First words

Mini is 20 months old now and says over words. She has really come along since I last wrote about her language development. You can count sounds that constantly refer to an object as a word. So for instance one of the first words she said was "wa-wa" to mean dog. Overall she seems to use German words more often which is probably to be expected considering she hears German at daycare and all around. 

It's really since around 19 months that the language explosion started. I think the words themselves are somewhat random based often on which is easier for her to pronounce at the moment than words she necessarily finds useful. Although it's already been great for helping me comprehend what she wants. Like at the playground a few weeks ago she started looking for something in my handbag/backpack and I wasn't sure what she wanted until she said "bap". Bap is what we call a soft bread roll in case you use a different term where you are from!

Anyway now she often says "bap" when she is hungry. She still does the sign language sign for milk when she wants to nurse but that can also just mean thirst and she uses the sign for "again" a lot. She uses "owa" the German ouch when she hurts herself but also when she or an object is stuck. So for instance if she pushes her doll pram around and it gets stuck behind a chair she'll call out "owa" until someone helps. She can't pronounce B words yet so instead of "bye, bye" it comes out like "die, die" which she says while smiling and waving at everyone!

German words: ja, nein, Müll (rubbish), Kaka (poop), bitte (please) mehr (more), owa (ouch), Gurke (cucumber), Hahn (chicken), Tassa (cup), Oma (Granny)
English words:yea, no, hi, juice, eye, knee, shoe, cheese, bap, keys, nana (banana), tights, die-die (bye-bye)
General: wa-wa (dog), neigh (horse), ee-hor (donkey), dac-dac (for duck), mama, dada, papa, uh-oh

Raising a bilingual child

Research on how many words a child should have by a certain age varies. I've read that most (but not all) toddlers can say around 20 words by 18 months and 50 or more by the time they turn two. Apparently by 18 months many toddlers can even link two words together to form mini sentences already. In my facebook group of babies the same age as Mini and there is a huge discrepancy. Some babies are apparently saying as many as 40 words already whereas others aren't saying any.

Many people believe that bilingual children take longer to talk but I've also read that is a myth so I'm not really sure about that! I've read different advice about at what point to worry when your child isn't talking. I only speak English to Mini. Her Dad speaks German to her but when we are all together, our family language is English. She gets plenty of German exposure from daycare and just being out and about.

At her last doctor's checkup I mentioned she was only really saying "mama", "dada" and babbling. The doctor said they aren't concerned here unless the children don't have 20 words by age two. However she then said that some two year olds aren't talking at all but if they show *understanding* of 20 words that's enough.

A few weeks ago Mini started saying "yea/ja" which is very cute. She's still not saying any other new words (she's 16 months) but she does understand a lot and is able to make her wants known using gestures. If I ask her to point out body parts like "nose, mouth, eyes, hair, eyes etc" she's well able to point to them. She does get mixed up though between "where's MY nose?" and "where's YOUR nose?".

If she wants to be picked up she walks over and puts her arms above her head and makes a little noise to get your attention. Or she'll take your hand and pull you over somewhere to play together. She points at doors she wants opened or things she can't reach. She'll gesture at the stair gate in our house and I'll say "oh, do you want to go upstairs?" and she answers "yea".

I'm fascinated seeing how she learns and the associations she makes. Recently, I pointed out a bus to her as we were passing during a walk and she started doing the arm movements for the "wheels on the bus" song! When we feed her, my husband often says "mmm", like "try some broccoli, mmmm, yummy". And now I've noticed she points to food and says "mmm" when she wants to eat.

I'm excited for when she started saying more words and I'm curious about whether they'll be English or German!

Hey You! The tricky subject of the German "you"

Something that causes a lot of confusion for English speakers here is figuring out which form of "you" to use. The formal "Sie" or more casual "du". The rules go something like this...

If the other person is around your age or younger or a good friend then you can probably use "du" when referring to them. If the person is older, someone you don't know or someone deserving of respect then you should use the formal "Sie", unless they tell you it's ok to use "du".

And when you use "Sie" it also means you would refer to the person using their surname. Germans use their surnames a LOT. When I go to my hairdresser they always say "Guten Tag Frau X". Hello Mrs. X. It makes me feel a little old!

Normally if you meet someone and as you become friends they would probably ask "Können wir uns duzen?" Shall we refer to each other using the informal "you"?

At work, a lot of companies have a general "du" policy where employees refer to each other with the "Du" form. The boss may still be "Sie" though and any clients would naturally be the more polite and respectful "Sie". It's also considered an insult if you had been on "Du" terms with somebody and then you start referinig to them with "Sie".

I was also recently told by someone that you would use "Sie" during self-defence, which surprised me. I thought that if someone was hassling you then you would not feel like using the respectul "Sie" term but my German friend pointed out that anyone listening to the conversation would more likely come to your aid if you used "Sie" as then it would be clear that the person is a stranger to you. So you would say something like "Hauen Sie ab!" Get lost! or "Lassen Sie mich in Ruhe!" "Leave me alone!". Just something worth bearing in mind if you ever find yourself in that situation!

Some more tips and rules are outlined here.
Even Germans can get confused sometimes about which they should be using! So I wonder what hopes us non-native German speakers have of getting it right!