The Mind of the Child, Part II: The Development of the Intellect, International Education; Series Edited By William T. Harris, Volume IX.Preyer, William T.
Science
The Mind of the Child, Part II: The Development of the Intellect, International Education; Series Edited By William T. Harris, Volume IX.
Preyer, William T.
Child development; Child psychology
In the eighth month the screaming sounds were for the most part
different from what they had been; the disagreeable screaming no
longer so intense and prolonged, from the time that the food of the
child consisted exclusively of pap (Kindermehl) and water. Single
vowels, like _u_ and _ae_, are very often not to be heard pure. Often
the child does not move the lips at all when with mouth shut he
lifts and drops the larynx, and with eager desire for the pap howls;
or coos like a dove, or grunts. The prattling monologues become
longer when the child is alone, lying comfortably in bed. But
definite consonants can only with difficulty be distinguished in
them, with the exception of _r_ in the _oerroe_, which still continues
to be uttered, though rarely and unintentionally. Once the child,
while in the bath, cried out as if yawning, _h[=a]-upp_, and
frequently, when merry, _a-[(ei]_, _a-[(au]_, _[)a]-h[(au]-[)a]_,
_hoerroe_. When he babbles contentedly in this manner, he moves the
tongue quickly, both symmetrically, e. g., raising the edges
equally, and asymmetrically, thrusting it forward to right or left.
He often also puts out the tongue between the lips and draws it back
during expiration, producing thereby the before-mentioned
labio-lingual explosive sounds. I also heard _nt[)e]-oe_, _mi-ja_,
_mija_ (_j_ like Eng. _y_) and once distinctly _o[)u][=a][)e]i_.
In the ninth month it is still difficult to recognize definite syllables
among the more varied utterances of sound. But the voice, often indeed
very loud and inarticulate, is already more surely modulated as the
expression of psychical states. When the child, e. g., desires a new,
especially a bright object, he not only stretches both arms in the
direction of it, indicating the direction by his gaze, but also makes
known, by the same sound he makes before taking his food, that he wants
it. This complex combination of movements of eye, larynx, tongue, lips,
and arm-muscles appears now more and more; and we can recognize in his
screaming the desire for a change of position, discomfort (arising from
wet, heat, cold), anger, and pain. The last is announced by screaming
with the mouth in the form of a square and by higher pitch. But delight
at a friendly expression of face also expresses itself by high crowing
sounds, only these are not so high and are not continued long. Violent
stretchings of arms and legs accompany (in the thirty-fourth week first)
the joyous utterance. Coughing, almost a clearing of the throat, is very
rare. Articulate utterances of pleasure, e. g., at music, are _mae-mae_,
_aem-mae_, _mae_.
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