Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Emphasizing the sounds of certain words to young children can help them retain language, not confuse them about speaking properly.

The sing-song voice many adults instinctively use with infants, sometimes called "baby talk" but more accurately known as "parentese" or infant-directed speech, actually helps children learn language.

(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Karen Stollznow, University of Colorado Boulder; Griffith University (THE CONVERSATION ...