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The Importance of Talking "Baby
Talk" to Your Baby
By Lauren Bradway, Ph.D.
It’s time to confess. I’m a speech-language pathologist who talks ‘baby
talk’ to babies. And not only do I enjoy doing so, I maintain that it’s
good for them!
Baby talk refers to standard vocabulary words that have been modified by
grownups to make them easier for Baby to say. They contain easier
sounds, shorter syllables, and lots of repetition. For example, the baby
talk word for stomach is ‘tum-tum,’ for good night, ‘nightie-night,’ for
urinate, ‘pee-pee,’ and so on.
In addition to using different words with babies, it’s natural for
adults to exaggerate pitch, slow the pace, and simplify sentence
structure. When a baby enters the room, note how your pitch gets higher
and you begin talking silly! This is an instinctive way of communicating
with babies, and it makes learning to talk fun for grownups and babies
alike.
Baby talk is a variation of adult language, invented by adults and
passed on to each generation of babies, its sole purpose being to teach
children to talk.
Peter Farb, a linguist and anthropologist, carried out a fascinating
study about baby talk. He researched the vocabulary of six very
different languages—English and Spanish, two Asian languages, Comanche,
and the language of a non-literate community in Siberia. He discovered
that every one of these languages had a baby talk vocabulary. While the
actual baby talk words differed, of course, from culture to culture, the
themes were amazingly similar. In all languages studied, the baby talk
words referred to eating, sleeping, toileting, good and bad behavior,
animal names, and terms for close relatives. These are the types of
words that are most important in the life of every baby.
My Own Experience
When my daughter, Isabel, was just beginning to talk, there were many
things she wanted to say but couldn’t because the words she needed
contained consonant sounds that were too difficult. For example, at 18
months one of her favorite treats was popcorn, but she couldn’t yet
produce the “kuh” sound. Remembering that one of the rules of creating a
baby talk word is to simplify, I began to call popcorn ‘pop-pop.’ She
loved this new word that she could pronounce, and the power it gave her
to get what she wanted.
Often Isabel would take the lead in inventing a baby talk word. As she
turned two, she referred to our pet cat, ‘Smokey’ as ‘Mo.’ A few months
later, she began to call him ‘Mokey’ and then finally ‘Smokey’ as she
matured and was able to pronounce more difficult sounds. Baby talk
seemed to help her progress naturally from one speech stage to the next.
There are many benefits to the time-honored tradition of speaking baby
talk to children. Babies get practice with simple sounds and short
syllables as well as lots of opportunity for repetition. Don’t miss out
on using these special words with your baby.
Dr. Bradway consults with parents online and in person.
About the Author
Dr. Lauren Bradway has a Master's Degree in Communication Disorders and
a Ph.D. in Human Ecology. The author of
HOW TO MAXIMIZE YOUR CHILD'S LEARNING ABILITY (Avery Publishing
Group, Garden City Park, NY), she has specialized in working with
children for over 25 years. Dr. Bradway runs a successful clinical
practice as a speech-language pathologist and is a consultant to
preschools, elementary schools, and bilingual programs. She trains
teachers to develop Individual Learning Style Profiles for children for
classroom use and consults with parents at
http://www.helpingchildrengrow.com
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