👶 Childlike speech 🍼 Early speech

baby talk

1 3.9

Speech by a very young child using simple sounds and words

noun
/ˈbeɪbi tɔk/

: hablar de bebé

That's baby-talk.

Examples

She'll hear again the way Grant dropped his S's when he baby-talked at 3, saying 'poon for spoon, and 'kin for skin.

Fiction book (2001)
Parents often use baby talk to communicate in a playful manner with their young children.
During her visit, I noticed how Emily engaged in baby talk with her toddler, making silly sounds and expressions.
Many caregivers enjoy baby talk, using simplified words and melodies to connect with infants.

Synonyms

babble

vsbaby talk

18 4.4

Soft, happy sounds a baby makes before speaking clearly

is specific to early child speech as they learn language rather than general incoherence

babbling

vsbaby talk

8 3.3

Sounds babies make before they can speak, like meaningless words

is simplified early speech used while children begin speaking

lallation

vsbaby talk

Specialized

1 9.9

Speech made of baby-like, unclear sounds that do not make sense

is the everyday description for early child speech rather than a rare technical term

babytalk

vsbaby talk

Baby Talk

5.0

A very young child's simple, early language of single words and sounds

is written as two separate words rather than one

How Developed

baby talk

1 3.9

babbling

8 3.3

Surface Forms

baby talk singular

baby talks plural

Morphology

baby + talk

The meaning 'speech of a very young child' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'baby' (a very young child) with 'talk' (speech), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer the MWE. The noun+noun composition is a common, cross-linguistic pattern mapping straightforwardly to the intended meaning, making it immediately comprehensible.

Etymology

The noun baby talk is the actual speech of a very young child: short sounds, simple words and made-up words as they try to say things. So baby talk refers to the early, not correct yet way a child talks.