Mind your language!

Some time ago Charlie's nursery teacher asked me to make a list of all the words he said. Now, Charlie's quite a talker; it may take a while to understand what he's saying and I might have to interpret for him, but he's a proper chatterbox. He talks to me; he talks to his toys; he talks to himself. So I thought nothing of making a list of the things he says. Until I read what I had written. Here's a small selection:

nee-naw

ayplay

choo-choo

big boo

yah-yah

goggle-goo (or sometimes, gul-go or even gully-go)

mook

bik-bik

cheese emilys

frispies

mee or meez

ta

tinny toh

Now I know some of this is simply a matter of getting his little mouth around the words and that pronunciation will be refined in time. No problem. But what I want to know is... 

Why 'choo-choo' when it isn't?

And 'nee-naw' when it doesn't?

He can even hear a 'nee-naw' tearing down the street, lights flashing, sirens blaring and most definitely not 'nee-nawing' and still identify it as a 'nee-naw'. 

I'm sure I haven't taught him this. Perhaps kids are born with some kind of folk memory of a time when cows went 'moo' and ducks, 'quack quack' and when trains 'choo-choo-ed' along the track? 

Mind you, there is one name I'm responsible for. Annabel's quite difficult as doll's names go, and so his constant companion of the moment seems to have acquired an easier to pronounce nick-name. And, given all the crying that she does it's quite appropriate. So here's Charlie with his new best friend...

Baby Bellyache!

Or as he say, 'bay-i-ache'.