A greater intellectual advance, however, is manifested at this time in the first intentional use of language in order to bring on a game of hide-and-seek. A key falls to the floor. The child picks it up quickly, holds it behind him, and to my question, "Where is the key?" answers nicht mehr da (no longer there). As I found in the following months no falsehood, in the proper sense of the word, to record, but rather that the least error, the most trivial exaggeration, was corrected at once by the child himself, with peculiarly naïve seriousness, in a little story, with pauses between the separate words, so, too, in the present case the answer nicht mehr da is no falsehood, but is to be understood as meaning that the key is no longer to be seen. The expression of the face was roguish at the time.
The sole interrogative word continues still to be "Where?" e. g., Where is ball? The demonstratives da (there) and dort (yonder) (dort ist nass—wet) were more frequently spoken correctly in answer.
The "I" in place of his own name does not yet appear, because this word does not occur frequently enough in conversation with the child. The bad custom adults have of designating themselves in their talk with little children, not as in ordinary conversation by the word "I," but by the proper name, or as "aunt," "grandma," etc., postpones the time of saying "I" on the part of children. Me is pretty often used at this period, for the reason that it is frequently heard at meal-times in "Give me!"
Bitte, liebe Mama, gib mir mehr Suppe (Please, dear mamma, give me more soup) is, to be sure, learned by heart; but such sentences are at the proper time and in the proper place modified and even independently applied. Noch mehr, immer noch mehr, vielleicht, fast (more, more yet, perhaps, almost), are also expressions often properly employed, the last two, however, with uncertainty still. Fast gefallen (almost fell) the child says when he has actually fallen down.
Although declension and conjugation are as yet absolutely lacking, a transition has become established from the worst form of dysgrammatism to the beginning of correct diction by means of the more frequent use of the plural in nouns (Rad, Räder), the more frequent employment of the article (för dĕ Papa), the not very rare strong inflection (gegangen instead of the earlier gegeht; genommen instead of the earlier genehmt). To be sure, the infinitive still stands in the place of the participle and the imperative in by far the great majority of cases. The auxiliaries are often omitted or employed in strange misformations, e. g., "Where have you been?" Answer, paziren gewarent [something like they wented 'alk] (wir waren spazieren, spazieren gewesen).
In articulation no perceptible progress is to be recorded. The objects known from the picture-book are indeed for the most part rightly named, but new ones often have their names very much distorted—e. g., "Violine" is persistently called wiloïne. The "sch" is occasionally given correctly, but s-trümpfe, auf-s-tehen is the rule. The answer that has been learned to the question, "How old are you?" "Seit November zwei Jahre," is given wember wai jahr. The way in which the child learns the correct pronunciation is in general twofold: 1. Through frequent hearing of the correct words, since no one speaks as he himself does; thus, e. g., genommen took the place of genehmt without instruction. 2. Through having the words frequently pronounced on purpose for him to imitate with the utmost attention. Thus, e. g., the child up to this time always said Locotiwe and Locopotiwe. I exhorted him a few times earnestly to say "Locomotive." The result was Loco-loco-loco-mo-tiwe, and then Locomotiwe, with exact copying of the accent with which I spoke. Singing also is imitated.
His memory for words that denote objects is very good; but when expressions designating something not very apparent to the senses are to be learned, he easily fails. Thus, the left and the right foot or arm, the left and the right cheek or hand, are very often correctly named, but often falsely. The difference between left and right can not be exactly described, explained, or made imaginable to the child.
In the thirty-first month two new questions make their appearance: The child asks, Welches Papier nehmen? (What paper take?) after he has obtained permission to make marks with the pencil, i. e., to raiben (write and draw), and Was kost die Trommel? (What does the drum cost?)
Now the indefinite article appears oftener; it is distinctly audible in Halt n biss-chen Wasser! More surprising are individual new formations, which disappear, however, soon after their rise; thus, the comparative of "hoch." The child says with perfect distinctness hocher bauen (build higher) in playing with wooden blocks; he thus forms of himself the most natural comparative, like the participle gegebt for "gegeben." In place of "Uhr-schlüssel" (watch-key) he says Slüssl-Uhr (key-watch), thus placing the principal thing first.
He makes use of the strange expression heitgestern in place of "heute" (to-day), and in place of "gestern" (yesterday). The two latter taken singly are confounded with each other for a long time yet.