Why Choo-Choo Is Better Than Train?

Have you noticed that we tend to use cute words like choo-choo or tummy when talking to toddlers? Have you ever thought that you need to start using more adult-like words like train and stomach with your baby?

Well, you don't have to! Even though these words may sound silly and childish, they actually speed up children's language development! Here is what the researchers in Scotland have found.

In their study, researchers at the University of Edinburgh designed an experiment to see if the use of baby-talk words did more than just facilitate early word learning, but if it also could improve future vocabulary acquisition. To test this prediction, they tracked the vocabulary size in 47 English-learning infants from 9 to 21 months, and focused on the effect of three specific word types that are typically used in IDS, but not in ADS; iconicity (choo-choo), diminutives (doggy, kitty, tummy), and reduplications (daddy, teeny-weeny).

A baby with glasses "reading" dictionary

A baby talking to their toy puppy on their bed.

Results!

In the end, the researchers found that the use of diminutives and reduplicated words with infants enhanced their overall vocabulary growth. The study shows that the contribution of baby-talk words has much more significant value than just providing “fun” words that are easier for a child to understand and learn. They actually play a critical role in giving children the tools to aid the general development of their lexicon in the early stage of child language acquisition!

Figure 1 shows the change in overall productive vocabulary size including onomatopoeic, diminutive, or reduplicated words. Each line represents an infant with its vertical axis indicating the number of words they can produce.

Figure 2 shows the change in productive vocabulary size excluding onomatopoeic, diminutive, or reduplicated words. Each line represents an infant with its vertical axis indicating the number of words they can produce.