70 THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA 



LINGUISTIC CREATIVENESS OF A CHILD 

 Sophie R. A. Court, 1920. 



(Abstract) 



Children often invent languages. Sometimes this linguistic 

 creativeness begins quite early. It is usually explained by a de- 

 sire to be able to conceal some facts or thoughts within a given 

 group from outsiders. However, observations made on a little 

 boy, A., tend to show, that, besides the element of mystery, lin- 

 gu'stic creativeness may also be due to the interest m phonetics and 

 word study, and to a general interest in speech conventions. 



The little boy A. showed interest in phonetics in his fortieth 

 m.onth, when he began to compare similarly sounding words of dif- 

 ferent meaning and when he also spontaneously began to divide 

 words into syllables and sounds and to delight in this "game". 



At five years two months he was intensely interested in com- 

 paring words on the basis of sound and discovered in several in- 

 tances the peculiar role some letters play. 



His linguistic creativeness asserted itself first at the age of 

 three year and four months, when he invented his Modified English 

 language, consistently changing English words by substituting some 

 one consonant for their initials. He continued this practice, in play- 

 ful mood, quite long, and was still using his Modified English at the 

 age of five years seven months. 



At four he insisted on using signs instead of speech very often 

 and invented many signs, but was greatly discouraged by his par- 

 ents and directly forbidden to use this means of communication. 

 Yet, he was tempted to use signs, even at five years seven months. 



At five years four months he invented his "Nonsense language" 

 mere babbling, in which he delighted and which was supposed to 

 be the language of Nonsense City. 



List of words invented by A. for his Nonsense language : 

 1.- ■ Ouah-quah (yes); 2. Bondee (no); 3. Squeemedy (name of 

 one of his drawings) ; 4. Buttonbee (imaginery insect) ; 5. 

 Squanazero (another drawing) ; 6. Mannedy — again a drawing ; 7. 

 Deebuddy .(drawing once more) ; 8. Seventyo (a magic squai'c 

 with a seven in it) ; 9. Chalkten (a game) ; 10. Mirrorbird — an 

 imaginary creature; 11. Vee-vee (thank you); 12. Pick-peck 

 (see) : 13. Chic1-er-chick (come) ; 14. Prrrr (kitty). 



