When addressing infants, many adults adopt a particular type of speech, known as infant-directed speech (IDS), sometimes referred to as “motherese”, “parentese” or baby-talk. This kind of language seems to be preferred by children over adult-directed speech. The use of IDS has been shown to enhance an infant’s later word recognition.

In one study, seven- and eight-month-old infants’ long-term memory for words was assessed when words were spoken in IDS and adult-directed speech (ADS).

Word recognition over the long term was successful for words introduced in IDS, but not for those introduced in ADS, regardless of the register in which recognition stimuli were produced.

Studies suggest that IDS promotes infant attention to language, fosters social interaction between infants and caregivers, and informs infants about various aspects of their native language by heightening distinctions relative to the speech addressed to adults. New developments focusing on the social role of infant-directed conversations highlight the importance of caregiver responsiveness to infants. Building a communicative foundation even prior to the time language emerges is crucial for fostering language development.