All three of our kids have spent the summer before their second birthday abroad, and then visited family in the US for a few weeks right around the time they turned (or will turn) two. In all three, we've seen a leap in language acquisition during that time. It's hard to say whether the leap is a function of age - a natural explosion in cognitive ability that would have happened regardless of circumstance; or whether going from a limited set of English speakers to a wider selection of English voices kick-started their mother tongue development. Who knows? We probably never will, since we failed to set up a control baby.
Sometime soon, I'll share with you the notes Jeremy and I have taken on Sterling's language acquisition. (Notes = we've written down every word he's ever said, in the order that he said it.) But this trip to the US has again coincided or perhaps caused an explosion in the number of words he can say, to the point that soon we will have to stop writing it all down because it will be too much.
One of the things Sterling loves to learn to say are his relatives' names. He mastered "Grandma" early on, though it was originally "Grandma Guy." He laboriously says "Baby...Cora" for my brother's one-year-old, and it's so clear he knows they are two separate words (rather than some kid named "babycora.") That's why he has to pause in between.
But one of Sterling's favorite names is that of my brother Daniel. He says it, "Danno" or "Danyo." And he will say it any chance he gets. Any mention of Daniel, any faint echo of Daniel's voice in the house, any time Daniel comes and goes, or we come and go: "Hi, Danno!" Sure, it's a fun name to say, but I think there's more behind it.
I think Sterling sees Daniel as an anomaly. Daniel doesn't relate to babies the way others do - he doesn't bother making sustained eye contact or playing silly games with them. He treats them like he treats adults, basically. To Sterling, Daniel, alone among the sea of relatives, is a gem - Daniel will not get in his face and demand attention. Daniel will not try to hold him or take him away from his Mama. Daniel will carry on with his business while Sterling watches, and will not ask anything of him. Daniel's voice is kind of loud and he's always appearing when you least expect him. Daniel is different.
And Sterling honors that by saying his name any chance he gets.
