Meanings
alternative babytalk · alternative baby-talk
- uncountablehuman sciencesThe form of speech used by adults in talking to very young children.
Meronym: babble word
1 more example
[...] while not a super-goof like some of the female goofs I'd met, she was quite goofy enough to be going on with. Her whole aspect was that of a girl who at the drop of a hat would start talking baby talk.
1960, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, chapter III, in Jeeves in the Offing, London: Herbert Jenkins, →OCLCSynonyms: babyese, caregiver register, child-directed speech, hypocorism, motherese, parentese, babyspeak
- uncountablehuman sciencesThe prelanguage, and subsequent developing language, used by small children, incorporating crying, cooing, and babbling in sequence before the acquisition of adult language capabilities.
Meronyms: babble word, goo goo ga ga
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe form of speech used by adults in talking to very young children.
More synonyms by meaning
nounan adult's imitation of the speech of a young child
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Basque haur hizkera
- haur hizkeraform of speech used when talking to babies
Bulgarian ле́пет
- ле́пет (lépet)prelanguage used by small children
Chinese Mandarin 兒語 /儿语, 娃娃腔
- 兒語 /儿语 (éryǔ)form of speech used when talking to babies
- 娃娃腔 (wáwaqiāng)form of speech used when talking to babies
- 牙牙學語 /牙牙学语 (yáyáxuéyǔ)prelanguage used by small children
Danish babysnak
- babysnakform of speech used when talking to babies
Dutch babytaal, babytaal
- babytaalform of speech used when talking to babies
- babytaalprelanguage used by small children
Finnish vauvakieli, vauvan viestintä
- vauvakieliform of speech used when talking to babies
- vauvan viestintäprelanguage used by small children
French langage enfantin, mamanais
- langage enfantinform of speech used when talking to babies
- mamanaisform of speech used when talking to babies
German Ammensprache, Babysprache
- Ammenspracheform of speech used when talking to babies
- Babyspracheform of speech used when talking to babies
Hungarian gyermeknyelv
- gyermeknyelvform of speech used when talking to babies
Icelandic barnamál, barnahjal
- barnamálform of speech used when talking to babies
- barnahjalform of speech used when talking to babies
- gælumálform of speech used when talking to babies
Japanese 幼児語
- 幼児語 (yōjigo)form of speech used when talking to babies
Korean 유아어
- 유아어 (yua'eo)form of speech used when talking to babies
Polish mowa matczyna, gaworzenie
- mowa matczynaform of speech used when talking to babies
- gaworzenieprelanguage used by small children
Spanish lenguaje infantil
- lenguaje infantilform of speech used when talking to babies
Ukrainian сюсю́кання
- сюсю́кання (sjusjúkannja)form of speech used when talking to babies
Cite this entry
baby talk. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/baby%20talk
“baby talk.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/baby%20talk. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “baby talk,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/baby%20talk.
Source: baby talk on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.