baby talk

American  

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 parentese.  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.

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baby talk British  

noun

1. the speech of very young children learning to talk

2. an adult's imitation of this

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Usage

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.

Etymology

Origin of baby talk

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

Other parents said their children have been having potty accidents again, speaking in baby talk or gibberish, sleeping in their parents’ bed and throwing tantrums over small changes in routines.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2025

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

From Salon • Mar. 6, 2024

It turns out that dolphin mothers also use a kind of high-pitched baby talk.

From Washington Times • Jun. 26, 2023

The dogs bark incessantly, and their owners respond with baby talk.

From New York Times • Apr. 30, 2023

Such a dog-lover talks baby talk to mature and thoughtful animals, and attributes his own sloppy characteristics to them until the dog becomes in his mind an alter ego.

From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck