Vignette identifier
3V1141.01 French: [I can speak French – “Cat twank” ] (3/8/81) I asked Miriam how her French is coming. She replied, ‘Comment allez-vous ?’ ‘Tres bien, merci, et vous ?’ I answered. Miriam could not continue. We mentioned ‘French’ several times during the conversation. Peggy, who had been sitting there piped up, ‘I can speak …
3V1140.01 Letter names as entities separated from signifiers of people (3/7/81) Peggy brought me the ‘F’ from her set of letters. She asked if it were the letter ‘A’. When I said ‘No,’ she next guessed the letter name ‘E’ (She knows this, of course, is the ‘father letter.’) I told her it was the …
3V1139.01 Advance in articulation: [Which hands is it now ?] (3/6/81) Peggy came running up to me and asked me ‘Which hand is it in now ?’ She continued immediately, ‘This one ?’ (Pointing to her right hand with her left). This question and gestures is a significant advance over that of 3/3/81 because she …
3V113601 Imperfectly articulated script: [Which hand ? This one ?] (3/3/81) ‘Which hand ?’ This question is one Peggy meets when she asks Robby or Miriam for something she knows they have (usually candy). Today, she came running up to my chair at the table and asked, ‘Which hand is the Rubic’s cube in ? …
3V113502 Daddy dum dum (3/2/81) Peggy frequently sings “the Fox” while we are driving down Goose Lane to Gymnastics. (Come to think of it, that is the only time she has been singing that song of late.) This time, she finished and continued vaguely da-de-da-de-de-da… until apparently accidentally she sang da-de-dum-dum… After a brief intake …
3V113501 The Animal Game (3/2/81) Peggy has extended her animal game to others… Miriam specifically. I have heard Peggy asking her to play as they sat on the floor near the stove and then the perennial question, ‘What do you want to do now ?’
3V113301 A Gymnastic Show (2/28(81) Miriam went on-stage with the other tumbling kids of the Dutch Gymnastics School. The show began with ‘The Little Rascals’ — the youngest class — marching around and exercising in time (more or less) to directive songs. Peggy found that worth watching, but when they finished she said, ‘I think …
3V112401 Singing: quiet activities of self-construction (2/19)81) Peggy’s repertoire of songs is sometimes surprising. On her recent trip to Boston with Robby, I found she knew a bit of ‘The cat came back’ (A song I know not but Robby does know, perhaps from a Disney program). This afternoon, Peggy sat singing quietly to herself …
3V112201 Same vs. Different: different animals, same activities (2/17/81) Peggy sat in my lap, playing her animal game (see examples in videotape, e.g. P162). I tired of it and she volunteered, ‘I know…let’s play a different game.’ I agreed enthusiastically, so she got from her toy box two different animals, sat in my lap and …
3V112002 Squirting (skunks; rabbits squirt with their ears.) (2/15/81) Peggy has a skunk… it attacks other animals by SQUIRTING them with its tail. (Does this show the influences of Robby, Miriam ?) Squirting is NOT limited to the skunk. Most other animals also squirt from tails. An exception is the rabbit. It has a button …
3V1120.01 Peggy’s invented games: extensive notes on animal play (2/15/81) For the past week or more, Peggy and I have played together in a way that appears very important to her. that is, she is really hurt if I am unwilling to play. Last night she was unwilling to stop — without tears — only …
3V111501 Metalinguisticc questions: “How do you spell —– ?” (2/10/81) I was doing some work in the kitchen when Peggy came up and asked right out of the blue, ‘How do you spell cup ?’ then she went through a whole string of words one after another, and ‘How do you spell eyes ?’ ‘How …
3V1109.02 Trip to Logo: typical stories (2/14-15/81) Peggy, Robby and I went to MIT after story hour. Danny Moore came to the lab late in the afternoon and I tended Peggy while Robby played with him. What I recall of this time is that Peggy and I went to DSRE for my Spencer Foundation letter, …
3V1109.01 Peer avoidance at story hour (2/4/81) The story hour began later than Crafts. I took Peggy to the first session, since we were departing from there directly to Boston. We arrived late and Peggy was unwilling to join the other children. So I sat on the floor near them while Debbie Rutter told stories, …
3V1105.04 Generalized arguments to avoid rejection: [some little kids like candy.] (late January 1981) For some months now, Peggy has shown a semantically unusual usage. She typically uses “somebody”, “some kids”, “some people” as ways of indirectly expressing her feelings — especially in situations where she may be unsure that a request for something will …
3V1105.03 Meta-cognitive observations: [I think my jokes are funny.] (late January) We were driving east on route 1, near Moose Hill Manor. Seeing the ponies of the Diamond M Ranch, Peggy remarked, ‘I want to ride one of those every day.’ I turned to her with shocked surprise, ‘Every day?’ Peggy smiled, ‘I think my …
3V1105.02 What we observe is not what she intends [Woodstock is patting his tail with the monsters.] (1/31/81) ‘Patting’ is an activity that Peggy knows a lot about. Scurry is her close friend and she pats Scurry every day. She is, in fact, merciless in expressing her affection for the dog who gets no peace …
3V1105.01 [I think the Rubic’s cube is Mimi’s, but I’m not sure.] (1/31/81) no text beyond title.
3V1104.02 Solla Sollew: just how long is the title ? (1/30(81) Peggy came to me and asked, ‘Will you read this book (in her hand) about Solla Sollew…(pause) on the banks of the beautiful river Wahoo… where they never have troubles…or at least very few. (Bob suggests she may think this entire spiel is the …
3V1104.01 “Gepeters” [computers]: incremental lexicon standardization (1/30/81) Peggy wants to go to Logo (whatever that means to her) and also asked if she ‘could play with the gepeters at Logo.’ Later, her use slipped into the standard form by first appearing a ‘geputers’ then as ‘computers.’
3V1103.01 Peer interactions (1/29/81) When Peggy was too late to b e enrolled in the North Guilford Nursery School, Gretchen enrolled her in two pre-school library activities. I took Peggy down to the second crafts session, and Miriam asked if she could come. Peggy had a good time at the library but with respect to …
3V1102.01 Playing with toys: using animals as manipulatable actors (1/28(81) Recently Peggy has frequently climbed on my lap after dinner, bringing a small collection of animal toys with her. Frequently the horses (Calico and Blue Mane) and Gretchen’s old rabbit and mouse are the main actors. Peggy takes one animal and gives me another, e.g., …
3V1100.01 What words mean: example: graphics mean the name of the thing (1/26/81) After concluding an experiment (P157 I believe), Peggy touched the camera now back in its case. Pointing to the words on the camera she said, ‘I know what this says.’ ‘What,’ I asked. ‘Camera,’ she replied. This is a second example (see …
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 …
3V1093.02 Analogy question: [do you ever peel oranges like apples ?] (1/20/81) Peggy spontaneously asked me “Do you ever peel oranges with a peeler, like apples?” When I understood, I replied, “No.” She continued, “You cut them open with knifses?”
3V1093.01 Games: (with doll) this little pig went to market (1/19/81) Peggy was holding a doll (the bath one) and I became aware that she was feeling the toes, in order, and playing “This little pig went to market.” Gretchen
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 …
3V1089.03 A trick on Robby (1/15/81) Peggy was sitting in the big chair with Bob when Robby walked in and sat down on the other chair. Peggy suddenly said to him (for no known reason) “I throwed up on the furniture.” Robby looked startled and prepared to leap up, before he realized it was a …
3V1089.02 Thursday question about experiment on Sunday (1/15/81) When we do the experiment [Sunday] will we play with blocks?” Gretchen
3V1089.01 Explanation by wrong causal inference. [Cold hands. Because the wood is cold.] (1/15/81) Peggy sat before the stove while I loaded some logs in. My hands were cold (perhaps I had recently been outside). The logs were from the living room, and warm. What is striking here is Peggy’s assumption that a causal inference …
3V108702 Can I read that after you ?” (1/13/81) Miriam was reading a Lucky Luke that Peggy wanted. Peggy asked, “Can I read that after you?” Apropos of something, Peggy remarked, “Robby’s going to come home and be mad. He will take it away and put it back.” Gretchen
3V1087.01 Trip to North Guilford Nursery School (1/13/81) Peggy, Miriam and I drove up to the North Guilford Nursery School to register Peggy for the fall. They have no space for her now. We stood in the hall a few moments waiting for Libby Hollingsworth. Peggy decided to take off her coat and boots. We …
3V1085.02 Context and two more sentences: [(Negotiating for a cookie. Hiccup). Can I have some ? Hiccups make me hungry.] (1/11/81) Peggy, wanting chocolate chips, asked Robby for some. He refused. She hiccuped then and asked again, “Can I have some ? Hiccups make me hungry.” What does one make of this ? Cause ? …
3V1084.01 Counting Irregularities (1/10/81) Peggy “counts,” ie. recites the number names in a quasi-standard fashion. (omitting “seven” more often than including it.) Although she has put objects in one to one correspondence, she has not done so successfully in the standard sense. She counted on her fingers today showing no non-standard variations. First she counted …
3V1077.01 Two Related Sentences (1/3/81) Peggy has proved her good control of her toilet use. She has been happy to empty her potty into the toilet. When she defecates, she is able and happy to wipe herself but she does NOT like to empty the shit into the toilet. Today she said, “I don’t want …
3V1076.02 Counting Popsicle Sticks: pauses/errors in sequences (1/2/81) Peggy had some in one hand and started transferring them to the other and counted them: “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 (dropped some).” Picking up the sticks, Peg counted again, “1, 2, 3, , 5, 6, 8…” and then recounted again and again.
3V1076.01 Puzzles at the Library (1/2/81) Peggy joined me at the library. After my books were found, we waited for Gretchen in the Children’s section. I read, keeping my eye on Peggy. She climbed up on the large, raised pedestal and walked around the Christmas tree. She came to some puzzles especially made for children …
3V1074.01 Counting: for hide and seek (12/31/80) Peggy was playing hide and seek with Robby. He was “it” and after finding her [she didn’t really hide, but stood in another room ready to laugh when he appeared] told her to go into the end of the kitchen (by the basement) and hide her face while …
3V1073.01 Preposition discrimination: “OUT” and “OF” (12/30/80) Peggy came to Boston with Miriam and me. Overnight, she slept on a sleeping bag, surrounded by her crib bumper — and with her own pillow and afghans for covers. Awakening as Miriam did, she stood up and said “I have to get OUT of my bed. Mimi …
3V1072.01 Trying to wake up Robby. (12/29/80) Everyone got up early to get Bob, Peggy, and Miriam off to Boston. Robby was still in bed, so Peg went in and called to him “Wake up Robby. time to get up.” Then she came out to the sitting room and said to me, “I woke him …
3V1071.07 Confronting the illogical: “I’m not here.” (12/28/80) This evening, I retreated upstairs to write while Gretchen read a large collection of library books to Peggy. Later, Peggy called to me “Dad…Are you up there ?” I replied “No. I’m not here.” I heard Peggy go into the living room to look for me there …
3V1071.06 Reading words (a few days ago): instruction in 1-1 correspondence (12/28/80) A few days ago, Peggy wanted me to read “Babar Saves the Day.” We sat down and looked at the cover. Peggy sort of waved her hand around and said, “Babar Saves the Day.” I repeated the title to each word as I …
3V1071.05 Holophrastic verbs; also pretending to sleep (12/28/80) (See also under 12/1, 11/20; 11/22; and 12/9; 12/6) Down watching TV on 12/23, Peggy on Bob’s lap. “Snuggle.” Other times, lying down and closing her eyes, “Sleep.” Gretchen
3V1071.04 Diminutives: bookie, cribbie, handie (12/28/80) Bookie (above) Cribie (“I don’t want to go into my cribie.”) Handie Lately, Peggy has been using a diminutive in what seems like every sentence. Gretchen
3V1071.03 Sentences in juxtapositions with implications: [I won’t be hungry any more. The raisens box.] (12/28/80) As I closed the book, Peggy pointed to a white label on the cover. “On the bookie, Mommy.” [I asked,] “Did you put that on there?” [she replied,] “I licked it and I stuck it on it.” As I …
3V1071.02 Self-reference: [I’m feeding me. I won’t be any hungry more.] (12/28/80) Peggy picked up a box of raisins and remarked. “I’m feeding me. II won’t be hungry more.” Gretchen
3V1071.01 Correcting me: example of reasonably mature speech (12/28/80) Peggy sits in the foyer by the stove, talking, reading to herself. When a pause came on her speech, I asked, “Where’s my toddler ?” She corrected me, “I didn’t say toddler,” I said “What’s going on there?” I consider this an example of reasonably mature …
3V1070.01 Counting: scrambled eggs super ? (12/27/80) Reading “Scrambled Eggs Super (Dr. Seuss) one page has a line of birds winding back into the distance over a mountain. Peggy spontaneously started counting, at the beginning of the line, ” 1…2…3…4…5…6…[here the line turned and became less detailed]… many birds.” Gretchen
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” …
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 …