Wednesday, June 07, 2006

Speech Development

Zara's speech development is just so amazing. There are things we didn't consciously teach her, but she just picks up along the way. She also pronounces most words very accurately, just like an adult. At times, she surprised us with how her little mind words, stringing those words together. Here are some of what she's able to say. In the mornings, when Zara wakes up and hears the sound of shower in the bathroom, she'll point to the bathroom. "Daddy taking shower in the toilet." Points to me, "Mummy lye down on the bed". Points to herself, "Zara sit down on Zara's bed (her cot)." Daddy wanted to shower Zara, and told her, "Come Zara, Daddy bath you." Zara exclaimed, "Oh Ma (my) God!" then, she continued to say, "Don't want Daddy do. Want mummy do." and she ran towards me. (don't know if she knows what Oh My God means, but she uses it so appropriately) I took a tub of yogurt to the car thinking of having it in the office. In the car, Zara spotted it and said, "Yogurt! Yogurt!" wanting some. Tuyam took her Petite Miam (yogurt for kids) out, and asked her, "You want mummy's one or this one?" Zara said, "Zara wants this one (pointed to her Petite Miam). Mummy's one not so nice. Zara's one nicer." (I was surprised she knows how to use the word 'nicer'.) We were in the car and Zara suddenly just said, "So hot outside. Wind blowing blowing. So nice." (She saw some branches swaying in the wind under the hot sun.) I was surprised at her remark, but I responded, "yeah, nice right, the wind blowing?" Zara continued to say, "Nice. Wind blowing Zara's face. Wind blowing Zara's hair. In kakak's room." She was referring to the fan in Tuyam's room. She recently is also able to differentiate: market for wet market (where we "buy fish, buy vege, buy manana/banana, buy papaya"); supermarket for grocery shopping (where we "buy vitagen, buy cheese, buy bread, buy pear"); and restaurant (where we "eat dinner"). She pronounces market, supermarket and restaurant perfectly. Here are few of her common vocabulary blips. She sometimes call a porcupine pineapple, a guinea pig guinea pork, sun as sunflower (she knows what a sunflower is before she knows what sun is). And of course she can't differentiate Me and You, she's always asking people to "Carry you" when she meant "Carry me".

27 comments:

Robin CHAN said...

You should try to record all these cute words.. and play it back 10 years later..

Anonymous said...

I remember commenting how quickly Zara had learned to speak, and barely 2 years old! my cousin's son, already 2 and a little more, still has problem with speech (not whole words, more noise than actually saying something). hmmmm... any way to help his speech development faster?

Anonymous said...

She's really doing very well language wise and can express herself rather well at her age. Anyway, it's quite normal that they can't differentiate me and you. My son till recently, still refers to me as you.

domestic rat said...

That's remarkable, to pronunce words of three/four syllables so clearly! Even porcupine is quite a difficult word. To me, it doesn't matter she mixed it up with pineapple cos both are big words, I would be glad she knows them.

Is this why many ppl say breast milk is better for kids?

King's wife said...

Really ah? I should test her on Monday.
But then again, maybe her words are clearest only to mummy....

L B said...

I'm blown away too! OMG!! I mean, well, I really have no idea when a kiddie is supposed to be able to speak coherently, but I guess Zara's tops em all! Must be the breast!

Vien said...

Her speech is almost impeccable for her age. I can tell you're very proud of her, as I would be too. :)

Anonymous said...

She is way better than Chloe.. in terms of that.. :) but it's alright that chloe still speaks gibberish.. hehhee!! in her own time i guess.. :)
Guess we donch speak as much to chloe as we think we do.. eh..??

Mumsgather said...

Her language skills is amazing! My boy who's older than her is still making two word "sentences". But its always a joy to listen to him.

ZMM said...

Robin,
She speaks long sentences when she's in the mood.. It's hard to get a recorder ready all the time. But I did a few recordings of her talking late at night alone with me on the bed. :)

May,
Kids develop differently. I heard girls may speak faster than boys. Also most of the time, when the kid catches up, they'll be really 'catching' up. It's just when it happens. For Zara, it just happens that she started faster.

Sesame,
Yeah, I heard it's very difficult for a kid to understand the difference between Me & You. It's cute to see her refer to herself as YOU though. :P

Domestic Rat,
It doesn't worry me she makes some of the blips. I find it quite cute though. How her mind works. A porcupine is prickly that's probably why she mixed it up with pineapple; but why a guineapig a guineapork I really have no idea. But I have a good laugh everytime she does that.

King's Wife,
Yeah yeah.. Test her.
I think most of the time, only the one who spends a lot of time with her like myself and Tuyam will catch what she's saying.

LB,
Kids development differently, so the progress is different for different kids.
I guess breast milk does help, after all, it's what the milk powder company trying to create their milk based on. :)

Simple American,
I was planning to send her to nursery maybe next year.
Yes, I'm aware that kids develop differently, and boys normally are a bit slower than girls in the beginning. So I have to be concious never to compare.

Vien,
I'm proud of her of course. But sometimes it worries me a bit to see her grow up so fast.
You know, you always want them to be you little baby all the time?

Mamabok,
Yes, in her on time, she'll catch up, and may amaze you with things you never knew she's capable of saying.
Kids never seize to amaze us.

Mumsgather,
Yes, it's a joy to see them talk. May it be single word or full sentence. They never seize to amaze and amuse us. :)

seefei said...

can register her in the Malaysian Book of Record! it must be the susu!!

blurblur said...

Again, i'm impressed by Zara! *salute*

I like the 'Oh Ma God', she's so expressive at such a young age! And the 'carry you'...haha, Damien used to said that too! ;)

Egghead said...

put zara and LS in a room and you will get a noisy crowd already... LOL!

IMMomsDaughter said...

Wow, I thought my girl's speech was developing waaaayyy faster than my boy but your Zara is no matchlah. My girl only started speaking in sentences at 20 mths but should not compare too much hor? I am still unconsicously speaking to her in baby language & got scolded by hubby :(

Jess said...

Get Zara to talk more to the little baby inside your tummy, then the baby will speak fast too! Just like Lyon now...and most of the time when Lyon cry (newborn), we ask Wien come and soothe her, amazingly, she stop crying once she heard her jie jie talking to her!

Sabrina said...

She's developing fast for her age and I do believe it's becoz' of the bm. Keith is doing pretty good with his speech too and my SILs are really impress with him. I've nvr regretted BF him.

Lin Peh said...

Lin Peh onli started learn speaking at age of 12 la ! Anyway, when register in the Maraysia book of record, who get the "credit" huh ? Zara or the Mama ? Just like in horse racing....Lin Peh never understand whether the award goes to the Horse or the Jockey ;-) LOL!

Lin Peh said...

Wah Zara really klever ! Can speak indon slang sampai itu Tuyam can understand ! Maybe can go for itu Indon book or record also ! ;-)

chanelwong said...

Zara's speech development is extremely good. My son cannot speak as well as her eventhough he is older than Zara

Pearl Wong-Tey said...

just would like to enquire, where do u get the petite miam from? i can't seem to find it here in JB

geeth said...

She's doing very well. Good that she enjoys talking and learning. Keep it up, mummy! :)

Contented Mum said...

Is indeed amazing to see how little one is growing and picking up words. Zara's is doing very well in her speech development huh, is a joy talking to her isn't it. I enjoy talking to Qi Ning, her speech development is also quite good.

Anonymous said...

Egghead, put Zara and LS together it will be chicken & duck talk wor. One speak in Mandarin and the other in English..:P But I think both can learn from each other.

jazzmint said...

not only u are impressed...me too...how u teach her ah?? give some tips

Sue said...

LOL! Guinea pork is so cute :P

Ivan pronounces Ribena AND banana the same way.... "Manana"..

ZMM said...

See Fei,
No la, there are other kids who can speak as well too.

Blurblur,
My hubby is always eager to correct her when she says Carry You. I told him it’s ok, let her just say want she knows.. It’s no point correcting her and make her confused. So sometimes, she says Carry Zara instead. Thanks to hubby.

Egghead,
Yeah yeah.. but Zara is so shy with boys.. *ahem*

Immomsdaugther,
All kids developed differently, so I guess it’s ok.
We try to avoid speaking to Zara in baby language though, consciously.

Jesslyn,
I have to try that later. Right now Zara just kisses the stomach and when we ask her to talk to the baby, she looks at us in a strange way as though we’re stupid. :O

Sabrina,
Breast milk helps a lot I guess. And it’s a good time to talk to them to when we breast feed them, that’s why the hear more and learn faster I believe.

Lin peh,
You started speaking foul language ma at the age of 12. But at month 12 sure can talk a few words already (especially now you so clever to talk).
I don’t know award goes to who wor.
There are so many kids who are faster than her la even in blogsphere, she won’t get the award.
Tuyam jaga her ma.. sure will understand her.

Chanelwong,
Boys speech development tends to be slower, but physically they develop faster. Zara still can’t climb the stairs on her own yet, although most kids her age can already do that.

Pearlivanoyster,
JB.. try Cold Storage or Tesco. These are the 2 places which I can get Petite Miam from in the Klang Valley (and some other better supermarkets).

Geetha,
Yes.. very chatty in deed.

Contented mum,
Yes, I can see from your blog. Qi Ning is also doing very well. Breast Milk huh?

Michelle,
Zara will love LLS ler. She likes to watch the Chinese 4 princesses singing. And she’s always asking for “Chinese jiejie song”. So maybe she’ll adore LLS.

Jasmine,
I don’t consciously teach her ler. Really. But we talk to her a lot, and points to her things and named them for her.

Sue,
Yeah, I don’t know where the connection is.
Zara calls Ribena Bina.. Some how, baby words are pretty universal huh? They pronounce certain things similarly, like I found that most kids when they start talking they can’t say the “K” sound.. So cat becomes Tat, Korkor becomes Tor tor. :P

1+2mom said...

Zara can speak in a sentence so fast ler. My gals just start not early can speak in a sentence.