Screaming while waiting for his food to be prepared (milk and water) or for the nurse, who had not sufficient nourishment for the child, is marked, in the sixteenth week—as is also screaming on account of unpleasant feelings—in general by predominance of the vowels, ä-ŭ, ä-ŭ ä, ā-ŭ, ā-ŭ, ŭ-ä, ŭ-ä, ū-ū-ā-ö, but meantime is heard amme-a, and as a sign of special discomfort the persistent ill-sounding ūă-ūă-ūă-ūă (ŭ = Eng. o͞o).
Screaming in the first five months expresses itself in the main by the vowels u, ä, ö, a, with ü and o occurring more seldom, and without other consonants, for the most part, than m.
In the fifth month no new consonants were developed except k; but a merely passive gö, kö, aggeggĕkö, the last more rarely than the first, was heard with perfect distinctness during the child's yawning.
While in this case the g-sound originates passively, it was produced, in connection with ö, evidently by the position of the tongue, when the child was in a contented frame, as happens in nursing; ögö was heard in the twenty-second week, as well as ma-ö-ĕ, hă, ā, ho-ich. The i here appeared more distinct than in the third month. The soft ch, which sounded like the g in "Honig," was likewise quite distinct.
About this time began the amusing loud "crowing" of the child, an unmistakable expression of pleasure. The strong aspirate sound ha, and this sound united with the labial r in brrr-há; corresponding in force to the voice, which had become exceptionally powerful, must likewise be regarded as expressions of pleasure. So with the sounds aja, örrgö, ā-ā-i-ŏ-ā, which the child toward the end of the first half-year utters as if for his own gratification as he lies in comfort. With these belongs also the frequently repeated "eu" of the French "heure," and the "œu" of the French "cœur," which is not found in the German language, also the primitive sounds ä and ö (German). The lips contract very regularly, and are protruded equally in the transition from ä to ö. I heard also ijä cried out by the child in very gay mood. In the babbling and crowing continued often for a long time without interruption, consonants are seldom uttered, pure vowels, with the exception of a, less often than ä and ö; i and u are especially rare.
When the child lies on his back, he moves his arms and legs in a lively manner even without any external provocation. He contracts and expands all the muscles he can command, among these especially the muscles of the larynx, of the tongue, and of the aperture of the mouth. In the various movements of the tongue made at random it often happens that the mouth is partly or entirely closed. Then the current of air that issues forth in breathing bursts the barrier and thus arise many sounds, among them some that do not exist in the German language, e. g., frequently and distinctly, by means of labio-lingual stoppage, a consonant-sound between p and t or between b and d, in the production of which the child takes pleasure, as he does also in the labial brr and m. By far the greater part of the consonant-sounds produced by the exercises of the tongue and lips can not be represented in print; just as the more prolonged and more manifold movements of the extremities, movements made by the child when he has eaten his fill, and is not sleepy and is left to himself, can not be drawn or described. It is noteworthy that all the utterances of sound are expiratory. I have not once observed an attempt to form sounds while drawing in the breath.
In the seventh month the child at one time screamed piercingly, in very high tones, from pain. When hungry and desiring milk, he said with perfect distinctness, mä, ä, ŭä, ŭäĕ; when contented he would say örrö too, as at an earlier period. The screaming was sometimes kept up with great vigor until the child began to be hoarse, in case his desire, e. g., to leave his bed, was not granted. When the child screams with hunger, he draws the tongue back, shortens it and thereby broadens it, making loud expirations with longer or shorter intervals. In pain, on the other hand, the screaming is uninterrupted and the tones are higher than in any other screaming. During the screaming I heard the rare l distinctly in the syllable lä. The vowels ŭ-ā-ŭ-i-i also appeared distinctly, all as if coming by accident, and not often pure. The t also was seldom heard; f, s, sch, st, sp, sm, ts, ks, w, not once yet; on the other hand, b, d, m, n, r, often; g, h, more seldom; k, only in yawning; p, but very rarely, both in screaming and in the child's babble to himself or in response to friendly address.
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 ä, 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 örrö, which still continues to be uttered, though rarely and unintentionally. Once the child, while in the bath, cried out as if yawning, hā-upp, and frequently, when merry, a-e͡i, a-a͡u, ă-ha͡u-ă, hörrö. 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 ntĕ-ö, mi-ja, mija (jlike Eng. y) and once distinctly oŭāĕi.
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 mä-mä, äm-mä, mä.
Meantime the lip-movements of the m were made without the utterance of sound, as if the child had perceived the difference. Other expressions of sound without assignable cause are ā-au ā-ā, ā-ŏ, a-u-au, na-na, the latter not with the tone of denial as formerly, and often repeated rapidly in succession. As separate utterances in comfortable mood, besides örrö came apa, ga au-ă, acha.