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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3V0981.2

3V0981.02 Talking about places: complexity of Peggy’s interpretive situation (9/29/80) Miriam recorded this dialogue about Peggy’s new toy Bunny: Peggy: I got my Bunny at the book store. Miriam: No. You got it at the Hole in the Wall. Peggy: Where the book shop ? Miriam: Near the Hole in the Wall. Peggy: I thought …

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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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3V0965.1

3V0965.01 BANG and RING: extending word knowledge (9/13/80) Peggy can recognize these two words as distinct. She clambered onto my bed this evening, asking me to read her a Tintin story. We came, inter alia, across several “bangs” to which Peggy remarked, “That say, ‘BANG’.” As we read on, we came to a picture of …

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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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3V0944.1

3V0944.01 Blue Moon: Color names: for Peggy “blue” means white, color of eye- ball (8/23/80) A month ago I put the MG on insurance and began driving down town in it. Feeling I spend too little time with Peggy, I’ve been going out of my way to do so. A favorite after supper activity has …

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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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3V0935.5

3V0935.05 Knock-knock: “timber” precedes “timber who?” When she finished supper early, Peggy gets down from her high chair but often hangs around the table. This evening she crawled under and played by herself. Miriam asked, “Knock knock.: and Gretchen and Robby together answered “Who’s there?” Miriam answered “Tim.” A small but positive voice from under …

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3V0935.1

3V0935.01 Reading About Letters (8/14/80) In Richard Scary’s “Great Big School House,” an extended section is developed around the alphabet. Peggy was reading this section quietly to herself today when Robby’s friend Billy came for a visit. He joined Peggy on the floor for a while, asked if she knew her letters or numbers. Peggy …

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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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3V0932.1

3V0932.01 Reading aloud to herself: characterization; French also (8/11/80) Peggy has often read aloud to herself, does not feel self-conscious about doing so (But is reluctant to read to ME as witness on P134). Her reading procedure seems to call upon two sources of information. The main (at least dominant) one is the picture accompanying …

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3V0931.1

3V0931.01 Generalization; logical thinking accidentally wrong: pennies and quarters. (8/10/80) Peggy came running around the table. “Somebody left these pennies and quarters on the table,” she exclaimed as she handed them to me. There were two pennies and, folded up, two dollar bills. So Peggy knows two coin names and knows that both coins and …

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3V0929.1

3V0929.01 Language Rules used to construct new forms (8/8+/80) Peggy is clearly constructing verbal forms by rules. Two sorts are now witnessed: verb tense (past – even if her use be aspectual) and pluralization rules. Spontaneously, she produced BREAKED (8/8). BOOKSES (8/9), GORILLASES (8/13), and DUCKSES (8/13).

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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3V0918.2

3V0918.02 Self-classification: “I daughter.” (7/28/80) Peggy confided to me thus that she was a daughter, sitting in my lap. Over the next few days, she refined that self classification. Mimi is the big daughter. Peggy is my little daughter.

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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