James' Adjustment - Speaking

So James isn't fully speaking English yet, but he is sure learning quickly!

Like most 2-year-olds, James is repeating almost everything we say - or at least trying to. If it's more than 2-3 words or syllables, it gets all garbled up, which is really cute. Like tonight, when we asked the blessing before supper, James repeated after Jock. The "Dear God" and "Amen" sounded pretty close. But the "Thank you for this food" sounded something like "ah doo pa ja ma". We all got a good laugh about that - including James. (I've forgotten how cute it is when a little kid laughs hysterically when everyone else laughs, even if they have no idea what's being laughed about or if they're the subject being laughed at!)

I'm trying my best to talk through everything I'm doing - from getting him dressed and talking about each piece of clothing and body parts, to getting out food and telling him, "Here's your cup", to counting steps, naming/counting/colors of toys, walking/running/jumping, etc. He already knows where his nose and ears are. He's very fond of his shirts, socks and shoes, and expecially hats, although he doesn't usually name his hat - he just pats his head and mumbles something if he can't find a hat.

I would say gestures are a big part of him learning words so quickly. When I ask him to go get something or put something somewhere, I say it and then point to it and point to the location. He's already understanding without gestures when I ask him to find/get his cup or throw something in the trash. He knows quite well when I ask him if he's stinky or needs a diaper. ;) He understands, sadly, when we tell him it's time for bed.

Another thing I've been trying to do with James is to read books every day. He has a very short attention span yet, so it hasn't been the best thing for language learning - yet. We'll keep trying. We've watched a couple PBS television shows, and he will sit and watch shows that speak slowly and excitedly, leaving blank spots for a child to repeat after the characters. Especially Word World he'll watch for quite a while. He will even sometimes repeate the words they're saying. He also enjoys catchy music on some shows.

Jock and I both know a few phrases in Haitian Creole. When we say them, we try to repeat them in English as well, so he is learning those phrases. Some very common ones we use are:
mwen renmen ou -- I love you
ann ale -- let's go
tan souple -- wait please
pa frape -- don't hit
pataje souple -- share please
pa touche -- don't touch
ou bien -- you're ok, or if in form of question: are you ok?
ann manje -- let's eat
li cho -- it's hot
moulen ak vale -- chew and swallow
ou pa grangou? -- are you hungry?
ou pa swaf? -- are you thirsty?
ou blese? -- are you hurt?
ou pa fatige? -- are you tired?
tan pou domi -- time to sleep

He speaks fairly clearly when he says just a word or two. When he says more than that, we can't always tell what he's staying even if he's just repeating after us. When he's having fun and playing around excitedly, he goes into high-volume excited mode. It reminds me a lot of the little ones playing at the orphanage, when they're in the big nursery, all running and playing together. I wonder what he's saying, and if he's saying something that we don't know the language or if it's just 2-year-old jarbled talking. Either way, it's hilarios to watch and listen to the kids playing together.

I've tried to get a few videos of him playing and talking/yelling, but it's really hard because he always wants to see the camera when I get it out. I'll start recording, then he'll see me recording, stop talking and come over to see the camera, so I only get short snippets. I also haven't had time to download and review my videos either, so I'll have to go back and see what I have. If I find a few good ones I'll post them later. I can think of a few good ones I have that just have to be located.