Stupid question - but when do words count as 'words'???

[fucksticks]

DS can copy me when I say something lots of times to him, so if I say 'cat' a few times when we see a cat, he will say it back.
He can copy most easily pronounced words.
Does this count as him knowing loads of words then? even though he only says it when prompted or do you count their first words as the ones they start to say by themselves and in context?

I would count those as words.

A word to me is something that is understood to mean the thing the child wants it to mean. I don't think it matters who says it first.

In the same way my DD aged can 'count' up to 13. She can only understand the concept of 4 without losing interest (as in select 4 items of something for me) but she can rote count up to 13 - it still means she can do it as far as I am concerned!

It's really really valuable! imitation is a foundational skill!

But I think that it's the ones they say themselves in context that we ought to count (though most of us aren't that objective!)

He can say 'bye' in context and by himslef so he is clearly very clever anyway

definitely!

But how would you know that it has gone from being

mama: cat
child: cat

to

mama: cat
child: (oh yes, a) cat (your right)

Pavlov

child would look at cat.

ah so the key would be if they look at their object, even if they are 'copying'...I agree, but might be hard to spot.

Therefore, I would be inclined to just consider my child a genius for talking so early on, and count these as first words

lol in that case my lads weren't late talkers after all....... yes, I like the way you think Pavlov, I like it......