L. has taken his sweet time when it comes to talking. He didn’t say his first word (other than “Ma!”) until he was 21 months old. But now, at a little over 2 years, the words are coming in a torrent. Unfortunately, most of them are not helpful to me. Instead of learning words like, “Mother, would you be so kind as to prepare my breakfast?” he’s learning –
Well, I’ll let you figure it out. Here are some of his favorite words, repeated almost hourly, just for fun. I’ve spelled them phonetically and I’ll warn you that “L.-Speak” does not sound like normal person-speak. He’s got his own special flair. Which means we’re the only ones who understand him.
Bonus points to the first reader who figures out what they are. I’ll update this post at the end of the day with the answer.
HINT: They are all related.
“Ng”
“Shooooo”
“Kee”
“Bore”
“Biiiiiiiiie”
“xeh”
“lng”
“eeeeeeeee”
“pie”
“peh!”
(To my husband: You’re not allowed to guess, dear. Sorry, it would be unfair.)
UPDATE: Thank you all for being good sports and playing along with my little game. There were some very good guesses made, and my husband left a comment with a hint this evening. Those words up there? They are the numbers 1 through 10, in order. I wish he would say words like knee, hungry, leg, slide, etc. But apparently he is neglecting those helpful, practical words in favor of things that are more…conceptual. He’s obsessed with numbers and says them all day long. Even if no one has any idea what he’s talking about. 
Well, I’ll take a guess on the following:
Shooo – shoe
Kee – knee
Bore – sore
Biiiiiie – Bye
And that’s about it.
cjh
I’m not going to make any guesses, but I’ve said a couple of times in recent weeks that I’ve somehow become Wendy’s interpreter. Just about six weeks ago, she only had a vocabulary of ten words (and no “Mama”). Now she regularly says 60+ words, including “Mama,” and also repeats after us a lot.
Isn’t development amazing?
Oh gosh, it’s been so long since I had to translate.
Hmmmm–
I have NO idea. I’ve been sitting here saying all those words. If anyone were listening, they would think that I was trying out my Mandarin.
I’m probably waaaaay off base, but I’m gonna guess this is all conversation in the kitchen or at the table:
Ng – hungry
Shoooo – juice
Kee – cookie
Bore – more
Biiiiiie – mine (with the emphasis only a toddler can give!)
xeh – yuck! (while spitting out the offending vegetable!)
lng – L.
eeeeee – please (under much duress!)
pie – “all done, bye”
peh! – play!
He’s a cutie!!
My guess is body parts/ clothes:
“Ng”: neck
“Shooooo”: shoe
“Kee”: knee
“Biiiiiiiiie”: eye?
“lng”: leg
“pie”: eye?
“peh!”: head?
There seems to be any NUMBER of things that he could be saying.
I’m thinking playground?
“Ng” swing
“Shoooo” shoes
“Kee” keys
“Bore” more
“Biiiiiie” Bye
“xeh” next
“lng” alone
“eeeeeeee” me
“pie” slide
“peh!” Please
This is one of those puzzles if you could push a hint button and could get one or two, you might have a chance at the rest!
Ng- Eggnog, the greatest drink ever, according to my husband,
Shoooo – Sure, I’ll watch So you Think You Can Dance With You, mama.
Bore – A crushing putdown to people who just ramble on.
Biiiiiie – Brie cheese, my favorite (and L.’s!)
xeh – A Mexican telenova hostess.
peh! – what people in my town say when they spit.
Numbers!? That is awesome, I thought about it on and off yesterday and had absolutely NO clue – You should try to record him saying them.
that is too funny! Our youngest (of 4) isn’t saying much these days at all and he’s 19 months now, so thanks for the quick “there’s hope yet”.
He only says a form of “go” and “uh-oh”. very helpful those two words are. very helpful.
Jolanthe
That’s perfect! There’s something to be said for a child who does things at his own speed…
cjh