes to the bakers and buys ‘five current buns.” I decided to see how Peggy would follow or …

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3V1067.1

3V1067.01 I wonder I’m hungry”: idioms and structure (12/24/80) In chanting recitations very like “I thought I saw a pussy cat,” Peggy has repeated the phrase above, most as noted but with a few variations, e.g., “I wonder I’m sleepy.” This utterance is noteworthy because it is one with the surface structure of a grammatical …

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3V1011.1

3V1011.01 Jumping Jacks and Counting (10/27/80) Peggy sometimes goes to gymnastics make up classes with Miriam. She has seen the girls do jumping jacks and counting them. Whenever she feels full of energy, Peggy is as likely to break into jumping jacks as any other activity. Usually Peggy counts, but with the numbers 16 and …

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3V1006.2

3V1006.02 One to one correspondence: words and things (very impt)(10/22/80) Gretchen was reading to Peggy from “The Big Book of Real Trains.” At the bottom of each page is a little picture reviewing each of the cars introduced in the previous pages, each having an engine at the head. As Gretchen read and turned the …

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3V1006.1

3V1006.01 “When Mimi was my age, Christina was my age too” (10/22/80) I judge this an amazing statement for a child of Peggy’s age. Christina is a coeval of Miriam’s who rides to and from gymnastics in a car pool. Christina is of significantly slighter frame than Miriam. It is possible that Peggy imagined Christina …

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3V1004.1

3V1004.01 Role Reversal: reading to others (10/20/80) Bringing some wood inside, I nearly tripped over Scurry at the porch door. Continuing on, I came close to Peggy also, who censured me “Don’t step on me, Daddy. Don’t step on Scurry. She’s a good kid, too.” Scurry is Peggy’s most accessible playmate (and the only controllable …

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3V0978.1

3V0978.01 BANG vs. RING: limits of word recognition (9/26/80) Peggy has been able to identify as “BANG” the word in “The Calculus Affair” when it appears in a yellow cloud of color. She did not (in P140 in 9/29/80) distinguish it from the word “CRACK” so displayed (although she may have done so earlier, (cf. …

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3V0977.1

3V0977.01 Reading words to Peggy: unintended instruction Peggy has been lately enjoying Richard Scary’s “Best Word Book Ever.” She brought it to me today and asked me to read her the words (in a general sense) “Read these words?” I read the title, etc. then began to read the labels accompanying objects on the cover. …

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3V0975.1

3V0975.01 Reading to herself (9/23/80) Peggy has been doing this for quite some time — usually when others are occupied otherwise. Today, in P139, I got her to read to me (which she would never do before). Her “reading” has seemed a reconstruction of recalled dialogue and text mixed with observations of the pictures (or …

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3V0956.1

3V0956.01 Meaning more than she can say (9/4/80) This note documents an incident more remarkable for what Peggy failed to say that for what she did say: While I was off in Boston, Miriam had been sitting in my arm chair (one from which I shoo the children whenever I want to sit there.) It …

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3V0949.1

3V0949.01 Roles involving three people: (correcting me about Gretchen) (8/28/80) I no longer recall the detail of this incident. What is important is development of the role-expansion theme from two to three characters. Note that Peggy only has trouble with the third person possessive pronouns (and adjective also). She has trouble — as will be …

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3V0940.1

3V0940.01 GSB : letters as symbols for people: “This say Mommy, Scurry, Daddy” ( 8/19/80) We have a key ring about the house from the Guilford Savings Bank. Peggy brought it to me today and explained to me, “This says Mommy, Scurry, Daddy.” She has been told that this first letter begins the name Gretchen, …

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3V0938.1

3V0938.01 My-best-friend: early phrases as unstructured idioms; early variations: (8/17/80) How many words is this utterance ? How fluid or viscous are the relations of parts and the whole ? Playing down at Jacob’s Beach, Peggy used this phrase to refer to ANY child she met there of her size. (She has originally used it …

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3V0933.3

3V0933.03 Nouns and adjectives: non-standard usage (8/12/80) Peggy has long resisted our attributing any character to her where of this form, “You’re a X.” (Or “Are you an X ?”) Bob: Are you a sweet Peggy ? Peggy: Yes. Bob: Are you a sweety ? Peggy: No ! I’m a Peggy ! It appears to …

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3V0933.2

3V0933.02 Fixity of Part Relations: idioms are central (8/12/80) As we set out the supper on the table, Peggy in her high chair already was delighted to see the food. “It’s macaroni and cheese,” she exclaimed, “Peg,” I said, “It’s cheese and macaroni.” “Not cheese and macaroni,” she argued adamantly, “It’s macaroni and cheese.” What …

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3V0933.1

3V0933.01 Describing actions: fluid script application (8/12/80) Over this past week, Peggy has often played with her Fischer-Price dolls. This has joined with her new interest in Legos so she has made (with Miriam’s help and mine) in making couches and houses for her dolls. Most striking about Peggy’s play with dolls is her language …

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3V0924.2

3V0924.02 Watching Videotapes: single letters as name symbols (8/3/80) Last night Gretchen and I reviewed four videotapes (weeks 26, 52, 78, and 104). Peggy was in and out during this two hours of viewing (she was alternately watching an hour long Disney show on the basement TV). One question of interest to me was what …

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3V0924.1

3V0924.01 Meta-linguistic reflection: “I sorry.” (8/3/80) We have an old clock whose face plate falls off with a distressing regularity. Peggy just bumped the clock, the face plate fell off, and she walked away. Sitting down in the middle of the floor, she called it to my attention. Peggy: I sorry break the clock. Bob: …

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3V0917.1

3V0917.01 Egocentricity and agent expression: very non-standard usage (7/27/80) At the beach: On their return, Peggy informed me of an event that was important to her(She has referred to it several times since, in nearly the same verbal formulation): “Go to the beach the beach and fall in the water, then somebody pick me up, …

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3V0910.2

3V0910.02 Possessive pronouns: non-standard forms [he lives in he’s house.] (7/20-24/80) Peggy was reading that Britanica book which begins with a picture of several animals and asks where they live. There are pictured on one page a horse, dog, spider, turtle, and others (?) and on the facing page a barn, pond, dog house, and …

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3V0852.1

3V0852.01 Verbal aspect: self correction I do -> I did (5/23/80) Peggy has been to the beach with Gretchen. Returning from Boston, I heard of Peggy falling down in the water and began to talk about it with her: Bob: You fell ? Peggy: I fall in water. Bob: You do ? Peggy: (correcting me!): …

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3V0851.2

3V0851.02 Lonely discovery: another micro-script {This little piggy…] (5/22/80) Upon awakening late this morning, I could hear Peggy through the partition separating our rooms, talking to herself. She said, “This little piggy…wee wee home.” We have recited this game for Peggy for some while (and Gretchen did so when Putting Peggy to bed last night). …

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3V0819.1

3V0819.01 Progressive Verbs (4/20/80) Peggy has used present participles as progressive verb forms in a descriptive mode (as on last page). In two incidents, the context makes clear her richer semantic framework served by those forms. Yesterday I sat on the front stoop. Peggy came up the path and before reaching the stairs said to …

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3V0813.1

3V0813.01 Why because! (4/14/80) Peggy has been driving us crazy with her “why?” queries (I am much more aware of this than I was with the two earlier children). Her use of the question is at least twofold (see also 4/12/80 entry), as conversation continuer and as argument. By continuer, I mean Peggy uses “why” …

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3V0804.1

3V0804.01 Directed speech (4/5/80) I consider the appearance of this phenomenon one of the most striking evidences of the elevation of control. Several days ago, Peggy approached me with her favorite toy, “Bear Hug.” She said to me, “Say ‘Hi bear’.” I did as she asked. This was repeated a few times, with Scurry as …

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3V0781.1

3V0781.01 “Peggy Lawler” – what symbols mean to her (3/13/80) Ever since Miriam’s gift of the Grover Book (wherein she wrote PEGGY LAWLER on the inside cover to show ownership), Peggy has interpreted any group of letters as meaning “Peggy Lawler.” She distinguishes (more or less) between four things: letters, seen as individuals; pictures in …

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3V0777.1

3V0777.01 Analogies — their incomprehension; deep role in cognition. (3/9/80) Peggy woke me at midnight, she had a stuffy nose and was crying for her Mommy. we played in the sitting room, she in my lap. Pointing to a foxy, she said ‘Get foxy.’ I replied ‘Too far away.’ She continued ‘Like a fader.’ Surprised, …

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3V0775.3

3V0775.03 Who’s that? — syngnostic use (3/7780) Peggy does not distinguish Who and What. consequently, when requesting the name of an object she asks, ‘Who’s that?’ Today she held up a toy, plastic doll and asked “Who’s that?” “You mean your dolly?’ I responded. She then became more specific, pointing with her finger on the …

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3V0775.2

3V0775.02 Repetition and further specification (3/7/80) Gretchen mentioned hearing Peggy do a most interesting thing : she first said, ‘ Lookit table.’ then immediately ‘repeated’ the phrase more precisely as ‘Look at the table.’ This is an example of the incremental standardization of speech production under her own direction (this may be well compared to …

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3V0769.1

3V0769.01 Miriam’s Pillow; idea: function words as pause fillers (3/1/80) Because in the worst periods of her allergies, Miriam slept better sitting up, we bought her a king sized pillow. It is longer than Peggy is tall and wider. Thus Peggy finds it perfect for falling on. Miriam tried to take it away while Peggy …

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3V0767.1

3V0767.01 Don’t rub your eyes”; imitation as analysis by synthesis (2/28/80) So, Gretchen reminded me. I sat in my chair with Peggy and one of her books on my lap. (My eyes get itchy from allergic reactions and I rub them excessively, almost without noticing). Peggy turned, looked at me (after I had stopped) and …

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3V0749.1

3V0749.01 Words and Numbers; primary roots of discrimination (2/10/80) Miriam and Peggy play with my yardstick a lot (a free one from a local hardware store, it has the measure and advertisements on it). Miriam marches around with it on her shoulder: “hup, two, three, four; hup…” Peggy marches too, “hup, two, three; hup, two, …

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