# Your first words **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 12, 2006, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-first-words/352318 "2006-04-12T01:55:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2006, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-first-words/352318/1 "2006-04-12T01:55:44Z")
Parents, what were your children’s first words? Others, do you know what yours were? My mom said mine was “mama” and my brother’s was the same, so I’m guessing it’s fairly common. Secret reason behind this is to share what my little angel’s first words were today. 🙂 Whenever I give her something I always say “thank you” I suppose out of habit; I don’t even think about it anymore. Well today, very clearly she repeated my words. This is the first real words she’s spoken at sixteen months, and I’m just so tickled that of all the things she could say she says “thank you”. It’s so funny what brings a parents joy so huge it brings tears. It’s not like in a few years she won’t be saying all kinds of words, even words I am not so fond of. Still… Thank you. :beams: ---
**Author:** ![Electronic\_Chaos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Electronic\_Chaos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electronic_Chaos)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2006, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-first-words/352318/2 "2006-04-12T02:11:43Z")
I think it was something along the lines of “Vile woman! I will destroy you!” Yeah, I’m kind of like Stewie that way… ---
**Author:** ![mlerose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/43a26b/32.png) [@mlerose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlerose)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2006, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-first-words/352318/3 "2006-04-12T02:13:58Z")
"hot,"age approximately 9 months. We had a woodstove for heat and my parents cautioned me against touching it. So my first word was “hot,” shortly followed by mama and kitty. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2006, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-first-words/352318/4 "2006-04-12T02:18:19Z")
My daughter’s were “Da Da” and then “Mama” which are typical. The reason parents got those names is because young children tend to say those sounds first and assign them to what is there. The odd one was word #3: - “Alligator”. Here favorite book was about an alligator toy that became alive in a classroom and she really made an effort and said it very well before she was even one. It warms my Louisiana heart. ---
**Author:** ![shamrock227](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@shamrock227](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shamrock227)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2006, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-first-words/352318/5 "2006-04-12T02:31:15Z")
aawww. What nice first words 🙂 According to my Mother. My first word (beyond the usual mama dada) was “pretty”. My little Sister’s was “gimme”. I think you can tell a lot about the two of us just from that 😃 ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2006, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-first-words/352318/6 "2006-04-12T02:31:28Z")
I was a very late talker. I could say the words, but I didn’t want to. Until I got full sentences down, I would point and grunt. I never did the baby talk thing, even as a very small one. I was quite non-verbal. My first word, if you believe my mother (which I’m inclined to do), was “shit”. Then I went mostly silent until I walked up to my mom one day (I was four, I think) and said “what’s for lunch, mom?”. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2006, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-first-words/352318/7 "2006-04-12T02:37:57Z")
Charlie’s first word was “Gog” about 7 mos or so. He meant “dog” specifically our black lab/border collie cross, Joe. I remember it clear as day. He was sitting in his high chair at the dinner table and Joe trotted through the dining room. Charlie leaned over to try to touch him and said, “Gog!” I said, “Who was that?” and he replied, “Gog!” I have no idea what my own first word was. ---
**Author:** ![Matthew1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ed655f/32.png) [@Matthew1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Matthew1)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2006, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-first-words/352318/8 "2006-04-12T03:45:38Z")
Mine was simple…“EAT!” it was on an airplane…haha…we travelled a lot and I always heard “where do you want to eat?” so my understanding was that I picked up the end word… Funny part: the FA on the plane kept thinking I was trying to get her attention to get food, and we ended up with a ton of peanuts and little snacks…ok, so maybe it’s not that funny, but I like the story…haha ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2006, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-first-words/352318/9 "2006-04-12T03:57:47Z")
According to Mom, my first word was “clock.” I have no idea how old I was, but I’m pretty sure the story is that I was referring to the chiming clock we had (and that she still has). ---
**Author:** ![Strinka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strinka/32/512_2.png) [@Strinka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strinka)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2006, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-first-words/352318/10 "2006-04-12T04:09:36Z")
I don’t know what my first words were, but I didn’t start talking until I was three. (I talked before that but not regularly. My belief is that I knew how to talk, I just didn’t want or need to.) Anyone later than that? ---
**Author:** ![bubble\_pop\_electric](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecae2f/32.png) [@bubble\_pop\_electric](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bubble_pop_electric)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2006, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-first-words/352318/11 "2006-04-12T04:32:03Z")
“Quack quack.” I wanted a stuffed animal duck in a store. I think my parents or I may still have it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Vesper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c68b51/32.png) [@Vesper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vesper)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2006, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-first-words/352318/12 "2006-04-12T04:41:48Z")
My first word was “poo.” Not an illustrious beginning. My daughter’s first word was “foofee.” Still trying to figure out exactly what that means… ---
**Author:** ![Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/779978/32.png) [@Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amazon_Floozy_Goddess)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2006, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-first-words/352318/13 "2006-04-12T05:00:44Z")
My dad used to have this book full of hockey cards that I was fascinated with. My mom said that my dad would point out the players and read their names to me. For some reason I found the card of then-Montreal Canadiens player Guy Lafleur particularly interesting. I was told I would toddle around the house with the book, muttering, “Guy, Guy, Guy…” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2006, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-first-words/352318/14 "2006-04-12T05:13:34Z")
My first word was “dog.” **ronincyberpunk** ’s first word was “book.” I know because I was the only person who heard it. 🆒 ( **ronincyberpunk** is my younger brother.) ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2006, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-first-words/352318/15 "2006-04-12T05:36:38Z")
> [@FilmGeek](#): > > I was a very late talker. I could say the words, but I didn’t want to. Until I got full sentences down, I would point and grunt. I never did the baby talk thing, even as a very small one. I was quite non-verbal. > > My first word, if you believe my mother (which I’m inclined to do), was “shit”. Then I went mostly silent until I walked up to my mom one day (I was four, I think) and said “what’s for lunch, mom?”. I was the same. Late talker, first words an entire sentence, namely: “That’s a hole.” According to my mum, anyway. Apparently I was pointing at a hole in a piece of wooden furniture. ---
**Author:** ![kellner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c2a13f/32.png) [@kellner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kellner)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2006, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-first-words/352318/16 "2006-04-12T05:39:10Z")
My first word was “no” (well, “nein” of course.) My brother’s first word after the usual mama/papa was “Mülltonne” - “garbage can” ---
**Author:** ![GrizzRich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7ba0ec/32.png) [@GrizzRich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrizzRich)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2006, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-first-words/352318/17 "2006-04-12T05:44:07Z")
Sadly, I don’t know _my_ first word. Both my son’s and daughter’s first spoken word was “Ma”. But, in true fashion to make Daddy proud, they both could sign before they could speak. My son signed _hungry_ and my daughter signed _daddy_. none of us are hearing impared… I’m just well versed in sign-language and it’s important to me that they know how to sign ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2006, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-first-words/352318/18 "2006-04-12T05:46:49Z")
I allegedly spoke “I want” at two years. (I suspect this is wrong. By my second birthday I had two younger sisters. I think my first words were, “What the hell is going on around here, Mom?”) ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2006, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-first-words/352318/19 "2006-04-12T05:48:28Z")
> [@GrizzRich](#): > > But, in true fashion to make Daddy proud, they both could sign before they could speak. My son signed _hungry_ and my daughter signed _daddy_. > > none of us are hearing impared… I’m just well versed in sign-language and it’s important to me that they know how to sign That’s quite interesting. I’d never thought about that before. I wonder if there’s any data on whether kids exposed to both will generally sign before they speak. Come to think of it, babies do tend to spend a lot of time playing with their hands and fingers, which is an equivalent to ‘baby talk’ I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Mondegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/91b2a8/32.png) [@Lord\_Mondegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Mondegreen)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2006, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-first-words/352318/20 "2006-04-12T06:18:18Z")
> [@TheLoadedDog](#): > > That’s quite interesting. I’d never thought about that before. I wonder if there’s any data on whether kids exposed to both will generally sign before they speak. Come to think of it, babies do tend to spend a lot of time playing with their hands and fingers, which is an equivalent to ‘baby talk’ I guess. Our first daughter was a very late talker. We taught her a very cut-down sign language (search for “kindersigns” or “baby signs”). She had quite a vocabulary until the talking finally came. Saved us from many, many months of frustration - I don’t know how we would have coped without it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-first-words/352318.md?page=2)