Selvage:

ON THE EDGE OF LANGUAGE

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Language and Its Devices.

So, my three-year-old has taken to calling us--both of us--"Ma-Da." As in, "Mama-Dada." "Mommy-Daddy."

Oh, she knows the difference between the two words. She knows how to apply them and has been doing so 'correctly' for the entire time I've known her.

So, does this bespeak of laziness? efficiency? radical linguistic hybridity?

I'm not sure what to do with being called Mada.

1 comment:

  1. Between about three-ish to five-ish Sheadon commonly referred to us indiscriminately as "Mommydaddy". He usually added the gender-correct moniker immediately, tho, so conversations often began "Mommydaddydaddy can I have some chocolate milk?"

    Mind you, his correction went the wrong way about 1/3rd of the time, so I was Mommy and Debra Daddy.

    Now he has been apprehended referring to me directly as "Spaghettihead", so there ARE worse-case options...

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