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Friday, 8 May 2015

Childish Language

After Babel: Aspects of language and translation, 3rd Ed.,
George Steiner, OUP, 1998, page 38

Children have their own distinct language - vocabulary, semantics and pronunciation - within each language, claims Steiner:

When speaking to a young boy or girl we use simple words and a simplified grammar; often we reply by using the child's own vocabulary; we bend forward. For their part, children will use different phrasings, intonations and gestures when addressing a grown-up from those used when speaking to themselves (the iceberg mass of child language) or to other children. All these are devices for translation.

Posted By Jonathan, 1:15pm Comment Comments: 0