Lily is beginning to count. She will identify when there are 'two' of something. I understand that Universal Grammar, the base set of rules that all languages follow, naturally teaches us the concept of 1, 2 and many. Beyond this, numbering systems are language specific. It appears her ability to count has matched the limits of Universal Grammar, next she'll be able to count through the single digits, and eventually tackle that whole decimal system.
Right now she doesn't fully grasp 'counting' conceptually, from what I can tell, but does repeat numbers with the rhythmic pattern she has heard us say them. So, she'll often say "three, two, three, TWO" when asked to count some object -- repeating two different numbers (occasionally it's the numbers 8 and 9). We have reinforced counting (while reading, etc) enough that she'll probably get some grasp on it soon.
She repeats sections of the alphabet in a similar way, blending 'l-m-n-o-p' into what almost sounds like a single word, for example. It's probably safe to say she has even less grasp on what the alphabet is than numbers, at this point. Its use is a little more abstract, I guess. She also hasn't mastered all the basic shapes yet, at least with consistent verbal recognition, which is a precursor to recognizing and distinguishing letters.
No comments:
Post a Comment