Baby talk may not be so nonsensical after all. Research has shown that regardless of what kinds of words are spoken, adults are aware of the intent they are communicating, whether consciously or subconsciously. The term “infant-directed speech” was coined to refer to the ways in which adults speak more loudly to gain attention from the child or the times in which they speak slowly to ensure effective communication.

Greg Bryant and Clark Barrett, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, set up a study to test if “the relationships between sounds and intentions are universal.” They proposed that the relationships “should be understood by anyone regardless of the language they speak.” Bryant and Barrett recorded English-speaking mothers as if they were communicating to their children. They also recorded them as if they were speaking to adults. Bryant and Barrett then took the tapes and played them for participants in an Ecuadorian village to see if they could differentiate between the infant-directed speech and the adult-directed speech. The participants were able to distinguish the difference 73% of the time. They were also able to determine what types of tone the mother was attempting to convey, although this was easier when the mothers used infant-directed speech.

“These results also provide support for the notion that vocal emotional communication manifests itself in similar ways across disparate cultures,” said Bryant.

Information retrieved from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070821112326.htm