Baby Talk
Many mothers often use baby talk in communication with their young kids and babies. The conversation involves talking in a variety of pitches, switching them between lows and highs. Some scientists have examined this behavioral phenomenon that is common in mothers to understand the contribution of these patterns of speech in children’s language acquisition and speech development. Studies have also included an investigation of if fathers even modify their expression when communicating with babies as mothers do. Most people feel it welling up from within of about a six feet baby. The irritating sing-song inflection. The repetitive sounds and exaggerated vowels. It is impossible to avoid baby talk in many cultures.
Language acquisition is language development in kids. By the age of six, most children usually have mastered most of the first grammar and vocabulary of their primary language. Baby talk helps young toddlers and babies in learning how to speak. The slow and exaggerated sound and the exchange of pitch between high and low holds the attention of babies. It also gives them a clue on how to create a vocabulary, and how to decode sentences.
Few days after a baby is born, his/her brain has significant neuroplasticity. This condition can quickly create new neural connections, as well as absorb further information. As the young ones experience first sounds, sight, and smells, they create many everlasting impressions. Research by Sudrajat (2018) shows that young toddlers often learn to recognize and to prefer the sound and the voice of their caretakers. Most of the researchers have been unable to determine if it is more effective to apply adult speech from the beginning. However, the technology of brain scanning has given people the opportunity of using baby talk in their local and also foreign languages according to Sandee (2020), all communications, including sign language, exhibit parentese. While the impulse of this parentese is not on teaching them speech, it holds the attention of the babies, although parents may find it annoying to listen to the sing-song feature of parentese, babies like it.
Making vowels and consonants more clearly to the babies helps them in noting the difference. The use of these vowel consonants makes toddlers translate into a vocabulary better than babies whose parents do not use this approach. For any young toddler, listening to his/her language is like an adult person listening to a different language; it is challenging to know the beginning or end of one word. By looking at parentese, babies have an easy time locating the words.
The type of speech is not the only thing that matters. In a study by Rillo, Tonio, & Lucas (2019), face to face discourse in baby talk leads to better development of the child’s language. The more variance in the pitch of voice, the more the speech is exaggerated, the more the toddler babbles, in general, and in response. By the time the child attains two years of age, those that have experienced this babble would have known more vocabulary. A conversation consisting purely of baby-bubble is an active learning moment for the baby. The toddlers learn the discourse of giving and take. This news is heartening for the parents. Parentese is silly, lyrical, but it makes babies smile.
Often, babies may invent their own words. Parents should not be pressured to correct these babies because when they are ready, they will change to the actual world. What is essential is that they can know how the words work. Therefore, if parents understand that parentese is second nature, then they should keep it up. However, for those that are bothered by those lilting tones, they should not force it. Those who find themselves, in an entire mode of sing-song in the line of checkout, they have to take it easy. The exaggerations are usual, and the pitch changes. Parents would face it hard to control some of the alterations intentionally.
Earlier on, the baby talk was called motherese (Sandee (2020). Today, people refer to is as infant-directed speech as not just mothers, but strangers and fathers, as well as other older children, use it when communicating with the babies. Almost everyone uses baby talk, even if they try not to. The baby talk mainly involves more repetition, shorter sentences, and simpler words. What babies find attractive is not only the baby words but the sound too. The structure of baby talk is characteristic of rhythm, and the use of emotions. Unlike speech directed to adults, infant-directed speech contains more emotions, regardless of the real words used. It consists of a high pitch, more patterns of up and down, which attract the attention of the infant. The hyper articulated consonants and vowels exaggerate the differences in sounds. This exaggeration is what boosts the development of language. The more the vowels are exaggerated, the better the babies can differentiate sounds of speech.
Many parents have thought, for a long time, baby talk is the perfect way of communicating with their young babies. Speaking slowly, in a sing-song using-song using foreign words may not be the best way of talking to toddlers. Indeed, parents should communicate clearly with the babies. Simplified languages may hinder the development of a child’s language. Generally, a greater comprehension of language is exhibited by children exposed to complex sentences (Sudrajat, 2018). Parents should also adjust their way of speaking to kids as the baby grows. Besides, the manner of parent-child communication should match with the developmental skills of the child. At 18 months, babies of parents who adjust their speech patterns as per the growth of the baby show a better understanding of the meanings of words. Parents should also not get worried about speaking bulol or stuttering. These speech problems are common, and they generally go away at their own unless in cases where there is an underlying cause like issues in speaking physical features (lisping, cleft lip, short tongue, etc.). What matters is the child’s understanding and communication with words.
In conclusion, baby talk is not only about developing language skills. It also helps in brain development and enables children to do better in schools when they get older. Parents and caretakers should give positive content to the infants, not just increasing the quantity of the words. How a parent treats a child reflects how such a child sees him/herself and treats others. Thus, for a child to be pleasant and kind, he/she has to be molded in positive behavior and praised when they interact positively with others. However, there are words like “ittle-widdle” and “num-num” that don’t help the babies in speech development. Some scientists assert that baby talk harms speech and language development. Some people advise new parents, not to baby talk with their new babies as it slows down the language development of the child.
References
Sudrajat, D. (2018). Language Development and Acquisition in Childhood Stage: Psycholinguistic Review. Intelegensia: Jurnal Pendidikan dan Pembelajaran, 2(2).
Sandee LaMotte. (2020). ‘Parentese,’ not traditional baby talk, boosts a baby’s language development. Retrieved from https://edition.cnn.com/2020/02/03/health/baby-talk-boosts-infant-brain-wellness/index.html
Rillo, R. M., Tonio, J. Z., & Lucas, R. I. G. (2019). Features of Filipino Infant Directed Speech (IDS) and Maternal Input. Online Submission, 22(2).