Language development at 21 months

M is a child who is raised trilingually (Estonian-English-Dutch). Her parents (us :-)) speak English between each other.

M started babbling at 8 months.

At 12 months, she said her first word, "Aitäh!" (thank you in Estonian). Quickly followed the word "kiki", her own creation for the word "cat" (probably from cat in English, kat in Dutch and from our own cat name, Kati).

A month after that, she said "dada" and pointed to her dad.

When M was 15 months, we spent 3 weeks in Estonia where she learned the words "aua" (=dog) and "ai" (=a stroke/a pet). Shortly after, we had her English-speaking grandparents over for 2 weeks, but there were no new words coming then.

At 17 months, she said "emme" (=mommy), oh oh, "mämm-mämm" (=food, to eat), "nina" (=nose). Soon after, she also learned the word "mõmmi" (=teddy) and said her first English word this and her first verb "anna" (=to give). Needless to say, she started using the latter all the time!

At 18 months, M could say 10 words in two languages.

When M was 19 months, we were happy to have her English-speaking grandparents over again. Then the English words really started to come, like eyes, apple, button.

At 19 months, she also said her first Dutch words visje (little fish from a song) and die (this).

At 20 months, quicker language development started to happen, more and more Estonian and English words start coming. There is still no overlap between these. M starts to make first 2 word combinations (although they are still scarce), like "Anna dada", "Anna this".

M doesn't understand yet in which language people need to be adressed. Often, she would point to my eyes and say: "Eyes". I just keep repeating the Estonian equivalent.

When M is 20 months, we go to Estonia for a holiday. At that moment, she can say about 20 words. During these 2 weeks, there is a lot of development in her language. For the first time, she starts to use the so-called help-words, like up and out. If you repeat the words intensively, she will say them after about the fifth time (of course, if she is feeling like it, it is after all a toddler!).

In Estonia she starts to sing (in tune!) and repeats the words of the songs (like mõmm-mõmm). New words come about every other day. She also starts to practice her words by repeating them.

Words are not grammatically correct, there is a strong tendency towards simplicity, like "bi" not "bike" or "ba" not "bath". It also looks like she can forget some words for some time after having used them, but they come back to her in weeks.

When writing down the words (I keep a running list on my phone), I have followed a rule that she knows a word when she has said it three different times in three different situations spontaneously (so not repeating what I have said).

About a week before turning 21 months, M starts to understand that everything has a name. She starts to point to things and pictures, wanting that we say the corresponding word. She will repeat the word after we have said that once or twice.

New words appear in her vocabulary every day.

On the day she turned 21 months, she could say 49 words, from them, about 4-5 Dutch words, from the rest about half in Estonian and half in English.

These are the words she could say at that moment:

“aitäh” (=thank you), “anna” (=give), “(p)ai” (=stroke), “tisi” (=cat), “dada” (=daddy), “emme” (=mommy), “oh oh”, “jaa” (=yes), “mämm-mämm” (=food, eat), her own name, duck , “beebi” (=baby), bee, button, hi, “mõmmi” (=teddy), “nina” (=nose), eyes, apple, vau, wii, mää (=sheep, occasionaly other animals), this, visje (=little fish in Dutch), die (=this in Dutch), up, out, “õue” (=outside), “opa” (=to be picked up), “ai, ai, ai” (=something hot, painful), “tita” (=baby), “mammu” (=berry), “pall” (=ball), “tuttu” (=to go to sleep), “tuut-tuut” (=train), “pusa” (=a little thread all curled up), cheese, bath, “aita” (=to help), bi(ke), bye, “pähh” (=something dirty, uneatable, can't eat), nee (no in Dutch), beker (cup in Dutch), “part”, (=duck), goose, “maja” (=house in Estonian), “(ba)naan” (=banana), “(al)paka” (=alpaca).

Next to regular dropping syllables and going towards siplicity, like "naan" instead of "banaan" there are some interesting (potentially meaningless) variations. She often says the letter s in the end of the word "beebi". It is unclear what it stands for. One could think that it could be the plural (babies in English or baby's in Dutch) or genitive (e.g. baby's bed).

She doesn't pronounce the r sound correctly yet.

At 21 months, she wants words to be told more and more, she points to pictures in books a lot. There is a first overlapping word in Estonian and English, cheese or "juust". She still doesn't distinguish which language she should talk to whom.

P.S. There is no problem with her understanding any of her three languages. Although we don't speak Dutch to her, I have seen her reacting appropriately when things are told in Dutch to her.