Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Anyone Speak Five-Year-Old?
Has anyone else's kid ever use the word mostentarily? Phil peppers his speech with it and even he can't tell us what it means.
It's not momentarily or mostly (or most entirely).
Here's an example from his experience at the waterpark: "I mostentarily went down the waterslide [photo] and screamed my head off like a baby." (Phil hates the sound of screaming babies; a few months ago I made him apologize for doing it, too, when he was an infant.)
Mostentarily seems to have positive connotations. It's almost certainly an adverb, the way Phil uses it.
If anyone has any insight into the word I'll mostentarily be grateful. (Or will I?)
It's not momentarily or mostly (or most entirely).
Here's an example from his experience at the waterpark: "I mostentarily went down the waterslide [photo] and screamed my head off like a baby." (Phil hates the sound of screaming babies; a few months ago I made him apologize for doing it, too, when he was an infant.)
Mostentarily seems to have positive connotations. It's almost certainly an adverb, the way Phil uses it.
If anyone has any insight into the word I'll mostentarily be grateful. (Or will I?)
Mikesell
3 Snarky Remarks:
Wish I could help, Chris. Mostentarily is a new one for me, but I identify with your situation. My youngest spoke what we called Luke-anese. He seemed content to "communicate" in a language no one else knew. For example, once when he was around Phil's age, I served a beef stir-fry for dinner. He took one look at his plate, frowned, and said, "I don't like Zallawoni." We've called stir-fry Zallawoni ever since. I predict your family will mostentarily adopt some of Phil's perverbalsions, too.
Jeanne Damoff, at 9:20 AM
When John was about two, he looked out the window at the gathering dusk and said "It's darking." We still say that.
Julia, who otherwise was quite grammatical, used to say "tooken" instead of "have taken." I'm hoping she doesn't still do that while working at her first actual lawyering job this summer (a clerk in a law firm in Wichita). :)
I have no clue as to the proper usage of mostentarily, but it sounds like a great word. Maybe it's sort of a conflation of "most certainly."
I did notice with the younger boys that they seemed to understand each other's baby talk. Joel would be babbling incoherently (at least that's what it sounded like to me) when he was around 1 and Tim (who would have been about 3) seemed to understand him just fine. Very strange. Perhaps other 5-year-olds understand Phil's word coinage. :)
Julia, who otherwise was quite grammatical, used to say "tooken" instead of "have taken." I'm hoping she doesn't still do that while working at her first actual lawyering job this summer (a clerk in a law firm in Wichita). :)
I have no clue as to the proper usage of mostentarily, but it sounds like a great word. Maybe it's sort of a conflation of "most certainly."
I did notice with the younger boys that they seemed to understand each other's baby talk. Joel would be babbling incoherently (at least that's what it sounded like to me) when he was around 1 and Tim (who would have been about 3) seemed to understand him just fine. Very strange. Perhaps other 5-year-olds understand Phil's word coinage. :)
Chris,
That is too cute.
My favorite comes from a friend's grandson, who befotted instead of forgot...
That is too cute.
My favorite comes from a friend's grandson, who befotted instead of forgot...
