Origins of baby talk / motherese / CDS / caregiver talk

[Dan I. Slobin]

In return: points well taken.  I've been using 
CDS (child-directed speech) for the register you 
describe.  This is compact and doesn't differentiate between
types of speakers directing speech to the 
child.  But one would have to add specifications 
of the characteristics that make CDS a register, since not all
people who speak to children use the register, or 
all of its characteristics (still not fully 
specified).  (CDS also has the convenience of standing for
Child-Directed Sign in studies of deaf children.)

Dan Slobin

At 11:10 AM 12/4/2006, Bruno Estigarribia wrote:
>Points well taken. It still seems to me we are 
>missing something here. Clearly, "exposure 
>language" or "ambient language" encompasses 
>adult-to-child speech, peer-to-peer (child or 
>adult) interactions, as well as, well, TV, etc. 
>But we sometimes want to talk about particular 
>properties of particular registers, and 
>therefore the terms we've been discussing ARE 
>useful. "Exposure language" is not a particular, 
>homogeneous, linguistic register, whereas 
>motherese/caregiverese/parentese and 
>child/infant-direct speech may well be specific 
>registers, at least in some communities.
>BTW, I trace the important distinction "input" 
>vs. "intake" back to Corder 1967 "The 
>Significance of Learner's Errors", International 
>Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, vol 4, p. 165.
>
>Bruno Estigarribia
>Ph.D. candidate
>Stanford Linguistics
>>I've started to use the term "exposure language," for several reasons:
>>
>>     * "input" assumes that the child takes everything in
>>     * "motherese" and "caregiver talk" exclude talk from non-parents
>>       and non-caregivers (siblings, peers, other adults, etc.)
>>     * "child directed speech" excludes what children learn from
>>       overheard speech
>>     * "baby talk" is ambiguous: could mean talk produced by or for babies
>>
>>"Exposure language" or "ambient language" allow 
>>one to consider characteristics of talk that 
>>children are exposed to or surrounded by,
>>without prejudging any of the issues mentioned above.
>>
>>Dan Slobin
>>
>>
>>At 02:08 AM 12/4/2006, Matthew Saxton wrote:
>>>Dear All,
>>>
>>>Could anyone please help me trace the 
>>>provenance of the terms we have for how adults 
>>>talk to young children? I’m thinking in 
>>>particular of /motherese/, /baby talk/, /Child 
>>>Directed Speech /and/ caregiver talk./ (If 
>>>I’ve missed any obvious ones, do please let me know this also).
>>>
>>>My guess for /baby talk/ is Charles Ferguson 
>>>around 1971, though a specific reference would 
>>>be helpful. The earliest use of /motherese/ I can trace is:
>>>
>>>Vorster, J. (1975). Mommy linguist ­ the case 
>>>for motherese. /Lingua, 37/4,/ 281-312.
>>>
>>>Catherine Snow does not seem to use the term 
>>>/motherese/ in her 1972 article, but I would 
>>>imagine there is an earlier source than 
>>>Vorster (1975) (given Vorster’s acknowledgement of Snow).
>>>
>>>For /Child Directed Speech/ (with a hyphen), I go back as far as:
>>>
>>>Warren-Leubecker, A. & Bohannon, J.N. (1984). 
>>>Intonation patterns in child-directed speech ­ 
>>>mother-father differences. /Child Development, 55/4,/ 1379-1385.
>>>
>>>As for /caregiver talk/, this phrase throws up 
>>>precisely no references in a standard search. 
>>>Julian Pine talks about “the language of 
>>>primary caregivers” in 1995, but that’s not quite the same thing:
>>>
>>>Pine, J. (1995). The language of primary 
>>>caregivers. In C. Gallaway & B.J. Richards 
>>>(eds.) /Input and interaction in language acquisition/. Cambridge: C.U.P..
>>>
>>>Maybe no-one has actually used the phrase 
>>>/caregiver talk/ and I should strike it from 
>>>the record. In any event, any help tracing 
>>>these terms back to their various sources would be very much appreciated.
>>>
>>>Regards,
>>>
>>>Matthew Saxton.
>>>
>>>*********************************************************************
>>>
>>>Matthew Saxton MA, MSc, DPhil
>>>School of Psychology and Human Development,
>>>Institute of Education,
>>>25 Woburn Square,
>>>London,
>>>WC1H 0AA.
>>>U.K.
>>>
>>>Tel: +44 (0) 20 7612 6509
>>>Fax: +44 (0) 20 7612 6304
>>>
>>>http://ioewebserver.ioe.ac.uk/ioe/cms/get.asp?cid=4578&4578_0=10248 
>>><http://ioewebserver.ioe.ac.uk/ioe/cms/get.asp?cid=4578&4578_0=10248>
>>>www.ioe.ac.uk <http://www.ioe.ac.uk/>
>>
>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>Dan I. Slobin, Professor of the Graduate School
>>Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Linguistics
>>
>>Department of Psychology email: slobin at berkeley.edu
>>3210 Tolman #1650 phone (Dept): 1-510-642-5292
>>University of California phone (home): 1-510-848-1769
>>Berkeley, CA 94720-1650 fax: 1-510-642-5293
>>USA http://ihd.berkeley.edu/slobin.htm
>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>
> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>Dan I. Slobin, Professor of the Graduate School
>Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Linguistics
>
>Department of Psychology          email: slobin at berkeley.edu
>3210 Tolman #1650                 phone (Dept):  1-510-642-5292
>University of California               phone (home): 1-510-848-1769
>Berkeley, CA 94720-1650           fax: 1-510-642-5293
>USA                                         http://ihd.berkeley.edu/slobin.htm
> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>
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