3V0563.01 Scissors : 08/08/79;
Prospecting for playthings one place or another, Peggy came up with a
pair of children’s safety scissors. Even though they have rounded ends,
I feared Peggy could hurt herself by pinching her fingers and bade her
put them on my writing table. After putting them down, Peggy pointed
at them decisively and said, “That.” Turning to me, she repeated,
“That.” I responded, “Scissors. Those are scissors.” Peggy tried a
pronunciation which might have been /***/ (I distrust the memory as
too pat). I corrected pronunciation. “Yes, those are scissors.”
Peggy turned away and began playing with the sleeves and hems of
clothes hung in the closet behind my writing table. While doing so,
speaking entirely to herself and not attending to the writing table or its
contents, Peggy said [scissors].
Relevance: What we witness here is an infant either rehearsing or
practicing a new word. Did she recall it later? Of course. Gretchen
reports Peggy entered the girls’ room and seeing the same safety
scissors on Miriam’s bed, said, “Scissors.” Did she apply the name to
others? Indeed she did, naming as ‘scissors’ the crude kitchen shears
with which I cut a piece of twine.