motherese
Britishnoun
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Human babies are known to prefer motherese over adult speech.
From Science Magazine ● Jun. 25, 2023
Instead, she thinks the mothers use motherese to tell their calves to pay attention, and perhaps to better identify whistles directed specifically at them, while enhancing their bond.
From Science Magazine ● Jun. 25, 2023
And babies, as anyone who has ever found themselves in the presence of one knows, also prefer the higher pitched, universal singsong that researchers call "motherese."
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2022
It's the exaggerated pitch, tempo and intonation that parents use when talking to their little ones — what linguists call "motherese" or "parentese."
From Salon ● Dec. 18, 2021
Aigner-Clark hired the women from a nearby language school and instructed them to speak in "motherese," the universal, high-pitched tone that many mothers use when talking to their children.
From Time Magazine Archive
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
