Reflections on Childhood and the First Stuffed Animal
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Introducing Bahh – My Very First Stuffed Animal
In 1952, shortly after my birth, my great-aunt Mae presented me with a little stuffed dog. According to my mother, once I was a few months old, I clutched him tightly while sleeping in my crib. When I was just starting to talk, I named him 'Bahh,' a name that I suspect was whatever could come out in those early days. This stuffed animal, Bahh, became my favorite companion.
The Significance of Bahh in My Life
Alongside Bahh, I received other stuffed animals, including a huge bunny that stood as tall as I was at the age of two. However, Bahh remained my cherished friend. My mother had to patch him up several times over the years. At around six years old, I lost my fondness for stuffed animals, and Bahh mostly sat on a shelf or in boxes. However, I could never part with him. To this day, Bahh lives on the high shelf of my office bookcase, adorned with a rosary around his neck, as one of his eyes looks upward in a prayerful stance.
Bahh is a reminder of many fond memories, including my mother's kindness and the bonds created with relatives like great-aunt Mae, who has been gone for almost half a century. He also reminds me of the spiritual aspect of God's creation, which includes scruffy stuffed animals and children like me.
Exploring the World of Preverbal Communication
Recalling my own preverbal days, it's fascinating to think about how we communicated. My sister and I were not yet capable of spoken language, and our dog was referred to by a guttural sound – 'Urgh Urgh.' This dry gurgle-like sound was the closest thing we could manage. His insides were made of stuffed straw.
At the time, musicians understand the importance of pauses that are part of many sounds and words. There are languages like African click languages, where sounds change with the wetness of your mouth. Our pre-English communication was full of the physicality of our whole mouths and throats, copying the sounds that the world around us made. We mimicked the sound of a door creaking and the click-click of horses' hooves.
Transitioning to Spoken English
I was told that I started talking in full, fluent sentences at around the age of three. What a palaver!
The onomatopoeic 'Urgh Urgh' translates to the English-word 'Wuff' in dog-talk. Languages like dog-talk have different cadences than human English. The rhythm of sounds is what we call cadence. This understanding of cadence is critical in spoken English, where long strings of sounds can make it difficult to distinguish one word from another.
Bahh, my first stuffed animal, and the 'Urgh Urgh' of my early communication have become symbols of a bygone era of pre-verbal understanding. These memories are a reminder of the significance of communication, both in language and in creating emotional bonds. Whether we are talking to a stuffed animal or to another human, the connections we make are a testament to the beauty of human experience.