The Phonetics of a Trilingual Two Year Old

We recently did our annual Shaver Lake trip. We rented a cabin for several days with our good friends the Kellers and the Kesselrings. We hung out at the lake, went wake boarding, and just watched the kids run around wild. We found a pretty cozy little beach where we boated to and camped out. The kids had a blast, as did the parents. My parents were able to come up for the day too, which was really nice. Then on our way home we got to celebrate my niece, Juliana's birthday. She is a sweetheart.

With Brielle, one of his favorite friends

Not afraid to wear pink, sport slick shades, or part his hair down the middle

We just can't believe how many new things we experience every day with Axel now. He's going to preschool part-time, so he comes home saying new words in English that I have no idea what they mean. He wears his backpack, can take his shoes off, and he'll even wipe himself off after being a messy eater. He is just so incredibly sweet and crazy, and we are just enamored.

First day of preschool

People often ask me how his speech is going, since he's learning three languages. I wanted to document it because it has been really interesting to witness how this all works. 

We only speak Spanish and Swedish to him at home. He hears English from his friends at church, our friends, and now, preschool. He understands almost everything you say in Spanish, followed by Swedish, then English. But it seems like he can say an equal amount of words in all three languages. You would think he'd only speak Spanish, since I was home with him for the first 2 1/2 years of his life. 

But this is what happens. He started off being able to say a couple of words in Spanish, starting from when he was 12 months old. For example, bayas (berries). From there, he started saying similarly-sounding words in either Swedish, Spanish, or English because he already knew that pronunciation. So he now says these similar words:

bajs (pronounced bais) = poop, in Swedish

bike

bye bye 

He used to say adios, but since the "bi" pronunciation was easier and more familiar with him, he now says bye bye to everyone. I don't know how he learned to say bike. We have to be careful because we can easily think he has to go poop when he really wants to go out for a bike ride. 

He has also started making up his own words.....random words. For example:

shweiz = towel

Mmmm = food

chapacapaca = chocolate

Nuno = Owen, his dear 11 month old friend

Ma ma = pacifier

ggggga = open (we think he's trying to say puerta = door, in Spanish)

Other favorite words are:

dagis = preschool, in Swedish

gröt = oatmeal, Swedish

nalle = stuffed animal, in Swedish

seek = music, in Swedish (pronounced museek)

tack tack = thank you, in Swedish

agua = water, Spanish
mas = more, Spanish
da me = give me, Spanish (thanks, Mom)

bujo = owl, in Spanish

Cam = cama, or bed, in Spanish

Li Li = Olivia, our dear friend, and probably his favorite adult after us

woof woof = dog

chu-i = our dog neighbor

Yaya = Grandma, in Greek, which is what he calls our Greek neighbor, Helen

Sho = sure

Cheese 

Vroom = car

Book

Sits = sit, chair

Where is it? 

Where go?

Va a pappa? = Where is daddy, in Swedish

Do ta? = Donde esta, or where is it, in Spanish

Excited that I gave him chocolate for dessert

I'm sure there are many more, but those are the most used. Again, I'm amazed that he can ask questions like "where is it" in English. How did he learn that, when he's not exposed to it as much as he is to the other languages??

Happy boy

He absolutely preschool and asks for it every day, even though he goes every other day. "Sorry, Axel, today you get to stay home with Mama!....silence.....Mama, dagis (preschool)?" I've got a lot to live up to now that preschool is so fun. Today his teacher, Miss Kim, told me that the last several days during nap time he'd been crying before going to sleep. She'd console him and he'd sleep, but it would take a while. But today, he finally got it, and he climbed right into his bed and went right to sleep! It seems he's starting to feel really comfortable there, which obviously makes us so happy. 

He loves music, playing the guitar with Johan, and dancing. He loves throwing the ball to Leia. He is a total extrovert and adores having an audience to impress. He could spend all day every day at the pool. He jumps in with his floaties on and kicks and paddles around the pool by himself. He has no fear. He loves to play with a ball, soccer, throwing, all of it. And he is just a lovey. He loves giving kisses and hugging and wrestling, and just being with us. And Johan is his absolute hero. He waits every night for him to get home so he can read him books before going to bed. He is such a joy.