When I was a very small boy I didn’t speak English. My family communicated with me by using pictures. I would say something and they would get out various books and when I spoke they pointed to things until I nodded.
An example; I once informed them that there was,”A howashay bin da cowashay”. After several books, even more tantrums (they weren’t very good at it) and a walk around the farm they finally understood. “There was an elephant in the cowshed”. Of course, I was the only one who could see said elephant, so much had to be taken on trust.
One day an electrician came to do some work and so I assisted him (fresh meat). Upon leaving he posed a question to my mother.
“Nice kid, when’s he going back?”
“Back where?” asked mum
“To France, he is French isn’t he?”
“No! He’s my son.” Picking up on my mum’s tone the electrician decided not to pursue the conversation and left.
Let me set the scene a two year old boy on a farm all day by himself (and you thought Forest Gump was strange) Your parents are in their forties and you have two older sisters. One of them relishes pinning you to the floor and licking your face or tickling you until you pee your pants. The other one listens to Rock’n’Roll, jives with you and tells you that Elvis is really God.
Your role model is a pretend friend called Johnny (cool name) and you have a pretend girlfriend called June (birthday month). You also have a horse called Red (no idea). June is quite lovely but always being kidnapped by red indians native Americans and tied to a tree. Most of your day is spent sneaking into the enemy camp and releasing June, getting nettled, tying dock leaves to your legs (eases the sting) and inventing things that don’t work. The Native Americans only speak Sioux or Crow, June and Johnny only speak via you and you, at two-year-old don’t have anyone to talk to.
And they wonder why I had my own language.
I can relate to this story …when my son was two he spoke his very own language and the only one who even remotely understood him was his older sister (she was 4 yrs his senior), she was his official “translator”.
Excellent, just like R2D2 and C3PO apparently I kept this up until I was 4/5 ha.
Dead Can Dance made a living off putting child language to music.
They weren’t that big here sort of early goth weren’t they. Thanks for visiting
Charlie, your games sound great to me
And you can talk now. You just wanted to take your own time about it. And develop a language meantime.
Thankyou Kate, I’m afraid it’s a lost language now though
That’s what I need! My own language. Thanks for the tip.
Haha you’re welcome thanks for reading.
Why are all your stories so… HEART-WARMING? (Sorry, best compound word I could find on a HOT, UNBEARABLE Monday afternoon…) Feeling less hot and irritated, and more warm and fuzzy inside at the thought of a cute, determined, energetic, imaginative little boy on a farm…Thanks for this!
Heart-warming memories I guess. Although they do say write what you know, maybe I’m so insular I only know me haha. Thanks for the visit glad I can do some good
A little sign language would have gone a long way
Haha they probably tried that too, I never found out who became more frustrated, me or them. Thanks for the comment Ruta
Great post Charlie. Always love reading your stories, quite a “pleasant” distraction from the chaos of my daily drag. Hows the weather across the pond?
Cheers
Thankyou Phillip always appreciate it. Cold, wet, grey, but I’m not out on site
There again there is a little part of me that wishes I was ha.
High Charlie. A grate posed. I doo hunderstanned wot ewe went froo wen ewe wer yung. Ralph
Ha, thanks Ralph, I understood that well enough maybe I haven’t lost it.
Hope life in Andalusia is treating you well.
Hey Charlie. Had a bit of fun. It is freezing here at the moment, not sunbathing weather
Ralph
Sounds like a pretty good language to me!
Hey, thanks it seemed to work for me. A bit frustrating for the rest of them ha.