In September Amélie will be going to proper school, which will mean that she will find herself mixing with all kinds of new people, rather more than at play group.  But it is clear that she has already started to acquire the language she needs for co-operating with others: negotiating, suggesting, requiring, commenting and so on.

Last Sunday Jane and I drove over to High Wycombe to pick up Pat - Amélie’s other grandparent (the mother of my son-in-law Gerry) - and we went on to London to celebrate Amélie’s birthday.  The following

morning I videoed 10 minutes or so of Pat and Amélie playing together, with me joining in occasionally.

In the transcript I distinguish between three types of language act:

1. (1) Allocating or negotiating roles (in italics) e.g.
   

-    Grandma, I’ll do that other one, you do this one.

1. -   Shall we do the red ones now?
   

2. -    Can I do this one?
   

3. -    Can you do it dry now?
   

2. (2)  Announcing what she is about to do (in bold) e.g.
   

1. -    I’ll just put some little ones there
   

2. -    And now I’m going to put a toad on this one.
   

3. -    I’ll get the Cheerios.
   

4. -    I’m going to do it fatter.
   

3. (3)   Commenting, describing, explaining etc (in ordinary type) e.g.
   

1. -   That’s dry now. This one’s dry
   

2. -    These ones are really soft.
   

3. -    The toad is to keep the sausages dry.
   

4. -    It’s got some stars on it to keep the sausages nice and clean.
   

Of course, in the flow of speech you pass from one to another, e.g.

1. -   And now I’m going to put a toad on this one.  That’s to keep the
   

     middle bit dry.

1. -   You can have your coffee.  I’ll put your coffee here.
   

Note that any text between round brackets is one of us speaking: usually Pat (P.), occasionally me (M.)   [Any explanations are inserted, as here, between square brackets].

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(1) Making playdough sausages

That’s dry now. This one’s dry.  Grandma, I’ll do that other one, you do this one.

(P. there we are)

Shall we do the red ones now?

(P. If you wish)

Shall we do ..  I’ll just put some little ones there. They’re not thin and big.  This one’s big. I’ll just squeeze them up together.  These ones are really soft.

(P. Are they?)

Yes, I think so.  You wash these ones. Can you wash them, please?... Can you dry that one now?  These ones are still wet.

(P. Right. I’ll dry them)

I’ll just put a toad around it now. I’ll put a toad around this one. Now this one has got toads on it. Now all of them have got toads on them. I’ll put a toad on this one too.   And now I’m going to put a toad on this one.  That’s to keep the middle bit dry. 

16. P.Oh yes)
    

You wash that one.  I washed it really good.   Now, a toad around it to keep it dry.  [Sings ‘a toad around it to keep it dry’]

Shall we do the yellow ones now?

(P. Yes)

(M. What’s the toad?)

The toad is to keep the sausages dry.

(M. You mean toad like frogs)

No! The toad to keep the sausages dry.

(M. No, but what is a toad?)

You have to put it round the sausages, cos they’re a bit round.

(M. Yes, but what is a toad?)

It’s got some stars on it to keep the sausages nice and clean.

(Oh, is it like toad in the hole?)

Yes!

(M. Now I understand)

(P. There we are. They’re washed)

Can I do this one?

(P. Yes, you can do that one)

Cos it’s not enough dry now.  Can you do it dry now?   … Thank you.  .. (Sings) ‘Toad around it”

(P. There you are)

I’m going to do it a quick faster now.  Cos you haven’t done it a lot fatter, I’m going to do it fatter.     It’s already dried up.   

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(2)  Making breakfast for the dollies.

Shall we do some breakfast now?

(P. Yes, I think so)

I’ll get the Cheerios.  And the Weetabix.  And coffee now.

(P. You’re cooking, are you. You’re cooking shreddies)

I’ve cooked it now. It’s cooked already.  We need ..this too. Shall we put it on here?

(P. Yes)

This is a playdough muffin.

(P. Yes, it’s a playdough muffin)

How do you open this? 

(P. I don’t know) 

You open this. Have you opened it now? 

(P. I’m not sure if they do open, actually.)

I’ll just put some on .. the bowl .. and I’ll just put some weetabix..

(P. Yes, they’re shreddies) 

And now some shreddies in  

(P. And then put some milk on. There’s some milk. Oh there’s

some out in the jug, is there).  

Now we’ve still got some milk in the jug ….  That’s a little one for little baby, and that’s a big one for big baby.  This baby loves it.  Oh it’s falling down. 

(P. It won’t stand up there. Let’s put it over here.  That one won’t. Let it lay there. That’ll be alright. Or else you’ll have to put it down here, with that one).

That’s your coffee.

(P. Oh is it?)

You can have your coffee.  I’ll put your coffee here.  Do you love your coffee?   

(P. Now there’s the spoon, if you want to feed them their cereal

now. Do you want to feed them?  Shall I hold it for you?)  

[Tries it herself and makes an approving sound, then feeds doll]  See? They like it too. 

(P. And does she like it too?} 

Oh yes.   We’ve finished the muffin, now shall we have some pancakes?  [feeds baby]  That’s the pancake again.  …..   [stirs bowl, then empties it]  I’ll just take that milk out of there.

(P. You just throw it on the floor! That wasn’t very clever, was

it! ) 

They don’t need cheerios.  [feeding both babies in turn] They like cheerios.  .. They’ve finished it all.  Now I’ll let them have some time off with their drink.  UUm.  He’s drank it all.

(P. Yes, very quickly) 

She’s drink it all.  Now let them have some time for some .. 

(P. Now they’re going to have some toast, are they?) 

[Scrapes stuff on toast]  That is the toast, you see.  .. She’s getting a little jam on..

(P. on his face. Getting jam all round his face, is he? Oh dear, wipe it off)  

He’s ate it all. SHE’S ate it all.  Shall we have some time for some sandwich now?

(P. They’re going to have a sandwich as well?)  

I’m going to put some …..

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(3)   Playing with the two Mickey Mouses, one in a jeep the other in a plane

[Pat pushing jeep] (P. There, he’s going round and round, and up on the winner’s podium.)

And he’s going round and round 

(P. And he has to go up a steep hill, does he?)

Yes [taking plane] he’s gonna fly up a steep hill.  Let me just turn the fly on [= wind it up] so he can keep flying  .. cos the sun’s come up  [pushing it round]  See he’s the winner! 

16. P.You do the car this time, Amélie) 
    

You do the …

16. P.I’ll do the aeroplane) 
    

You do that Mickey Mouse [ = the plane].  You have to wait for me to finish my car …. Grandad, you do it this way to me

(M. Right, here we go .. round the corner, round the corner, and you take over  ….  Oh gosh, that goes a long way)

 

(P. That’s a very good car) 

He’s already finished.

(M. Oh, that’s the end)  

[to P. re winding up)  You do it.  

(M. How many Micky Mouses  have you got?)

Two !!

(M. That’s very good. A flying MM and a driving MM)  

But he’s already started [= one in jeep]   He’s a bit tired, this one.

(P .He’s a bit tired, is he?  Give him some milk or something then. See if there’s any milk left in the bottle.)

Oh he’s tired [turning the jeep on its side].  He needs to go to sleep.   He’s gone to sleep.  It’s time for him [ =flying MM]  

(P. He must’ve been tired then).

(4) Taking pretend photos

(P. You must have run out of film or something) 

Can I see it?  Um.. that’s not the same.  Shall we do it? Like that.  [Pat takes pic. Amélie examines camera]    That didn’t work.  Shall we try again?   [same again]  Try again.   … Oh, that’s the same as I thought.  [Pat clicks repeatedly]  Don’t take them!  That’s the one with the frog! Not the one with the frog! 

(P. Oh, you don’t want the one with the frog… Try that one)  

Yes, that’s the one with the animals

(P. The one with the animals ?  Very nice. What sort of animals?)    [Takes camera back] 

That’s enough.  … The Princess with .. with Aladdin. 

(P. With Aladdin? Really?  Oh!) 

Can you do, try another one?  No .. not bad.

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Of course, Amélie is unlikely to find so patient and  unselfish a play partner as her grandmother at her primary school in September. But she is already developing the language she needs to cope with any situation she will find herself in.   Let’s wait and see,