3V0517.01 Feeding the dog [Scurry…he eaten’] spontaneous production (6/23/79)
Food is one thing Scurry and Peggy have in common. Scurry follows Peg
about picking up crumbs, claiming whatever falls and is neglected, and
even receiving an occasional handout. Peggy, however, takes food from
Scurry as well as gives it to her. Thus, it is no surprise to find Peggy,
from her high chair, dropping food on the floor, then peering over the
edge to watch Scurry eat. What was surprising was Peggy’s comment to
me when I asked, “Peggy, what are you doing?” Her reply was
[Scurry…he eaten’]. This last was /i en/ (the /t/ was omitted, but the
pronoun was definitely there following a pause).
Relevance — This is a spontaneous example of Peggy’s speech
production. It is already a definitely meaningful comment about an
activity in [which] Peggy was engaged and thus contrasts directly with
the uncommunicative tirade of speech production.