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Baby Talk

Nice article on the value of using big vocabulary words with kids. I do it instinctively whenever I talk to a child. If it was their first exposure to a word I am using and they do not understand, I see them trying hard to stay in the conversation using context clues. Even without a full understanding they are able to engage. From my limited experience, it seems that they enjoy being spoken to as if they were adults and there was not need to pulverize their word diet into baby talk. 

 After a while, they try to mimic the same way of talking - acting equal and grown-up. I have saved baby talk for the littlest ones - not quite able to communicate beyond coos, gurgles and smiles. They seem to appreciate the exaggerated gestures and big tonal inflections that go with such talk. If you can break into impromptu song and dance even better. The level of animation in the speech is what gets their attention- that and repeating sounds that make them giggle. 
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