Correcting vocabulary pronunciation

[Deleted User]

Just out of curiosity, to what extent do you correct your LO's pronunciation of words? I know there are a lot of things DS (age 2 1/2) says incorrectly because he can't pronounce the sounds yet but some things he can say, he just says them wrong. I kind of love it because it's so cute and there are things I almost hope he never learns how to pronounce correctly, lol, but I'm wondering if I should spend more time on his pronunciation or if I should just let it be and know he'll pick it up as time goes on.

sschwege

I asked the pedi about this at DD's 2 1/2 year appointment, she said you don't worry about it at this age.  Don't correct, just keep saying it correctly when you are speaking and LO will catch on.  I know that you are saying about certain things they can say, but say wrong.  For example DD will say, "Soffee cot" for 'coffee shop', somehow it got twisted around in her head, but I don't worry because she will figure it out, I just smile on the inside, it's so cute!

[Deleted User]

Thanks! One of our favorites is that he sometimes still says potzie for pizza even though he can say pizza correctly. It really does make me a little sad when he starts using the correct pronunciation for some things because it means he's getting older! 

sschwege

LeaLupins said:

Thanks! One of our favorites is that he sometimes still says potzie for pizza even though he can say pizza correctly. It really does make me a little sad when he starts using the correct pronunciation for some things because it means he's getting older! 

So sweet!  I know what you are saying about being sad, DD used to say, "pukin mukins' for pumpkin muffins, when she started saying it correctly a month or so ago, I was thinking, "Nooo!"

chardonnay24

I don't correct it at all. I repeat what he says a lot:

Him: Mama, wook, a twee!

Me: Oh, wow. A tree! Should we look for squirrels?

Him: Wirrels are nice.

Me: Yes, squirrels are nice. Look, I see one!

More modeling than correcting.

hmontty

My DD says, for example, "Buggy" instead of "Grammy" and "Bubuck" instead of "Grandma." "Guguck" for cracker..."Mucky" for milk. I could go on and on. I can't decide whether to be worried, but then on the other hand, she is speaking in 5 word sentences now and something new and amazing comes out of her mouth every day. The words she says wrong all seem to be older words that she's known for a long time. Her newer words seem to be easier for her to pronounce.

kgs0505

Yes, I say it back a lot, but certain things I will correct, because he gets it.  It's more for multi-syllabic words.    But I don't press the matter.  He seems interested in saying it correctly, and is good at hearing the difference, so I encourage it.  If he didn't hear the difference I wouldn't try to correct.

CopperT0p

I say things back to him correctly, he's slowly catching on. 

HML5382

I do what others say with the modeling as well, but I've been trying to work specifically on a few letters that she consistently mixes. Like she makes a T sound instead of the C/K sounds, D instead of J, and P instead of F. The cute words that she's come up with for certain things, like calling cars "beep beeps," I don't correct. And the ones she just says funny, we just say correctly and she eventually catches on. My husband and I were both totally bummed though when she started saying yogurt properly, we liked "gewgurt"

jesstellina

I don't correct DD's pronunciation, but I do correct her grammar in certain instances. She is ridiculously into asking questions, but she never inverts the subject and verb. Like tonight: "Where we are gonna go?" And I have her say "Where are WE going?"  Then she repeats it correctly. She's starting to say it the right way on her own sometimes.

TiffanyBerry

If DD is speaking something I can't understand, I repeat it back to her as closely as I can to what I heard her say (something generally unintelligible). I will *rarely* correct her pronunciation on something, if it's something I think she hasn't *heard* correctly.  But I think the game of repeating back what she says to me, in the way it sounds to me, has actually helped, because she has to work on improving her pronunciation so I can understand her.

ncbelle

chardonnay24 said:

I don't correct it at all. I repeat what he says a lot:

Him: Mama, wook, a twee!

Me: Oh, wow. A tree! Should we look for squirrels?

Him: Wirrels are nice.

Me: Yes, squirrels are nice. Look, I see one!

More modeling than correcting.

This is exactly what we do

SusieBW

Occasionally, DH and I both will correct DD, but only sometimes, and we don't push it too much.

The one word we both get hung up on is "animal."  DD says am-in-al a lot, and it drives us both nuts.  She can say it correctly, but only when she focuses and tries.  Sometimes we just repeat it back to her the right way, but every now and then we practice saying it the right way with her.

We model the right way most of the time, and don't really think too much about it.  We're certainly not worried, she's only 2.  We also model correct grammar and manners (please, thank you, excuse me, etc.).

RayRay007

I usually repeat with the proper pronunciation, but I have corrected her a couple of times. I don't harp on it.  

AimeeL85

I agree with the others, usually most pronunciation works itself out within the next year or so, so just repeating the words back in normal conversation should do.

Once in awhile I correct DS if I think he can say it properly but just doesn't realize how to say it.  For example he used to think it was funny to pretend to fall down on the floor and he would always say "ball down! ball down!"   One day I just said "hey buddy, it's actually "f-f-f-fall down, not b-b-b-ball down," emphasizing the first letters, and he picked it right up and said "fall" from then on.  I've only done it a few times.

wilabeth

My favorite is when we ask DS if he wants something and he responds "I did" instead of "I do."  It's so sweet the way he says I did. I'm going to miss it when he learns to say I do correctly.

 We do repeat him by saying things like "Ok, you DO want a drink,etc"

FionaTheFlower

chardonnay24 said:

I don't correct it at all. I repeat what he says a lot:

Him: Mama, wook, a twee!

Me: Oh, wow. A tree! Should we look for squirrels?

Him: Wirrels are nice.

Me: Yes, squirrels are nice. Look, I see one!

More modeling than correcting.

This is what we do.  Sometimes, if I have asked him to say a new or complicated word, I will repeat it again after he attempts it and ask him to say it again.  It's in a very encouraging way, though.  I don't want him to feel that he shouldn't attempt to say things, because they might be wrong.