baby talk

noun

1. the speech of children learning to talk, marked by syntactic differences from adult speech and by phonetic modifications like lisping, lalling, and the omission and substitution of sounds.
2. Also called par·ent·ese [pair-, uh, n-, teez, -, tees, par-]. a style of speech used by adults in addressing children, pets, or sweethearts, and formed in imitation of the voice and pronunciation of children learning to talk: it is generally characterized in English by the addition of diminutive endings to words, the use of special words and pet names, and the systematic distortion of certain words, as dolly for doll, teensy-weensy for tiny, oo for you, and twain for train.

baby talk

noun

1. the speech of very young children learning to talk
2. an adult's imitation of this

Usage Note

Baby Talk is used as a label in this dictionary for well-known terms traditionally thought to exemplify the type of baby talk used by adults.

Word History and Origins

Origin of baby talk¹

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

McVay making faces and cooing baby talk on a video call.

From Los Angeles Times

His train of thought was idiotic, but it wasn't derailing into "ding boom" or baby talk.

From Salon

Research shows that young children are attracted to “parentese” or “motherese” — the kind of “baby talk” that the videos predominantly feature, in which the voice gets higher and facial expressions are exaggerated, Dr. Moyle said.

From New York Times

Why people, dolphins or other creatures use baby talk isn’t certain, but scientists believe it may help offspring learn to pronounce novel sounds.

From Washington Times

Parents around the world coo at their babies in swooping, high-pitched tones called “motherese,” or baby talk.

From Science Magazine