Words and music

I have always been a big fan of words, especially obscure polysyllabic words - apoptosis, echolalia, schistosomiasis, perspicacity, (I could go on) just for the sound of them - the way the rythym and beat of the syllables bumping up against each other sort of feels good to read and think about the sounds. A little wierd, maybe, but there you go. Of late I've been watching and listening to Dear Alex as she works out language and words, and my absolute favorite is when she breaks into babbling, or jargon as it's called. Technically, she's in the post-canonical or advanced form of speech development - she can break into a "a multisyllabic vocalization that contains a mix of different consonants and/or vowels overlaid with changes in intonation." However you say it, it's a wonderful thing for a word-freak to listen to - you can see her delight with the way the syllables feel. When this stage of her development started, I thought it was that she was trying to say something, but just didn't have the words - I realize now that she's just having fun with the sounds. Kind of cool. I make note of this, not because there's anything special about Dear Alex, but because it's fun for daddy to listen to, and I'm pretty sure this is a phase that isn't going to last too long.