GEN: Reindeer 'paws' and other adaptations

[Johanna Halbeisen Rebecca Johnson School]

Haven't we all done this kind of thing (and not just in childhood)?  We
turn an unfamiliar word (in this case 'pause') into a familiar one
('paws').  And in most cases, the word doesn't even sound exactly the
same.  We've all heard these.  "Good Miss Murphy will follow me all
the days of my life."   My favorite illustration is from a three-year-old
preschool class I taught.  I showed the kids a crayfish I'd found in a
pond.  I pointed out its claws and feelers.  The kids were fascinated.
When a mommy came to pick up one boy, he ran to her and said,
"Come look at the greyfish with the long feelings!"  He translated the
unfamiliar words into ones he knew.

People do it all the time with the pronunciation of my first name!  And I do
it with unfamiliar names too.

--
Johanna Halbeisen                               "We are confronted by
Rebecca M. Johnson School(K-8)                   insurmountable opportunties."
Springfield, Mass
jhalbei@k12.oit.umass.edu                               Pogo