I have 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 train, "choo-choo," and so on.

In addition to using different words with babies, it's natural for adults to slow their pace, simplify sentence structure and singsong their words. 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 then 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.

An Anthropological Study

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 small, non-literate community in Siberia. What he discovered was that every one of these languages had a baby talk vocabulary. While the actual words differed, of course, from culture to culture, the themes were amazingly similar. Baby talk words referred to eating, sleeping, toileting, good and bad behavior, animal names, and terms for close relatives. These, of course, are the words that are most important in the life of every baby, whether born in Siberia or Seattle.

The most common sounds in baby talk are the consonants made with the lips which are "p," "b" and "m." These are the first sounds a child can make, probably because the lips are used early on for nursing. The next three consonants a child produces are formed with the tongue and are "t," "d" and "n." So it is not surprising that the earliest words infants speak are those like "papa," "mama" and "dada," which contain lip and tongue sounds.

My Own Experience

When my daughter, Isabel, was just beginning to talk, there were many things she wanted to say but couldn't pronounce because the words she needed contained consonant sounds that were too difficult for her. For example, at 18 months one of her favorite treats was popcorn, but she couldn't yet produce the "kuh" sound. To make the word easier to say, 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. By the age of four when she had mastered some consonant blends, he became "Smokey." and was able to pronounce more difficult sounds. Baby talk helped her progress naturally from one speech stage to the next and provided communication success at every age.

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. And, by the time kindergarten begins, baby talk will be left behind just like a well worn teddy bear.