no words in this vernacular. . .

I offer the following selected definitions from the vocabulary of a thirteen month old Des Plaines boy named Benjamin:

oh ah
That would be the arrangement of syllables Ben chooses to slur together after seeing something fall from his hand. In lieu of the traditional “uh-oh”.

ahhhoooh?
As he picks up, opens and turns backward his mommy’s cell phone, then tilts his head to the side and brings the phone to his ear, this is the sound Ben utters over the receiver in lieu of “Hello”.

[guttural noise]
Benjamin’s reply to the question, “Benjamin, what sound does a tiger make?”

rrrrrrrrrr - or - fffffffffff
How Ben responds to, “Benjamin! Look at the puppy-dog outside!”

ccc-ttte
What Benjamin utters just before he pulls on our cat Callie’s tail as she tries to sneak by.

mmmm
Benjamin is hungry or he wants more. Or [if repeated incessantly] “I really like that!”

da da da
Not would you would think. This one is sometimes used to refer to the paterfamilias, though you’ll more frequently hear it anytime that he is feeling energetic or agressive.

ma. ma.
You have to picture this one to truly appreciate it. . . While starting the “mmmm” sound, Ben tightly closes his lips, generating the power to belt out the “Ah!” in staccato, then quickly closes his mouth, sticks his bottom lip out and wrinkles his nose. Two seconds later: rinse, recycle, repeat.

nnna
This one comes before bedtime, after mommy tells him “night-night”.

ah-ah-ah
This is what runs through Benjamin’s cranium after he hears mommy say “no”:

“No? What did you say? No? All right! No! Okay, No! I’ll do it again! No! Again! No! No! Here she comes! No! Tee-hee, mommy’s coming! No, Benjamin! No! Here she is! Hi, mommy! Did you see me?! Did you see what I did?! No-no! I know! Wasn’t that cool?! I’ll do it again! No! Hi mommy! I love it when mommy picks me up! Hi mommy! No! I love you! No!”

So in order to re-claim the use of the negative, Anna has added “ah-ah-ah” to the ending. No! Ah-ah-ah! Benjamin smiles, repeats the phrase, and [so far] stops doing the dirty deed that prompted his mommy’s attention. My question is, what happens when we need to add another suffix to that phrase in order to keep him in line? And another? Such is the joy and uncertainty of parenting.

Did I say joy? I meant da da da da da!