For the expectant mother 

How to translate children's. Children's and adult phrasebook. Cute, but still wrong

Children are the kindest, most sincere and unspoiled people on Earth. At the same time, they are also extremely wise, for their small age, and most often this wisdom manifests itself during conversations. children delight their parents and grandparents; many of them have become real aphorisms and are used in everyday life even by adults.

Usually, mothers and fathers easily find a common language with their child; it is not difficult for them to understand what exactly the baby is saying, because they are accustomed to his funny words. But to relatives who rarely see the child, and to strangers, all his phrases may seem like just an incoherent set of sounds. Today we invite all adult readers to remember a long-forgotten children's language, laugh a little at the funny expressions of kids, and also figure out in what cases a child needs to be helped to start speaking correctly.

“Baby language” - how to understand it?

In the first years of life, the child speaks in his own way. This happens because speech for him is something new and not fully understandable. From about three to four months, babies begin to gurgle, coo, and are able to pronounce simple syllables like “ta-ta,” “ka-ka,” “ma-ma.” However, only by eight to nine months will the child put some meaning into these simple sounds.

The process of learning speech in children occurs very actively and quickly; by the age of one year, they usually know and actively use 10-20 simple words. And it is at this time that children begin to amuse everyone around them. There is no point in hoping that an adult who does not live with a particular child will understand them all the time. The maximum that he can make out is common “baby” words like “yes”, “no”, “mom”, “dad” and “aw-aw”. But the baby speaks everything else in his own way, since his phonetic perception of sounds is not fully developed. Moreover, children seem to be trying to pronounce words correctly after adults, but still they rarely succeed, because their tongue is not mobile enough, their bite has not yet formed and their lungs are poorly developed.

When do children start talking?

Around two years old, children master speech at a sufficient level to express themselves in short sentences. Children's language at this age is very funny, because young speakers do not pronounce many sounds, replace them or completely miss them. Because of this, they come up with various hilarious words:

  • stroller - kayak;
  • dog - babaka;
  • milk - mako;
  • grandmother - buska;
  • porridge - porridge;
  • apple - apple, etc.

As a result, when a child tries to pronounce a sentence consisting of several words, he comes up with very funny phrases. Children are sometimes even misunderstood, because adults put their own meaning into what they say. For example, a child says: “I’m going with my mother to ferment vodka at my grandfather’s,” but a loving grandson will not actually drink “coated” vodka with his grandfather, he will simply help him paint the boat.

Cheat sheet for adults

Of course, every baby talks differently, but for some reason all children at an early age make the same “mistakes” when they talk. So, everyone understands that if a child says “ka-ka,” it means that he has found dirt or garbage, and when he says “meow” or “kit-kit,” he most likely means a cat, but doesn't call him. The same applies to other animals, birds and things or objects surrounding the baby:

  • mu-mu is a cow;
  • aw-aw - dog;
  • kar-kar - crow;
  • broom-broom and bibika - car;
  • bang - something fell;
  • vava—wound;
  • ale - telephone.

Basically, all these phrases are imposed on children by adults themselves, trying to explain to the child as simply as possible what is called and what it is called. But among the little words there are also those that cannot be logically explained or “translated” right away. Which adult will be able to guess that budejka is a tomato, nonya is a telephone, buguka is a pillow, and konka is pasta. These are exactly those funny phrases of children that need to be written down in a separate notebook, because the baby will soon correct himself, and his sweet chatter will be forgotten.

With age, a child’s speech transforms and becomes more complex. He can still distort phrases consisting of several syllables, but by the age of three or four he pronounces short ones correctly. The smartest children at this age can also pronounce quite complex words and even entire sentences.

Childish wisdom

Older children amuse adults not so much with mistakes in speech, but with their statements. Sometimes a phrase worthy of a thinker with noble gray hair may come out of the mouth of a child. Smart children instantly recognize lies and present everything as it is, without cunning or tricks.

Here are just a few life stories in which kids clearly demonstrate their intelligence and logic:

  • In kindergarten, girls show off their outfits. A boy comes into the group, listens to the conversations of his girlfriends and says: “Eh, girls... Beads, bows, tights are women! How I love you!”
  • A child, sorting out a gift with candies: this one is bear flavored, this one is squirrel flavored, and this one is Little Red Riding Hood flavor...
  • The granny felt sick to her stomach, and her granddaughter found out about it, so she advised her relative to take “animal” pills.

Such life situations do not happen every day, so if a child has produced another pearl, it must be noted down!

Tongue without bones

Older kids can chat for days on end. They endlessly ask their parents questions, and they themselves are not averse to telling many stories, both fictional and very real. If a child speaks without stopping, it means he is relaxed and sociable. You shouldn’t shut his mouth, even if he sometimes puts his parents in an awkward position. It is better to teach your child in what situations it is necessary to hold his tongue, but you should not force him to remain silent all the time.

This can negatively affect his psyche and development. Feeling that he is not being listened to or heard, the child withdraws into himself or goes to seek communication outside the home, both of which alienate him from his family.

Deadline for speech development in children. How to stimulate your child's speaking skills?

Scientists have proven that a person can be taught to speak up to a maximum of five years. After this, the speech centers in the brain close, and the child ceases to understand how to speak.

Therefore, if by the age of about two years the baby has not made any progress in the public speaking field, it is worth showing him to specialists. After four years, a translator from children's language to adults is not needed; children should already learn to speak correctly and have sufficient vocabulary to communicate freely with everyone around them.

The examination must be comprehensive:

  • An otolaryngologist will assess how developed the child’s hearing is;
  • the dentist will check the bite;
  • speech therapist-defectologist - the ability to correctly use the speech apparatus;
  • neurologist - will identify problems with the nervous system, indicate the general level of development of the child, and correlate the obtained indicators with average standards;
  • psychologist - will assess the baby’s psychological balance.

In order for a child to speak faster, you need to constantly have a dialogue with him. At the same time, it is extremely important not to coddle with him and correct existing speech errors. It is important not to limit the baby’s communication with other children, and spending time with older children has a great effect on the ability to speak.

Cute, but still wrong

Small children speak in a special way; they burr, lisp, and distort their words. All this seems cute and funny if the child is one or two years old, or three at most. If by this age the baby does not correct his diction, he has significant speech defects, it is worth contacting a speech therapist.

But working on correct pronunciation is not only the task of a specialist in a training center or kindergarten, where greater responsibility for this process rests with the parents themselves. It is they who must systematically correct the child if he pronounces some words incorrectly, read with him, do articulation exercises, talk, discuss various images, learn poetry and sing rhythmic songs. All this has a great effect on the baby’s speech, and also has a positive effect on his mood and self-confidence.

Why do children talk funny?

First of all, because they do not know how to do it correctly from birth. At first, poor diction is solely the “fault” of the child’s physiology, but as the baby grows, all defects need to be corrected and in no case supported. No matter how funny it may be for dad, when the baby tries to pronounce words like “fishing”, “work” or “pike”, not being able to reproduce the letters “r” and “u”, he is obliged to restrain his emotions. The little person needs to be supported in his studies and his efforts directed in the right direction. Children do not say funny words on purpose, they do it involuntarily, and if their loved ones make fun of them about this, they can only make things worse. Mistakes should be corrected gently and tactfully, but constantly.

In what cases should children's “abracadabra” be alarming?

As we have already said, starting from the age of two, it is worth showing interest in how the child speaks and try not to let delays in his speech development take their course. Speech therapists distinguish two types of vocabulary in children. Active is when the baby understands everything and speaks, repeating unfamiliar words after adults. In this case, there is nothing to worry about the baby’s speech.

The second variant of the norm is passive vocabulary. This term is applicable to children who respond to requests from adults, carry out their instructions, they understand everything, know the name of which object and what it is needed for, but at the same time do not speak at all or practically do not say anything except “mom”, “dad”. "or "yes" and "no". As a rule, such kids will not even speak funny and incorrectly; they will immediately begin to pronounce complex sentences, and quite competently, but when they grow to 3-4 years old.

But if the child is non-communicative, he does not respond to calls, does not fulfill the requests of other people, then he has certain health problems. They need to be addressed as soon as possible, since the greatest results are achieved by early correction of developmental delays. The older the children, the more difficult it is for specialists to correct speech problems.

Often the speech of little ones children Only those who live with them can understand. At this age, the child’s speech is situational in nature. Sometimes children, in certain situations, begin to use words from their “children's vocabulary.”

Have children, which Already at one and a half years old they speak well and use dozens of words. Their silent peers usually understand many words, but use much less in speech. Very often the parents themselves are to blame for this. They try to speak for the child themselves, ask leading questions, and the child has no choice but to simply nod in response. Therefore, the child does not need to explain, express his desires, he is already understood. This method of dialogue is suitable for children under one year old, but in no case for two- or three-year-old children. What should you do to get your child to talk?

First of all, do view that you don’t understand what the child is talking about. Ask him again or do something completely different from what he had in mind. The child will be pleased to feel smarter than his mother, and from this moment his speech can begin to develop.

The child who doesn't speak Fine, invents a language for himself. First, he begins to speak it while playing, referring to toys, then he can begin to plan his future actions. In such a situation, it is important to help your child and ask him specific guiding questions. For example, “Where do you want to put this toy?”, “What are you going to build from the cubes?” Answers to questions should not be monosyllabic. Extended dialogues between parent and child will help the latter learn to conduct conversations, both internal and external, in a language that everyone understands.

Expand your vocabulary baby, do not make allowances for his age. When talking to a child, use detailed sentences, speak to him in a normal tone, and comment on your actions. Of course, this does not mean that you need to start reading abstruse reports to him, but you should not bring your speech to the point of “babbling”.

The more words he hears child, the greater his vocabulary, even if it is still passive. That is, the composition of the words and , which he understands, although he does not yet use in his speech, is expanding.

Don't read to the little one to kid notations. Even if he speaks well, he still does not understand everything he hears. Little children have a hard time understanding abstract arguments about how they shouldn’t stick their fingers into a socket, or that it’s bad to be naughty. He just hasn’t grown up to complex explanations yet, don’t be angry with him if he doesn’t have the patience to listen to your instructions to the end.


Little children begin speak with simple words, first with nouns and pronouns, then they begin to pronounce adjectives and verbs. At the moment when a child's speech is established, it is very important that parents themselves use literate speech. You cannot repeat after a child his incorrect baby talk; this, of course, is funny, but it does little good for the child.

In order not to discourage the child's desire speak, don’t pull him back every time he says the wrong expressions. Just say it correctly every time, and your baby, following you, will learn to pronounce and construct sentences correctly. At the stage when the child’s speech begins to establish itself, the main task of the parents is to stimulate the child’s desire not only to speak, but also to communicate.

Note that before six months age, the child is only able to grasp the intonations of speech. At 9-10 months, the child understands many words, can fulfill the requests of the parents - point to objects, people, take and put certain things in place.

At one year old children can already consciously pronounce about a dozen words. By the age of two, a child’s vocabulary contains approximately three hundred words. And at the age of three, the number of words used should be about one and a half thousand. The child can already speak at the same level as adults.
By following the above recommendations, you will help your child speak correctly and earlier.


A A- person, animal, body aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-pain or discomfort abaaba- “I call the one who gave birth to me” a-bu-bae- “I do what I want and it gets done” (meaning that some action sets another action in motion)
a-bu-ve- “I do what I want and it shows” ava-ava- I see you, I know you here you go- I see you completely (completely) yeah- I understand you yeah yeah yeah- understood and remembered a-gu- “I confirm”, almost the same as “gu”, only with an indication of who exactly considers it correct agyya- approximately the same meaning as “aha-yah” - “I understand, I remember” a-e- my thought (idea) ah- please look at his body ayyyyyy- pay attention to my body alka- some object that the child worked on (he does not demand it, he just reminds him that the object is there) amuka- you are a close person to me, I accept you ah-ah- I finished it awww- “find me, come to me”? literally "I'm near (near)" Oh- I deny ahu- this is wrong B b- to be, to propagate, to create, creation ba- the one who gave birth to me woman- parent baba-m- a child uses this word when he needs the attention of the one who gave birth to him baba-di- the child uses this word when the parent has to give him something bava- teach (look at) me baba (the one who gave birth to me) badya, being- asks for the attention of a relative (mom, dad) bah- drive away a relative watch out- “a person dear and dear to me.” This is almost the same as “uncle”, only a relative, that is, “father” br- I do, I create boo- I do as I need to, “I do as I need, as is right,” “I act this way and not otherwise” bougie- it will be the way I think (in accordance with my idea, idea) boomba- a certain optional process, accepted by agreement, which is done by a loved one, and the child invites him to do it buff - the same as “boo” (it will be done as needed), only in full (from start to finish) IN V- see, know va- teach me wat- I see you (I remember, I know) G G- movement, path, movement of a unit (one) ha- go away (go, go out) screw- I explain to you Galya- I'm going to get my thing ge- Think
gay gay- my train of thought, I came up with gel- trying to understand the purpose of the item gi- “the path to the truth” or “looking for the reason” Gilka-the correct method is used in relation to the person gn- “I’m getting rid of repetition” or “I’m tired of everything”, “boring” goye- “the desire for integrity through thought.” It so happens that children, like adults, become attached to certain objects and consider them part of themselves.
grrrrrrr- I'm sending you away grh- drives away what bothers him gu- Right gee-gee- I understand I understand D d- get (take), kind de-dey-de- give an answer, ask or talk grandfather- experienced, but there is no indication of who is experienced grandfather(not “uncle”) - desire for attention from the most experienced person (grandmother, grandfather) di- dear (for a child, “dear” is an object that gives him a feeling of confidence or calm) crap- “to take to complete what he started,” that is, he needs the missing item that will provide him with peace of mind. In other words, it shows that the direction has been chosen correctly, but there is a lack of quantity or quality uncle- dear to me E e- an object of nature (thought, idea) Yo yo(yo)- an idea (thought) that differs from the social one AND life- height Z life- height zy-zy-zy- means that the child feels a change in himself (something has suddenly become larger), but what made him bigger is not part of his body, but is close, “zya” separately can mean that the child is hiding. AND And- rule, pattern, truth, reason, connection of one with another, continuation of action. For example, leafing through a book, a child saying “and” indicates that the action needs to be continued, i.e. turn the pages further ugh- “incorrect conclusion (statement)”, “casts doubt on the truth” Y th- soul (thought) TO ka- desire for a person (in relation to me) kadya- please approach a dear (necessary in this situation) person cl, cl-cl(b)i- I urgently need to finish something, I’m finishing the job, I’m finishing (finishing) koye- “the desire for integrity through thought.” It so happens that children, like adults, become attached to certain objects and consider them part of themselves. kh- “I deny” or “I don’t like it” haha- I deny a specific person ahem- “desire to deny unity” or “I don’t need you anymore” hummm- the same as “ahem”, only with confidence ky- “striving for a reason (rule)” or “search for a reason” whoops- something that rarely changes changes (for example, the change of seasons) shoo- “the desire of the rule for the norm”, i.e. “that’s how it’s supposed to be done”, “that’s normal” ke- desire for this L l- part of space la, lala- some thing, object lie-lie- I run (walk, crawl) around the apartment (room) la- my thing M m- we, together, peace, interaction mava- teach (look at) me mom (close person) Mother- close person mammm- “ma”, that is, the need for the attention of a loved one (strong need, since the syllables are repeated) mga- calls to go somewhere together (or says that we are currently going together) N n- similarity Nadya, I need it- I satisfy a need, a need, literally “I get something like this in me for wholeness” nana- looks the same as me (desire to communicate with peers) nge- “we think the same” or “we want the same things” or “I experience the same sensations.” The second "nge" serves as a reinforcement to emphasize the importance Ninana- with the same thoughts (ideas) and appearance as me (apparently he wants to ask something from a peer) ne- like this, same as this nya- “different me” or “same as me”. This is where the word “nanny” comes from, that is, communication between peers under the supervision of adults ABOUT O- basis, integrity, main, huge, large ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh- very uncomfortable or very painful P P- peace, confidence papa- defender Patya- “dad” + “daddy”, i.e. "You are my protector (peace)." That. this is a request to perform one of the corresponding functions (regardless of gender, since the language does not have words that distinguish people by gender) poof- Resting pf- “permeated with peace” or “a static (sometimes inanimate) object”, and if the child means himself, then “completely calm, I calm down” pha- I don’t want to rest R R- movement of the multitude ri- movement to connect rya- my movement (I am being moved) WITH With- in alliance, with me T thana- (you) are the same (similar) tata- just an indication of a person (animal), there is no desire for communication etc.- you are dear then- You are important for me you- you (person) type-type- you calm down (and if the object is far away, then it is “motionless, harmless) ts- we do it together (adults also use this word, but narrowly, only when asking for silence). When you say “ts” to a child, he pays attention and for him this is a game with the only rule: do as the one who said “ts”, that is, repeat after him tha- I don’t need you (at the moment) tut, tit- an accomplished person(s), a sign of respect and understanding of the importance of a given person, respected (adult) cha- you daddy- addressing another person, “other for me” U at- decree to approve, nearby ugh- he doesn’t like something that is next to him. You need to look where he points, there should be a cause of discomfort, or there should be a means to get rid of discomfort F F- teach me X X- denial, prohibition, vice versa heh- “denial of the plan” or “I don’t like what will happen (is happening)” if the child smiles and is not sick xxxxxxxxxxxxx H h- harmony C ts- target Sh w- norm, sufficient quantity, limit shhhhhh- you need to stop doing what you are doing at this moment SCH b b- part of the completed space, final result, result Y s- it is clear (understandable), and he fully understands how, what and why. It is possible that he is missing something new, since everything has already been studied and understood E uh- this, this, these - an indication of a specific object. After saying “e,” we must point with our hand or glance at where we want to draw the child’s attention; if we do nothing, he will not understand us (he will get confused), and the reaction can be anything. So, perhaps they are laughing at us because we speak incorrectly and seem to be making faces Hey- this soul (call, appeal to someone) eh- I deny it ew- this is (t) near, near me YU yu(yu)- “my soul is with another” (for example, “lu” is an object whose thought is next to another, hence the words “lull” and “love”, i.e. give a part of yourself, put your soul, thoughts around one, etc. .) I I(ya)- a soul having a body I'm busy- I have too many needs... yay(yay)- “thought to thought”, this is something like the process of putting coins into a piggy bank, where a coin is a thought (knowledge). Those. he folds the coin and says “coin.” Close to the meaning of the word "yay" from the speech of adults is the word "tak"

Masha Traub: writer and mother


Anyone can learn English and French, but few of us understand the “children’s” language. Masha Traub is not only a talented journalist and famous writer, but also a mother of many children, so she speaks this language perfectly. The Eksmo publishing house published a very funny and touching book, which Masha wrote on behalf of her one and a half year old daughter Sima. “What Babies Talk About” is not only a hymn to true maternal love, but also an attempt to look from the outside at our everyday, sometimes too “adult” life.

The heroes of your book, Sima and Vasya, perfectly understand the motives for the actions of adults. What do adults need to do to understand their children just as well?

Children need to be loved. Kiss, hug and cuddle. You need to talk to them. They need to be mixed. Humor is a cure for everything. From fears, insomnia, fatigue... Therefore, I wanted my book to make readers, if not laugh, then at least smile.

In your opinion, where does misunderstanding between generations arise?

This is a rhetorical question. Our parents grew up in another country, in different conditions, and their grandchildren are completely different. They think differently, talk differently, they have different values ​​and life guidelines. This is fine. It is important for me that my children have the right “insides”: generosity of soul, respect for elders, care for younger ones, decency, honesty, dignity, kindness and sincerity.

According to the book, you have rather democratic views on raising children - but what is it really like? Do you agree with the theory that until the age of seven, a child should be allowed to do everything?

I'm a strict mother. But strict in those issues that I spoke about. I absolutely cannot tolerate rudeness, lies, idleness, or indifference. Even in small things. I demand a lot from my son - to work, to be responsible for his actions and words, to help not when I ask for the fifth time, but when it is needed. He has a good quality - he knows how to mobilize and get together. He will wash the dishes, warm up his food, do his homework, play with his sister. This seems like nonsense, but it is actually very important. He knows that family is responsibility.

How did your loved ones react to the creation of this book? What is the most unusual feedback you have received from them?

Nobody has read this book yet. You see, in the family I am a mother and wife, and not a writer who is waiting for reviews of her books. In general, my husband is now only interested in how his daughter fed a squirrel during a walk in the park, and his son is now reading the classics, which at his age is much more useful and necessary.

You described Sima’s first birthday very funny. At what age does a child’s birthday become a holiday primarily for him, and not for adult relatives?

Don't know. Probably at that moment when a child asks his parents to go to the country for the weekend and call an hour before returning so that he has time to remove what the elders should not see. The moment the parents realize that the boy or girl has already grown up.

Do you think Sima will agree with you on everything when she grows up and reads the book written on her behalf?

By then, I hope she will understand that books are fiction. That speaking on behalf of the baby is a literary device. That not everything described in the book actually happened. I hope she will read my books as books and not as a literal account of her childhood.

What funny moment from your daughter's life will you remember at her wedding?

It seems to me that at her wedding I will drink valerian to my husband, her father, who will not survive this moment. He is already ready to take a gun to shoot potential suitors. He can't even imagine that his girl will grow up one day. And, to be honest, me too.

You wrote a very kind and truly funny book. Do you have a recipe for how parents can maintain a sense of humor and not bend under the weight of their difficult responsibilities?

Understand that everything is learned in comparison. When I had one son, it seemed to me that it was hard and I had no time at all. Then my daughter was born and I realized that I could run around the apartment twice as fast. And when one day, due to circumstances, I was left alone for two months with four children of different ages, I realized that I might get not a second, but a fourth wind. And after that I'm not afraid of anything.

You know, when I have absolutely no strength, I start speaking in phrases from cartoons. This is such a sign that I am “confused.” For example, when I once shouted to Vasya, “first, do your homework, second, go to bed and wash your hands,” my husband ended my quote with the voice of Ranevskaya, who voiced Miss Bok: “What a torment it is to raise children!” I laughed until I cried.

How old do you remember yourself? Tell us about your most vivid memory from early childhood.

I have a late memory. My childhood is the south, the sun, my grandmother, the mulberry tree in the yard, the rough whitewashed warm walls of the house in which we live. Dogwood bushes in the garden and incredibly tasty dogwood jam that grandma made. I still buy dogwood at the market and make jam, which no one in my house likes. But I can’t understand how it’s possible not to love THIS.

I remember my grandmother’s best friend - an old fortune teller, to whom people came from all over the area - she told fortunes using beans; I remember our distant relative, a famous herbalist, who cooked potions in a small kitchen. I remember the smells, the sensations in the palm of my hand... how I picked linden flowers for linden harvest, how I collected chamomile, which was then used to wash my hair, how I learned to brew thyme. I remember how to pluck a freshly killed chicken, how to process the ears of corn so that later they can be turned into a broom, and I also remember how to knit brooms.

If now, unexpectedly for my family and for myself, I start doing something - weaving incredible braids for my daughter, sewing, treating everyone with herbs, or baking pies with tops, simply because my hands remember and do it myself, these are definitely skills from childhood. They taught me a lot.

As a newsletter