My 4 year old uses made up words, he has his own language going on, its really bizarre. He is very verbal and has a huge vocabulary for his age (he started reading at 2.7 or so), so I know he isn't doing it because he cant communicate properly.

Does anyone have any experience with this? Do you correct them and make them speak properly?

I would enjoy it and make a dictionary! Everyone has their own tolerance for the 'make belive stuff.' ((wink))

LOL, yes my DS5 did that around 3 or 4 too. He always had a great vocabulary as well. He would say something and then I would be quite confused and then he would tell me the made up definition as if I should know it. And then he started to make up expressions...of course they were not at all expressions and were quite comical. He would say "sometimes people say that" I would laugh to myself as clearly he was the only one that would ever say that. DS5 was also interested in other languages and learning them. You may want to try that with your 4yo. My DS enjoyed learning the alphabet in sign language and in spanish and then other words in spanish. He still likes to pick out words and learn them in as many languages as possible.

I second the dictionary. My cousins and I came up with another language around that age out of boredom and curiosity as to how languages develop, and we still have some of the papers written in our language saved in a box in the basement...

My DS 5 does this all of the time. I swear he has his own language that he can understand.

The dictionary is a great idea, I hadn't thought of that, I bet that will be really cute for him (and me) to read when he is older too.

Once again, glad to find there are other kids out there with the same kind of things going on. Thanks!

Some of my favorites from DS:

larryified = marching around with your chest puffed out. (etymologically related to "hilarious"?)

expulsion bridge = a bridge that's not a suspension bridge (thinking expelled vs. suspended at school?)

Hahaha, ok this is great to read, that is exactly what his words are like.

He decided the other day that if one thumb up means good, then a thumb and an index finger must mean "not good". He explained himself and managed to convince a room full of people that it made perfect sense.

my daughter did this at two and a half too and people tried to correct her...just let him roll with it, she actually doesn't do it as much anymore. She also read at 2 and is now making up amazing songs and stories. Enjoy his creativity.

I used to drive my DH crazy with my 'made up expressions' when DS was small. DH was convinsed that I would 'confuse' him - HA HA!

When I took things out of the refrigerator, I would 'cool them up' in the microwave so that they would still be nice and cool (DS's prefered temperature) and yet not icy cold.

I really liked being a mom of a toddler because it gave me the freedom to invent so much language. Then DS grew up and I started doing it here!

Smiles,
Grinity

OMG, so funny! Yes, my son did this a lot from 3.5-4.5, I sometimes kept a list. He was also learning French at the time, still is, and interested in other languages. I think that has something to do with it. He would read his English and French kid dictionaries before bed every night, maybe this had something to do with it.

My google has failed me. This is not the recent thread about made up words I was looking for. The boy just made a funny noise. I called it something between a burp and a gurgle. He said, "then it's a "Gurp". Ew., lol

Holy cow, this is driving us nutzo right now:

"Nar-nar" is, best I can define it, a state of being for a vehicle that is currently without roof. A convertible with the top down is nar-nar. An army jeep is nar-nar. A motorcycle is "kind of nar-nar."

It's not etymologically related to anything, as far as we can tell. He just noticed a gap in the English language where he REALLY needed (due to his, um, great love of anything vehicular) there to be a specific word. "It has its top down" or "it doesn't have a roof" just didn't cut it, oh no. We needed to be able to say, "It's nar-nar."

My mom's cousin didn't speak until he was 4. Then he spoke four languages at once: English like his father, Spanish like his mother, German like his nanny, and his own language. He'd apparently deduced that everyone who could talk had their own language, so he didn't talk until he'd come up with his.

It's a family legend, but I have met the guy. His parents would probably have appreciated this forum!

smacca,

At least he didn't decide to use "topless", a very reasonable choice, to describe this vehicular state. Imagine the looks the grandparents would give you if he nonchalantly dropped "Mom likes to drive the convertible topless..." into conversation.

my son did the same thing at about the same age. he had over 300 words by 18mos and taught himself to read by 2.5yrs. around 4-5yrs he had made up a language he called "fallalajah" and used to go around singing songs in the language. very cute we thought. it went away but he still remembers that he used to do that.

DD5.5 has done this for quite some time. She enjoys making up new words on the fly, then gives me the definition for them if I look confused. I enjoy the creativity. She's been very verbal for a long time and is a great communicator (as long as her thoughts or feelings don't get in the way!) so I have never seen a problem with this behavior.