"Ta!"

While my mum was out here she taught Anya this word. Whenever Anya handed her a toy, or a sock, or a half-chewed bit of food, mum would say "Ta!" And pretty quickly Anya picked it up.

But there's often a bit of a slip in meaning with these things. Most of us think of "ta" or indeed "thank you" as something said by the recipient of an object or favour to indicate their gratitude. But Anya sees it as describing the act of handing something over. More specifically, the act of her handing something to someone else.

So she's never yet said "Ta!" when I've given something to her. But frequently she'll toddle up to me, hold her bunny out, and say--with the easy imperiousness of someone who's grown up with servants--"Ta!" And then stand like a statue until I accept it. What she's really saying is less "thank you" than: "I won't be needing this any longer, daddy, kindly take it away."

I realise that, in a sense, she has grown up with servants (they're called "parents"), but still. It's like living with a midget Maggie Smith.