134 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



the ai'ms, to get the objects she wants, and to attract notice. If such 

 is the case, then this word is a natural vocal gesture. This view is 

 rendered more probable by the fact that she possesses other words, 

 of which more anon, and which are evidently the products, not of 

 imitation, but of invention. 



(Fifteenth to seventeenth month). Great progress made; the child 

 has learned to walk, and even to run. She is gaining new ideas every 

 day, and understands a number of phrases, such as these: "Fetch the 

 ball;" "Go and doudou to the lady" (i. e., fondle her and let her kiss 

 you); "Come and stand between papa's legs ; " "Go down there;" 

 " Come here," etc. She is beginning to distinguish between the tone of 

 anger and that of pleasure ; she quits doing anything forbidden with 

 severe countenance, or with voice expressive of disapproval ; of her own 

 accord she frequently shows a desire of being fondled. But she has 

 learned or invented but few new words recently. Her chief new 

 words are Pa (Paul), JBabert (Gilbert), bebe (baby), beee (nanny-goat), 

 cola (chocolate), oua-oua (anything good to eat), ham (eating, I want 

 to eat). There are a number of other words which she understands, 

 but is unable to pronounce, such as grandfather, grandmother. Her 

 vocal organs, not being sufficiently practised, do not as yet reproduce 

 all the sounds she knows, and to which she attaches meanings. 



Cola (chocolate) was one of the first dainties she ever tasted, and 

 she prefers it to all others. She gets a lozenge daily during her visits 

 to her grandmother; she knows the box in which the bonbons are 

 kept, and keeps pointing toward it until it is opened. 



Hebe. We have spoken of the curious meaning she at first gave 

 to this word ; by degrees, under the influence of education, she has 

 come nearer to its ordinary sense. Other infants have been shown to 

 her, and called b'eb'e\ she herself has also been called by this name; 

 now she answers to it. She has been shown the reflection of her own 

 face in a mirror, and told to look at bebe, and now she goes herself to 

 the glass, and, on seeing the image, laughs and calls " bebe J '" Start- 

 ing from this, she gives the name of b'ebe to miniatures, pictures, and 

 statuettes. Here again education has produced a result that had not 

 been anticipated : the general character perceived by the child is not 

 the one that we could have desired her to perceive. We have taught 

 her the sound, and she has invented the meaning. 



Ham (eating, I want to eat). Here she originated both the sound 

 and the sense. This sound she first uttered during her fourteenth 

 month. For weeks I took it to be mere prattle, but at last I noticed 

 that it was uttered always, without exception, when food was in sight. 

 Now she never fails to say ham whenever she is hungry or thirsty. 

 This again is a natural vocal gesture. 



Oua-oua. It was not till three weeks ago (end of the sixteenth 

 month) that she employed this word in the sense of something good 

 to eat. For a while we did not understand what it meant, for the 



