Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Toddler Creole

Poo-la - birds of all sorts, including chickens, also used for the chicken we eat
Boo-la - ball, but they are now calling it a goo-la
**They add la to the end of a lot of words. La means there, but it doesn't make sense that they would say boo-la when the ball is in their hands.
Low - water
**They usually say ee-ba in front of low. We have no idea what ee-ba means. Lately they've been adding all-lay to the front of low. They say it as if asking if they can have some (when their cup is within their reach). When they say ee-ba it is more like they are asking for us to get them some.
Mon-jay - eat
Encore - more
Fee-nee - finished, or used if something is all gone; they pronounce it fee-mee
Ma-sheen - all vehicles
Ah-vee-own - airplanes and helicopters
Mimi - definitely cats, but includes other animals, too
Too-too - animals, usually bigger animals; all animals are either mimis or too-toos
Too-lay - socks (not the creole word for socks as far as I can tell)
Let - milk
Shee-tah - sit
All-lay - go
Doe-mee - sleep
Paw - don’t
Ray-tay - stay
Bone-bone - snack or treat
too-shay - touch
We - yes
Mew-zeek - music; Samuel loves his mew-zeek

They still speak a lot of Creole to each other, much of which I have no idea what they are saying. You have to keep in mind that they are two. Their language skills aren't that of a US two year old and think about how many two year olds talk. They make up their own words for things and mispronounce some words. Figuring out what these two are saying isn't easy with the language barrier and the fact that they are speaking at a two year old (or less) level. They understand everything we say to them and repeat things all the time. This morning at breakfast they seemed to catch on that all done is the same as fee-nee. They are learning new words all the time.

3 comments:

TJ said...

I'll always have such fond memories of Mimis and Tutus watching Tom and Jerry with your beautiful boys in the hotel in Miami!
Miss you all - see you next week (one way or another - if you're around, that is). Maybe if the weather's good I could sit with Tristan at a park while you chase the big'ns around?
Terri

Anonymous said...

I like a bone-bone.

Christi

Anonymous said...

My husband and I adopted a 2yr old girl from Haiti in April '08. She uses the word "boola" or "bula" for drink. We have asked others who know Creole and French and they have confirmed that this means drink. It is interesting that they are using so much Creole. Our daughter didn't use a whole lot of intelligible Creole ( at least to us) when she got here. She knew some English because she was with some Americans at the orphanage. I am sure you are super BUSY. We have all daughters, ages 19,11 and 2 1/2. I can't imagine having essentially 2yr old twins and a newborn. God Bless. Angie