The more ‘baby talk’ babies hear the quicker they learn language, study shows

New research suggests 'baby talk' improves little ones' ability to pick up new words.

Babbling words like 'choo-choo' are said to be the best to encourage kids to learn a language as soon as they can. These words can also give kids an advantage over others when they start school, a study carried out by the University of Edinburgh found. To be more specific, repetitive words or words that end in 'y' are the ultimate words to surround your child with. 'Baby talk' can also broaden your little one's vocabulary because it can give them the ability to remember different sounds for the same things. For instance, they can associate 'choo-choo' with 'train' if they hear it enough times. The university carried out this research on 47 nine-month-old babies who are learning English. They recorded pieces of speech that was directed at the infants. The researchers analysed words ending in 'y' and words with repeated syllables in the pieces that were 90 minutes in total. They also examined onomatopoeic words that reflect their meaning, such as 'splash' and 'woof'. The development of the babies' language was decided by analysing the range of their vocabulary at the ages of 9, 15 and 21 months. Results suggested that onomatopoeic words do not boost babies' language development, but repetitive words and words ending in 'y' do. Researchers at Princeton University carried out a similar study some months ago. They found that 'baby talk' can actually help babies recognise different people.