When the child has thrown an object from the table to the floor, he often follows it with his gaze and whispers, even when he does not know he is observed, atta or t-ta, which is here used in the same sense with tuff or ft or ftu, for "fort" (gone).
When he had taken a newspaper out of the paper-basket and had spread it on the floor, he laid himself flat upon it, holding his face close to the print, and said—evidently of his own accord, imitating, as he had done before, the reading aloud of the newspaper, which had often been witnessed by him—repeating it for a long time in a monotonous voice, e-já-e-e-já nanana ána-ná-na atta-ána āje-já sā; then he tore the paper into many small pieces, and next turned the leaves of books, uttering pa-pa-ab ta hö-ö-ĕ mömömöm hö-önĕ.
Such monologues are, however, exceptional at this period, the rule being uniform repetitions of the same syllable, e. g., habb habb habb habb habbwa habbua.
Screaming when water of 26° C. was poured over him in the bath appeared, a few days after the first experiment of this sort, even before the bathing, at sight of the tub, sponge, and water. Previously, fear had only in very rare cases occasioned screaming, now the idea of the cold and wet that were to be expected was enough to occasion violent screaming. After about three weeks of daily bathing with water from 18 to 24° C., however, the screaming decreased again. The experience that a pleasant feeling of warmth succeeded, may have forced the recollection of the unpleasant feeling into the background. But the screaming can not at all be represented by letters; ä and ö do not suffice. The same is true of the screaming, often prolonged, before falling asleep in the evening, which occurs not seldom also without any assignable occasion, the child making known by it his desire to leave the bed. As this desire is not complied with, the child perceives the uselessness of the screaming, and at length obeys the command, "Lie down," without our employing force or expedients for soothing him.
How far the power of imitation and of articulation is developed, is shown especially by the fact that now, at last, pa is correctly pronounced in response; in the beginning ta was still frequently the utterance, then ba, finally pa almost invariably given correctly.
Further, these results were obtained:
| Words said to him. | Response. |
| bitte | bis, bits, bit, bets, beest, be, bi, bit-th (Eng., th) |
| hart | hatt, att, haat. |
| Fleisch | da-ich, daï-s-ch, daï-s-j |
| ma | mö, ma. |
In bits appears with perfect distinctness (as already in the fifteenth month) the very rare ts = z. The "hart" was once only confounded with "haar," and responded to by grasping at the hair. The bits soon served to add force to the putting together of the hands in the attitude of begging; it is thus the first attempt at the employment of a German word to denote a state of his own, and that the state of desire. The other words said to him, and illustrated by touching and putting the hands upon objects, could not be given by him in response. When he was to say "weich" (soft), "kalt" (cold), "nass" (wet), he turned his head away in repugnance, as formerly. To "nass" he uttered in reply, once only, na. Smacking, when made for him, was imitated perfectly. The early morning hours, in which the sensibility of the brain is at its highest, are the best adapted to such experiments; but these experiments were not multiplied, in order that the independent development might not be disturbed.
The progress in the discrimination of words heard, and in the firm retention of what has been repeatedly heard, is shown particularly in more prompt obedience, whether in abstaining or in acting.
To the list of objects correctly pointed out upon request are added "leg, nail, spoon, kettle," and others. It is noteworthy, too, that now, if the syllables pa and ma, or papaand mamma, are prefixed to the names of the known parts of the face and head, the child points these out correctly; e. g., to the question "Where is Mamma-ear," the child responds by taking hold of the ear of his mother, and to "papa-ear," of that of his father; so with "nose, eye," etc. But if asked for "mamma-beard," the child is visibly embarrassed, and finally, when there is a laugh at his hesitation, he laughs too.