Diction-Ari

Time is just going way to fast with our little guy lately. He is learning and growing so much every day I just wish everything would slow down a little. He is already 16 months old today! In the spirit of being mindful and absorbing the adorable-ness of this time while it lasts, I’ve created a glossary of Ari’s language at this point in time. It’s taken me a few days to compile because every time I thought I captured everything he’d go and remind me of a word I had forgotten, but I think this covers almost everything right now.

Interestingly, apparently the portion of the brain that is responsible for pointing is the same part that is responsible for vocabulary. This makes complete sense to me because Ari has been pointing his way all over the place for months now and has a really robust vocabulary for a 16 month old!

Kudos for this all goes to Ari though. Yes we talk to (and around) him a lot, but he has been studying relentlessly since he was 11 months old, holding food and utensils and whatever else he could find up for us to identify and tell him the word that belongs to that item. Over and over and over again. The soundtrack of every meal for months was (hand goes up) “Banana”, (hand goes up) “Fork”, (hand goes up) “Cheese”, etc… Bravo Ari, and keep up the good work!

Diction-ari: July 10, 2016

FOOD

Cookoo = cookie

Cackoo = cracker

Cheeza = cheese

Nana = banana

Nnn-ga = mango

Peaza = peas

Pizza = pizza

Yaga = yogurt

Chicka = chicken

Wawa = water (also milk… just any drink really)

Dzoo = juice

Meyo = melon

Yaya or yaya

meyo = watermelon

See-ya = cereal

Dasta = pasta

See-yo = cereal

Ha-aaa = Challah (or any type of bread)

PEOPLE

Baba (pretty much the answer to “hello? who’s there?” everytime he picks up the phone, the first words he speaks when he wakes up, his favourite person on the planet, …)Mama

Dada

Danna (Janna)

Zhja-Zhja (Zoey aka “Zozo”)

Papa

Oof oof, or sometimes Didi = Mitzi (our dog)

ANIMAL SOUNDS

Muhhhh = cow (“mmm” sound is made by sticking out tongue, not from lips being pressed together)

Qaa-qaa = duck (Ari’s first “word” and still a favourite)

Oof oof = dog

Cawww-cawww= crow

Hoo hoo = owl

Nnngaow = cat (not to be confused with mango)

Haww-awww = donkey (same tone as “hee-haw”)

Boq boq = chicken

Dzzz = bee

Aah Aah Aah = monkey (sounds like The Count from Sesame Street)

*Sniff Sniff sniff* = bunny

Ssssssss = snake

OTHER

Pfffff pfff = hot (also barbeque, oven, etc)

Caaah = car (or really anything with wheels… cars, buses, his baby walker)

Haaaa =hi

Buh ba = bye bye (not to be confused with Baba)

Tuck = truck

Tackoo = tractor

Eeee-eeee = stinky (to the sound of Pee-eww)

Cersei = the name he has given to his toy monkey (or the name that we chose to hear)Uh oh

Da-taaa = tada

Nononono = no

Naaah = an alternative to “no” (usually used more like no thanks)

Ahhhhhh na = oh no

Mm-hmmm = Yes

Mo-mo = more (always accompanied with his “more” sign)

Dzzz dzzz = anything that buzzes (a phone, a school bell, etc)

Na na (in the context of “what song do you want to listen to) = Hey Ya Na

Did-eh = I did it!

Dye-doe= diaper

Sta = stop

Ahh guh = all gone, all done and away

Ahhhhhh = the sound of anything else, usually on pitch (coffee grinder, lawn mower, electric toothbrush, etc…)

YOUR GUESS IS AS GOOD AS MINE

“Gad’n” has been in his vocabulary for months. He says it over and over and it clearly means something but we can’t figure out what. It’s not garden.“T-kaaa, t-ka, t-ka” is also a popular term used sometimes over and over with different intonations to sound like a real sentence. It’s my favourite sound of all time and I keep trying to record it with my phone for prosperity but every time my phone comes out, of course, he stops. (This sound is usually proceeded by throwing whatever he is holding, usually food.)

I’m so glad that I’ve been able to capture this because it is literally changing and expanding every day! For example, I swear he said “thank you” to Navin today, but I won’t count it because I’ve only heard it once. I love these new words as much as I love his stumbly, drunken-sailor walk (which is already sadly getting more steady).

*****

*Note: Ari doesn’t actually rhyme with Dictionary, it rhymes with starry, or safari…but it was cute anyway!