# How do you stop a 2 year old saying a grawlix?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-stop-a-2-year-old-saying-a-grawlix/493588
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [April 19, 2009, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-stop-a-2-year-old-saying-a-grawlix/493588 "2009-04-19T01:04:21Z")
**Posts on this page:** 13
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@blinkingblinking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blinkingblinking)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2009, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-stop-a-2-year-old-saying-a-grawlix/493588/1 "2009-04-19T01:04:21Z")
Darcy can say a lot now in English and Cambodian. Before he hits the tennis ball to me, he says “ready, ready?”
When I hit the ball to him he says “shot, shot!”
He has trouble saying the ‘tr’ sound. Instead of ‘tree’, he says ‘fee’. Instead of ‘train’, he says ‘fain’. Instead of ‘truck’ , he says ‘@#_% !’. We drive along and Darcy is saying 'Big @#_% !’ ‘Big @#_% !’ 'Big @#_% !’.
---
### Author:  [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2009, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-stop-a-2-year-old-saying-a-grawlix/493588/2 "2009-04-19T01:25:04Z")
You wait patiently for a year or so and try not to giggle at the unintentional obscenities. This is well within the range of “normal phonetic development” for a two-year-old in English. (Can’t speak to Cambodian.)
---
### Author:  [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2009, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-stop-a-2-year-old-saying-a-grawlix/493588/3 "2009-04-19T02:24:42Z")
You can try alternate names for some things, but I can’t think of anything for truck.
My daughter was saying “fire f\*\*\*” instead of “fire truck” at that age. I taught her to say “fire engine” instead. I think she would actually say truck correctly when talking about ordinary trucks though.
---
### Author:  [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2009, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-stop-a-2-year-old-saying-a-grawlix/493588/4 "2009-04-19T02:45:26Z")
> [@Fubaya](#):
>
> You can try alternate names for some things, but I can’t think of anything for truck.
Lorry?
---
### Author:  [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2009, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-stop-a-2-year-old-saying-a-grawlix/493588/5 "2009-04-19T03:45:14Z")
Well, I was worried about my daughter at that age not being able to pronounce “L” words and instead substituting “Y:” as in yick the 'poon. Yes, “S” was also an issue. Also the “ng” ending to words was elusive. She grew out of it, as most kids do.
ETA: And thanks. I’d never heard of the word “grawlix” before.
---
### Author:  [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2009, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-stop-a-2-year-old-saying-a-grawlix/493588/6 "2009-04-19T03:51:23Z")
> [@Leaffan](#):
>
> Well, I was worried about my daughter at that age not being able to pronounce “L” words and instead substituting “Y:” as in yick the 'poon. Yes, “S” was also an issue. Also the “ng” ending to words was elusive. She grew out of it, as most kids do.
>
> ETA: And thanks. I’d never heard of the word “grawlix” before.
Great. Now I see there’s a whole other thread on the word “grawlix!”
---
### Author:  [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2009, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-stop-a-2-year-old-saying-a-grawlix/493588/7 "2009-04-19T06:58:37Z")
The thing with little kids is they are smarter than you think.
He may not know to what the word “truck” means when he pronounces it with an “f” instead, but if it causes you embarassment, or makes you laugh he sure will know enough to keep doing it.
---
### Author:  [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2009, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-stop-a-2-year-old-saying-a-grawlix/493588/8 "2009-04-19T14:48:07Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#):
>
> Lorry?
Yeah I was thinking pickup trucks and I just realized “pickup” would be a good word for them.
---
### Author:  [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2009, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-stop-a-2-year-old-saying-a-grawlix/493588/9 "2009-04-19T16:09:26Z")
> [@Fubaya](#):
>
> Yeah I was thinking pickup trucks and I just realized “pickup” would be a good word for them.
Great, a synonym for _either_ pronunciation.
---
### Author:  [@blinkingblinking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blinkingblinking)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2009, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-stop-a-2-year-old-saying-a-grawlix/493588/10 "2009-04-19T19:36:06Z")
> [@Fubaya](#):
>
> Yeah I was thinking pickup trucks and I just realized “pickup” would be a good word for them.
I live in Australia and a pickup is called a ‘ute’.
---
### Author:  [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2009, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-stop-a-2-year-old-saying-a-grawlix/493588/11 "2009-04-19T19:44:20Z")
> [@Leaffan](#):
>
> ETA: And thanks. I’d never heard of the word “grawlix” before.
Of course, he’s using it incorrectly to show off that he knows the word “grawlix”. Nobody _says_ a grawlix. They say profanity, or obscenity. But a grawlix is a strictly written thing.
---
### Author:  [@Arkcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arkcon)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2009, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-stop-a-2-year-old-saying-a-grawlix/493588/12 "2009-04-19T20:19:42Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#):
>
> Of course, he’s using it incorrectly to show off that he knows the word “grawlix”. Nobody _says_ a grawlix. They say profanity, or obscenity. But a grawlix is a strictly written thing.
It might be two pages down by now, but the term is defined on this forum. 😉 So I’m guessing someone wanted to use the new term, or was just reminded of the definition. And forgot that these sorts of forums show time in reverse.
---
### Author:  [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)
#### Post date: [April 20, 2009, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-stop-a-2-year-old-saying-a-grawlix/493588/13 "2009-04-20T20:06:52Z")
> [@Markxxx](#):
>
> He may not know to what the word “truck” means when he pronounces it with an “f” instead, but if it causes you embarassment, or makes you laugh he sure will know enough to keep doing it.
When my sister was about four or five, she used to come into the living room and let fly with a torrent of swears that would turn a sailor’s ears red. Not because she was angry, but because she loved watching my folks and I try desperately not to laugh. We failed.
–Cliffy