Baby Talk

Now that Baby J has started using words to get what she wants, we've started using more baby talk to encourage her language development. But I can't seem to figure out why we use "kitty cat" instead of just plain old "cat" and why we say "dolly" instead of "doll." Why "bye bye" instead of just "bye?" Why "daddy" instead of "dad?"

Why complicate things?

Maybe it's because it's cute as all hell to hear babies say "kitty cat" and "bye bye" and "daddy." Maybe by stretching out the words and using more syllables or repetitions we expose babies to a greater variety of sounds. Maybe it's just because that's what people do. Maybe by using words we don't ordinarily say in adult conversation, children know we are speaking directly to them in a unique, shared parent baby dialect.

Maybe I'm giving this too much though. Bye bye!