CHAPTER IV

LINGUISTIC ANALYSIS OF BABY TALK

CHAPTER IV

LINGUISTIC ANALYSIS OF BABY TALK

4.1 Phonology

The raw material of speech is sound. It provides the medium

which is used by speakers and listeners in cooing, conveying and

decoding message. But this material must be used in a selective

manner, organised and structured in a particular system. The

significant sound unit is not simply raw material of a language but

minimal particles that help distinguish meaning between words

thereby greatly increasing ease of communication. It is the role of

sound unit that make it so special and significant. These segmentally

distinctive sound units are called phonemes and these phonemes are

the building block of larger segment of speech.

Phonology of Baby Talk includes besides the basic sounds and

phonemes, features of higher pitch, exaggerated pitch changes,

elongated vowels and long pause between phonemes. Rhythm is also

heavily emphasized in this practice and is used closely with the

emphasis of various syllables. Vowel space is expanded in Baby Talk

allowing for accurate phoneme discrimination.

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There are five short vowels and their corresponding long

vowels present in Malayalam. All these vowels are present in this

language form. But long vowels are being prominently being used.

Eg : cakkaree, kunaa, muttee, vaavee.

Only two rounded vowels are seen in this data. They are [u] and [0].

Other vowels are unrounded. They are [a], [i], [e].

Among the 36 consonants present in Malayalam, 22 consonants

present in this register. It include is stops - bilabial, alveolar,

retroflex, palatal and velar, etc.

paappam food

bau: bau dog

tatta parrot

Ipl

Ibl

It!

voiceless bilabial stop

voiced bilabial stop

voiceless alveolar stop

cundari pretty gi rI Idl voiced alveolar stop

ina egg

dum dum drum. .

It)

Idl.

voiceless retroflex stop

voiced retroflex stop

cakkara

kili.

sweety

bird

Icl

Ik/

voiceless palatal stop

voiceless velar stop

Nasal sound available are 6 in number. They are bilabial,

dental, alveolar, retroflex, palatal and velar. All sounds are voiced.

amma

naakk8

aana

mother

tongue

elephant

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Iml

IrJI

Inl

voiced bilabial

voiced dental

voiced alveolar

.man!.kunna

bell

mother's

young sister

Inl•

Inl

voiced retroflex

voiced palatal

kurariri8 monkey Inl voiced velar

Dental and alveolar flaps present in this register are Irl and IRI.

eg: maram tree

taaRaav8 duck

Irl

IRI

voiceless dental flap

voiced alveolar flap

Two fricatives in this data are alveolar and palatal are lsi, I 51.

sinkam lion lsi voiceless alveolar fricative

muttassi great grand

mother lsi voiceless palatal fricative

lateral fricatives are 2 in number alveolar and retroflex 11/,1/•

mayil peacock 11/ voiced alveolar lateral fricative.

moole daughter 11/ voiced retroflex lateral fricative. .Two continuents present in this register are voiced labio

dental continuent and voiced palatal continuent. They are Iyl

and Iv/.

mayil

vaava

peacock Iyl voiced palatal continuent

baby Ivl voiced labio dental

continuent

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4.2 Vowels

The vowels present in the register can be depicted as follows

Front Central Back

low

High i\---------'

a

aa

Consonants

The consonants found in the Baby Talk register can be

figured as follows based on IPA. No trills, lateral fricatives,

lateral approximant, and there is no uvular and pharengeal in

this variety of language.

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4.3CONSONANTS

Bilabial Labiodental Dental Alveolar Retroflex Palatal Velar

vi vd vi vd vi vd vi vd vi vd vi vd vi vd

Plosive p b t d t d c k. ·Nasal - .

m n n n n n·Flap r R

Fricative "s s

Lateral I I·Fricative

Continuent v y

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Word Structure

The principal forms of Baby Talk words are usually

monosyllabic, disyllabic and trisyllabic. Tetra syllabic words are

eomparitively less in number.

Monosyllabic words

Baby Talk word

ilikB(vee)

kannB..evee

muukBevve

vaaevv

pantBevee

kaalevvc

tiiew

puuevv

paliBevee

Common word

paalB

kannB• •

muukB

vaa

pantB

kaal

tii

puuva

palla

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Meaning

Milk

eye

Nose

Mouth

Ball

Leg

Fire

Flower

Teeth

Disyllabic words

paappameweeve

payameveve

appam

pa!am

Food

Banana

eaaya eaaya Teaevvev

itta mutta Egg00 00

veev

kaRi kaRi Gravyevev

amma amma Motherveev

aeea aeehan Fathervccv

umma umma Mothervccv

vaappa vappa Fatherevcev

mama maman Uncle

cwcv

mami mami Aunt

evvev

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kunna kufifiamma mother's youngercvccv sister

cetta cettan elder brother.. ..cvvccv

ceeci ceeci elder sistercvvcv

vava kufifi8 Babycvvcv

mayil mayil Peacockcvcvc

tatta tatta Parrotcvccv

dum dum centa Drum• • ••cvccvc

vanti vanti toy bus.. ..cvccv

bomma bomma Dollcvccv

cevi cevi Earcvcv

kai kai Hand

cw

tala tala Head

cvcv

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vala vala Bangle• •cvcv

kolus8 kolus8 Ankletcvcvc

uQupp8 fRock dress itemsvcvcc

kooyi kooyi Cockcvvcv

aama ama Tortoisevvcv

uucci iicca, kotu k8 small insectwccv

aana aana Elephantvvcv

paava paava small dollcwcv

maala maala chaincvvcv

soomi daivam Godcwcv

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Trisyllabic words

immimmi meen Fishvccvccv

uppuppa uppuppa Grandfathervccvccv

muttassi muttassi great grandmothercvccvcv

ammumma ammuumma grandmothervccvccv

appuppan appuuppan Grandfathervccvccvc

ummumma ummumma grandmother

vccvccv

uppuppa uppuppa Grandfather

vccvccvc

pasumba pasu Cow

cvcvccv

. . .iccicci waste materialICCICCI

vccvccv

It is noticeable that the basic structure of Baby Talk word is

quite regular. The basic structure being vcc or vccv or cvcvc etc.

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b. Prosodic Features of Baby Talk

The role of prosody in the acquisition of language in general

and in the development of speech perception in particular is the

fundamental for developmentalist approach. The most eminent

characteristic of Baby Talk is its prosody. Prosody may help infant to

segment speech and to help locate grammatical units. The prosodic

features of Baby Talk are high pitch, sing-songy intonation pattern,

exaggerated intonation contour etc. Adult speak more slowly with

exaggerated care in enunciation and longer pause between the

sentences.

Eg. kuga .. vaa

(baby........... come).

cakkaree vaada..(sweety......... come).

There is a short tone of voice suitable for talking to young

children that is surprisingly similar in every speech community.

Infants even a few days after birth can discriminate pitch difference

and they pay more attention to high pitch than to low pitch. Pitch

attracts babies attention and the rhythm exaggerate key sounds. Babies

also look to speaker's face for important social cues about what they

are hearing. It serve the functions of getting the child's attention.

Prosody may help infant to segment speech and to help locate

grammatical units. Boundaries between important grammatical unit

such as clauses and phrases are often marked by changes in variables

related to Prosody; including changes in pitch, contour, increase in

syllable duration and pausing. Thus prosody has great role in Baby

Talk.

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c. Lexical features of Baby Talk

There is a distinctive lexical feature for Baby Talk. Every

speech community seems to have a small lexicon of words primarily

with young children. The lexical items mainly included words

concerned with basic day-to-day routine activities. They belongs to

playing, eating, body parts, names of animals etc. The words

employed by the parents in talking to children are every day words

that have been modified for the children's benefit. Baby Talk prefer

more simplified forms.

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ceetta ceettan brother00 ..bau : bau patti dog

miyaavu : miyaavu puucca cat

poo: poo bas8 bus

nini mani bello 0 .uvaava asukham disease

Here 'appam' is the common word. By introducing a

bilabial sound /p/ in front of the word it became more simplified.

Common word for banana is 'pa!am' but in Baby Talk word!

is replaced by Y and it is easy to pronounce. Like that 'mutta'

is the word for'egg' and replaced m and u by a vowed i

and it became 'itta'. Words like 'daivam' and 'candran' are00

replaced by 'soomi' and 'ambili maaman'.

'immimmi' is the word used for meen. Here the vowel 'i' is

introduced in the initial, medial and final position and replaced

'een' and it became 'immimmi'. 'maamunnuka' is the word foro •

'cooRunnuka. In this the consonant 'c' and vowel '00' is• 0

replaced by the nasal sound 'm' and long vowel 'a'. Words like

'maaman', 'ceettan', the final consonant 'n' is reduced and it00

became 'maama' and 'ceetta'. Common word used for dog and

cat are 'patti' and 'puucca'. But here their sounds bau : bau and

miyaavu : miyaavu are used.

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'kooli' is the common word used for cock. In this data 'I' is- .replaced by voiced palatal continuent 'y' and it is easy to

pronounce. Words used for small insect are 'iicca' and 'kotuka'.

But here 'uucci' is the word for these insects. Simple lexical

items are used for toys. For eg: common word for bus is 'basa'

and in this register the sound of the bus 'poo:poo' is used. The

common word for bell is 'mal)i' and the Baby Talk word is 'I)il)i'

ie. the sound of the bell. Word used for disease is 'asukham' and

here simplified word 'uvaava' is used. In this the vowels are used

in initial, medial and final position.

d.Luliaby

Lullaby is a soothing song and it is used to lull the child to

sleep and make them calm. Lullaby also contain simplified

vocabulary. Lullabies are taken from daily life and also taken

from films, drama etc.

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1.

2.

unnl vaavavoo••ponnuQQlvaavavoo

Qiila piili kaQQum puni

puunceelaac)alo

unnl vaavavoo...

panu paac)i uRakkaam naan

taamarappuu paithalee

keettu keettu nii uRaririu.. ..-

karalinRe kaatalee.. .aan raroo ran roo

sleep my baby sleep'

my sweet baby sleep

closing your eyes with

peacock lashes

swing in cradle

sleep my baby sleep'

I will sing you to sleep

my baby like lotus

hearing and hearing my

song, you sleepdear heart

la la 100 la la 100

aararoo aan raroo

aararoo aanraroo

achanRe mool aararoo.3.

4.

la la lola la 10father's dear daughter la

lola 10ammakku Qii teenallee aayiravalli puuvallee you are

honey to your mother bosom

bloom

la la lola la 10

kaQQum puutti uRaririuka Qiien - sleep closing your eyes

kaQQee punnara ponnu maka!e - you my dearammem achanum carattiruppuu - mother and father sitting

near

cemme Qii uRaririu oomana kunnee. - sleep sweetly mydearest one

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These songs are used for sleeping the child. Some features

that are peculiar to these songs are, use of vocables and

alternation of word forms. The use of vocable is common in all

cultures. Vocables are nonsense words or syllable with the

melody. Vocables are independent syllables and appearing

repeatedly in songs. In the above songs the vocables are 'aari

raroo raari roo' and 'aararoo aariraroo'. These vocables are sung

with particular rhythm and melody. These melody and rhythm of

the song attract the child and they became calm.

5. ul)l)ikal)l)aa vaayoo - come dear by come

uuiiiiaalaa9aan vaayoo - come to swing

ammakkoramana umma taayo - give your mother a kiss

piili tirumu9i maa9i taram amma - I shall tie your shining

piglocks

amana sRee kRishna ooti vayoo. - dear lord Krishna come

runnmg

This is a lullaby but it provides an interaction between

mother and child through the lyrics. Repetition is also seen in

this song. 'vaayoo' is repeated in the song. Here the child is

compared to the god Sree Krishna.

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6. vaavaavoo vaavee varHJummaka! sammaanam - sleep mybaby sleep I will give you kiss as gift

irik8 taram meele oru tarika[lilaa pantal - I will give youmilk, light pandal above

turu ture [lin ceppuka!il caaRtaam cantanam - I willbedeck your face with sandal vermilion

[lin paadasarariria! ta!uki varur1!::loru puunteen nakshtram

This lullaby is used for interacting the mother and child.

Vocables are used in this song. Eg: vaa vaa voo. Rhyming words

are also seen in this lullaby. 'sammanam' and 'candanam' are

the rhyming words.

e. Nursery Rhymes

Nursery rhymes are traditional poems for young children.

Nursery rhymes which are considered as like Baby Talk and

Baby Talk words are also frequently used in interacting between

the parent and the children.

In contrast to lullabies, whose principal goal is to sooth

infants, nursery rhymes or play songs are designed to amuse the

child when he is awake by lifting him up in the arms, playings

with his fingers and palm, tickling him, moving his hands and

feet, etc. Many nursery songs are simpler and more repetitive

than lullabies, making it possible for young children to acquire

them soon after they have begun to speak. Pedagogical goals

may be evident as in songs that feature the alphabet (A,B,C,D,E

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etc.) or counting routines (one, two, three etc). The rhythm and

repetition of songs may make it easier for very young children to

remember the name and sequence of number patterns.

In the playful moment the child is not only experiencing

the joy of words but also developing early literary skills. One of

the most important of which is phonemic awareness. Phonemic

awareness is defined as the awareness of sounds or phonemes

that make up spoken words. Research indicate that this

conscious analytical phonemic awareness and letter knowledge

are the best predicators of early reading acquisition.

1. puucca !Jalla puuca

vRittiyu!!a puucca

paalu vacca paatRam

vRittiyakki vaccu

The cat is good

neatful cat

milk carrying bottle

made tidy.

This rhyme discusses a cat. Repetition have been in this

rhyme. The repeated word is 'puucca'. Thus the child could

understand the concept of cat, which usually referred in Baby

Talk'miyaavu:miyaavu.

2. poom poom bas8 varu!J!Ju,:,1ee

o01i paannu varu!J!Ju,:,1ee

aahaa! kanaanettu rasam•

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poom poom busis coming

coming very fast

Aha! it is very

beautiful

This rhyme describe the journey of a bus. Here the word

'poom' 'poom' represent the sound of a bus. This make the child

understand the sound of a bus. Here 'varuoouinee' is repeated in

the first two lines.

3. cantuveooa puucca

entu oalla puucca

pantu tagum puucca

paal ku!ikkum puucca

chandu the cat

chantu is a good cat

ball playing cat

milk drinking cat

This rhyme also describe the activities of a cat. The word

'puucca' is repeat in all lines.

4. annum rantum ari vaarllii..muooum oaalum po!iyaakki

ancum aaRum maavaakki

eelum ettum ata cuttu. .. . ..onpatum pattum a!a tioou

one and two brought rice

three and four make it flour

granule

five and six maked flour

seven and eight maked dish

nine and ten ate the dish

This nursery rhyme describe the counting numbers from

one to ten. This rhyme teach the child to count the numbers. In

this method the child could easily comprehend the counting

numbers. So this nursery rhyme is pedagogical in nature.

Nursery songs are almost always action songs where

singing the song the teachers or the adults make action and

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gestures to attract the attention of the child. When shown the

one finger, it denotes the number one and two finger shows the

number two. Thus the child can understand the counting

numbers. So it is very useful for young children, in the early

learning period.

5. kaakkakkuntoru kuut8.. .kambukal kontoru veed8. .. .kuruvikkuntoru kuut8.. .narukal kontoru veed8- . .. .tattakkuntoru kuut8.. .poottinakathoru veeeJ8

koolikkuntoru veed8. .. .nammalorukkum veed8-. .

crow has a nest

house made of twings

sparrow has a nest

house made of fibre

parrot has a nest

house in the hole

cock has a nest

house made by us

This nursery rhyme describe the nests of various birds and

the objects used for making these nest. This rhyme teach various

nest of birds to the child. Rhyming words are seen

Eg: kuueJ8, veeeJ8

These rhyming words. help the children to remember the

sequence of pattern.

6. cuulamaticcu varunnuntee.. -- ..ciiRipaannu varurJrJu':ltee

pukayum tuppi varuOrJu':ltee

valiyoru vanti tiivanti

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coming with whistling

coming with screaming

coming with emitting smoke

as big as train

This rhyme describe the journey of a train. It describe how

the train is coming and the speed of the train. It also describe

that the train is a big vehicle. Repetition is also seen in this

rhyme also. 'varuQQul)!ee' is the word continuously repeated in

the first, second and third line.

7. komp8 kulukkum pasuamma - mother cow shaking the horn

vaaalattii!um pasuamma - mother cow swinging the tail

pull8 tiQQum pasuamma - mother cow eating grass

paal8 taruQQoru pasuamma - mother cow give milk

kal)1)8 ul)!alloo ral)tel)l)am - it has two eyes

cevi untalloo rantennam - It has two ears.. .. ..konpul)talloo ral)!el)l)am - it has two horn

ayyo Qirllia!aRiiWiillee vaal8 maatRam 00!:::!8 - ayyo you

know it has only one tail

This rhyme explain the physical appearance of a cow. This

rhyme is pedagogical in nature. It teaches the children about the

cow and how many eyes, how many legs, how many ear, how

many tail etc. posses a cow. 'pasuamma' is a repetitive word

found in first four lines. 'untalloo', 'rantennam' are the.. .. ..repetitive words found in fifth, sixth and seventh lines.

8. kaaR nalla kaaR

kaal)l)an vaaririiya kaaR

keeRiyiruQQal jooR

kaaRil pookam !uuR

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car good car

kannan bought the car

when we seated it will joyful

to go a tour in the car

This rhyme describe a car. Rhyming words are also seen in

this song. 'KaaR', 'jooR', tuuR etc. These song help the child to

find out the rhyming sounds.

9. kaQtal Qalloru paaraRR8

cunt8 valannoru kaaraRR8•

meyyoru pacca jaakkaRR8

ayyata vaaloru rookkaRR8

to saw a good parrot

curved beak like a carrot

body is green like a jacket

tail is a rocket

This rhyme describe a parrot; colour of the parrot, structure

of its lips and length of the tail. This help the young child to

identify a parrot. This rhyme has rhyming words; paaratt, karatt,

jaakkatt, rookkatt

10. eebiciQi atipitikuuti -ABeD make quarrel

ephjiecc atinootukuti -EFGH combined with them

ijekel atukaQtetti -IJKL to saw that

emenopl ammayotooti -MNOP told to the mother

kuaaResRRi accanataRiiinu -QR5T to know the father

uviQab!iu vatiyumetuttu -UVW to take a stick

eksayaiisaQ8 atiyootatiyaayi -XYZ beat and beat

This nursery rhyme describe the alphabet. It start from the

alphabet A and ends in Z. This help the child to easily study the

alphabet. 50 it is pedagogical in nature.

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4.2 Morphology

Morphology is the study of morphemes. Morphemes are

words, word stems and affixes, basically the unit of language one

up from phonemes. Although they are often understood as units

of meanings, they are usually considered a part of language's

syntax or grammar. It is the identification, analysis and

description of the structure of given language.

Reduplication

Reduplication is a linguistic process in which root or stem

of word or part of it is repeated exactly or with slight change.

Reduplication is a very common feature in a lot of languages.

This register also contains a reduplication process and

reduplicated words and phrases.

Reduplication can be seen in noun, adjective etc.

Reduplication in Noun

Mother: cakkaree, ammera cakkaree irikB kutikki•

Here the noun'cakkaree' is repeated.

Reduplication in adjective

mother: ammera cundari vaavee, chundari vaavee pappam tinna

Here the adjective 'cundari' is repeated.

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Reduplication in verb

Father: moone aririoon8 poovallee, poovallee

son -accu there go not

son don t go there

Here the word 'poovallee' is repeated.

4.3 Syntax - The Syntactic Structure of Baby Talk

In Linguistics syntax is the study of rules that govern the

ways in which words combined form phrases, clauses and

sentences. It is one of the major component of grammar. A

sentence is defined as any form that occurs in absolute position.

The types of sentences present in Malayalam are simple,

complex and compound.

Types of sentence present in ~his data are simple sentences

and complex sentences. But simple sentences are commonly

used.

4.3.1 Simple sentences

Simple sentences are those with a single subject and

predicate with or without attributes qualifying and modifying the

subject noun and predicate verb respectively. Such sentences are

minimally specified with a subject noun and a predicate finite

verb.

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eg: 1. moon

son

pappam ti!J!Ju.

food eat - past

'son ate food.'

2. vaava irik8 kuticcoo?.baby milk drink - past

'Did baby drank milk?'

3. ita ammeta kann8.. ..this mother's eye

'This is mother'seye.'

4. ita vaaveta kann8.• • •

this baby's eye

'This is baby's eye.'

5. ita accanRe paava.

this father-gen doll

'This is father's doll.'

6. moon

son

pappam tinnu.

food eat - past

'Son ate food.'

Simple sentences are generally classified in to seven types.

They are transitive, intransitive, causative, imperative, optative,

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negative and interrogative. But this register mainly contain

imperative negative and interrogative sentences.

4.3.2 Imperative Negative Sentences

Imperative sentences are those which involve imperative

verbs. In imperative negative negation is effected either by

adding a negative marker to the verb stem. Here the negative

marker is - allee.

daugher -accu there

'daughter don't go there.

mother: mooleo

aririootta00

poovallee

go not

mother: moole ata etukkalleeo 0

daughter-accu that take not

'daughter don't take that.'

mother: moole aviteo 0

daughter-accu there

'daughter don't sit there.'

irikkalle

sit not

Grandfather: moone

son -accu

atine

that

pitikallee

catch not

son, don't catch that

Grandfather: moone aviteo

son - accu there

son, don t climb there

100

keeRalle

climb not

grandmother:

G,c3<6 '2.0 crmoo!e ate ceyyallee

daughter -accu that do notdaughter, don t do that.

grandmother: cakkaree atine total lee.sweety-voc that touch not

'sweety don't touch that?'

grandmother: vaavee karayaIlee

baby-voc cry not

'baby don't cry.'

4.3.3 Interrogative sentences

Interrogation is the process in which sentences or fragment

of a sentence is converted in to an interrogative one. It is

classified in to two. They are yes or no questions and wh ­

questions (e - questions). These two types of sentences are seen

in this register.

a. Yes / No question

Yes / No questions are interrogations of declarative

sentences which normally elicit an affirmative or a negative

answer.

mother: mool. avite poovoo ?

daughter there go

daughter, will you go there?

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mother: mookk8 irik8

daughter - dat milk

daughter do you want milk?

veeno?•

want?

mother: moon8 pappam

son - dat Food

veentee?..want?

son, do you want food?

mother: moole. ambili maamana. kanta• •

daughter -accu moon

daughter you saw the moon?

mother: cakkaree ifik8

baby-voc milk

baby you drink milk?

kuticca?•

drink (p)

see

mother: moo! avite pooyo?

daughter there go

daughter, did you go there?

grandmother: mookk8 paappam

daughter -dat food

daughter do you want food ?

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veeno?•

want?

Father:

Father:

cakkarakk8 uvavayaanoo ?

sweety- dat sick are you

'sweety are you sick'?

vavee poo:pooye kaDta?

baby -voc bus see?

'baby did you see bus'?

Grandfather: moon8 pI! pI!

son -dat vizil want?

veenoo?

'son, do you want vizil?

grandmother: mookk8 ICCI olikkano?. .daughter - dat urine pass

,daughter do you want pass urine?'

grandmother: moon

son

irik8

milk

kuticca?.drink (Past)

'son do you drank milk' ?

Grandmother: kuttaam ambi Ii mamane kanta?.. ..baby -voc moon see

'baby did you see moon'?

Grandmother: mookk8 immimmi veeno?

daughter-dat fish want?

daughter do you want fish?

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Grandfather: mookk8 muttayi vee':l0 ?

daughter - dat sweet want ?

daughter do you want sweet?

Grandfather: moone

son - accu

son saw cow.

pasumbe

cow

kantaa••

to saw

Grandfather: cakkaree irik8

baby-voc milk

baby drank milk.

kuticca.drink - past

In the above sentences the interrogative marker is /-00/

and it occurs in the final position.

b. wh-questions(e-questions)

wh-questions are those questions which are formed by an

interrogative word. The interrogative words in Malayalam often

begin with e-, ee·, aa- etc., most of them beginning with e-. For

convenience they are termed e - questions.

mother: moon

son

evite•

where

pooyi?

go (past)

'son, where you go'?

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daughter -accu there how

'daughter how did climb there' ?

mother: moole• avite•

..ennane keeRi?

climb

grandmother: kuttaa.. bomma evite?•

baby-voc doll

'baby where is doll'?

where?

grandmother: cakkaree amma

sweety-voc mother where

'sweety where is mother'?

evite?•

Father:

Father:

moonRe pI! pI! evite?

son -gen vizi I where?

'son, where is your vizil' ?

mookkB etRa paava

daughter -dat how many dolls

,daughter how many dolls you have' ?

ontB?••

have?

Grandmother: moonRe pappam

son-gen food

'Son where is your food' ?

evite?.where

mother: moonRe accan evite?.son -gen father where

'son, where is your father'?

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father: moolute bomma evite ?. . .daughter -gen doll where

'daughter where is your doll'?

Grandmother: moone amma evite'?•

son-accu mother where

'Son where is your mother' ?

grandmother: moone pI! pI! evite?.son -accu vizil where?

'son where is your vizil'?

In the first two sentences the question word is in the

middle position. That is subject and verb are the initial and final

position. But in the 3rd and 4th sentence question word is in the

final position.

The grammatical features appears in talking to child are

mainly the modified forms of case markers inflectional suffix and

reduplication etc.

4.4 Use of Case Markers

Case markers are also used in Baby Talk. The bound case

affixes denote syntactic and semantic functions of nouns and are

added to the oblique bases of nouns. The addition of case

marker is the inflectional processes of noun. The different case

markers in Malayalam language are nominative, accusative,

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dative, sodative, locative, instrumental, ablative, vocative and

genitive. Only four types of case markers are seen in this data.

They are dative, accusative, vocative and genetive.

1. Dative Case Marker

The dative case marker is kk8, n8

eg: 1. mother :

2. mother:

mookk8 irik8 veeno?

daughter-dat mil k want

'daughter do you want milk'?

mookk8 paappam taraUaa?

daughter -dat food to give

'daughter shall I give you food'?

3. mother: moon8

son -dat

pii pii

vizil want

veenoo?

'son, do you want vizil'?

4. mother: moon8

son-dat

pappam

food

veentee?..want

'son do you want food?

'daughter how many

etRa paava

howmany dolls

5. Father : mookk8

daughter-dat

ont8?••

haveyou

dolls you have'?

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6. Grandfather:

7. Father:

mookk8 mugayi veeno?

daughter - dat sweets want?

'daughter you want sweets'?

cakkarakk8 uvavayaal)oo ?

sweety-dat sick are you

'sweety are you sick'?

8. Grandmother:

9. grandmother:

mookk8 immimmi

daughter-dat fish

'daughter do you want fish'?

mookk8 paappam

daughter -dat food

'daughter do you want food'?

veeno?•

want?

veeno?.want?

10. grandmother: mookk8 ICCI olikkanoo?. .daughter urme to pass

'daughter do you want to pass urine'?

2. Accusative case marker

The accusative case marker is 'e'

eg: mother: moole ambil i maamane. .daughter -accu moon

,daughter you saw moon'?

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kanta..see

grandmother: moone amma evite?.son -accu mother where

'son where is your mother'?

grandmother: moone pI! pI! evite?•

son -accu vizil where?

'son where is your vizil'?

grandmother: moone pasumbe kanta?..son -accu cow to see?

son you see the cow?

mother: moole• ata etukka.•

mother:

daughter - accu that take

'Daughter take that'.

moole caccikko·daughter-accu sleep.

'daughter to sleep'.

mother: moole avite· .daughter-accu there'daughter don't sit there'.

irikkalle.sit not

Father: moone aririoona poovalle, poovalle

son - accu there go not,

'Son don't go there'.

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go not

father: moole bomma evite ?• •daughter -accu doll where?'daughter where is your doll'.

Grandmother: moone avite keeRallee.son - accu there cI imb not

'son don't climb there'.

Grandmother: moole• avite eririane. keeRi?

grandmother:

daughter - accu there how climb

'daughter how did you climb there'?

moo!e ata ceyyallee.

daughter-accu that do not

,daughter don't do that'.

Grandfather: moone pasumbe

son - accu cow

'son did you see cow'.

kantaa?••

to saw

Grandfather: moone

son - accu

panta

ball

kalikkam.•

play

,son, can we play ball'.

Grandfather: moone

son-accu

avite.there

keeRalle

climb not

'son, don't climb there'.

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Grandfather: moole annotta• ••

daughter -accu there

'daughter don't go there'.

poovallee.

go not

Grandfather: moone

son - accu

atine

that

pitikkalle.

catch not

,son don't catch that'.

moole ceettan evite?· .. .daughter - accu elderbrother where?

'daughter where is elder brother'?

moole· ammumma evite?.daughter - accu grandmother where?

'daughter where is grandmother'?

3. Vocative case marker

1. vaavee mala evite?.baby - voc chain where?

'baby where is your chain'?

2. cakkaree putiya uduppa?

sweety-voc new frock

'sweety is this new frock'?

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3. kuilil8 vaavee vala"

evite?"

small baby-voc bangle where?

'small baby where is bangle'?

4. mother: cakkaree ilik8

baby-voc milk

'baby you drink milk'?

kuticca?"

drink (p)

5. vaavee sommlye

baby-voc god

'baby did you see god'?

kanta?"

see

6. cakkaree puu evi!e?

sweety-voc flower where

,sweety where is flower'?

7. cakkaree ilik8

baby-voc milk

'baby you drink milk'?

kuticca ?"

drink (p)

kanta?" "

poovalle

go not

see?

poo: pooye

bus

vaavee

baby -voc

'baby see bus'.

9. Grandmother: cakkaree aliliott8""

baby -voc there

'baby don't go there'.

8. Father:

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10. Grandmother: kuttaa•• bomma evite?•

baby-voc doll

'baby where is doll'?

where

11. grandmother: cakkaree amma evite?•

sweety-voc mother where

'sweety where is your mother'?

12. grandmother: vaavee karayaIlee.

baby-voc cry not

'baby don't cry'.

4. Genetive case marker

nRe and ute are the marker to denote genetive case

1. mother: moonRe accanson -gen father'son, where is your father'?

evite?where

2. father: moolute bomma evite?. . .daughter -gen doll where?

'daughter where is your doll'?

evite?

where?

pll pll

vizilson -gen

'son, where is your vizil' ?

moonRe3. Father:

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4. Grandmother: moonRe pappam evite?

son-gen food where

'son where is your food' ?

Absence of pronouns

Another noticable feature in the data is the absence of

pronouns. Mother and father use kinship terms such as amma,

acca to refer herself or himself rather than use the personal

pronoun. The second person pronoun 'you' is occasionally used,

but with the younger child the mother frequently refers to herself

as amma.

Mother: ita ammeta kanna.. ..This mother s eye

'This is mother s eye'.

Mother: ita vaaveta kanna. ..Th is baby eye

'This is baby s eye'.

mother: ita accanRe paava

This father -gen doll

'This is father s doll'.

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Relating the child with others like father, grand parents,

sisters brothers or others. These reference may even extended up

to the almighty god or such religious deities

grandmother: ita daivattinRe

This god - gen

'This is god schild'.

kugiyaa.

child

Pronoun usage requires quite complex cognitive skills.

Avoid of pronouns can be seen as a skilful adaptation to the

child s conceptual level. It also performs a teaching function.

4.5 Psychological Analysis of Baby Talk

Emotions that are conveyed through speech, Baby Talk is

more demonstrative and emotional in nature. Speaker's intention

can be classified in to four categories in the context of Baby Talk.

They can be

a. comfort

b. approval

c. attention

d. prohibition

Baby Talk helps to attract babies closer attention. It also

helps babies understand the emotions and intention of others.

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a. Comfort

When baby is crying for something it can be consoled by

using words, such as :

mother: kunn8 vaava kayallee.

small baby cry not

'small baby not cry'.

mother : cakkara

sweety

b. Approval

caaccikkoo

to sleep

When baby is doing something we give approval for doing

that.

mother: moone

son

avite.there

Irunno

sit

'son sit there'.

mother: moole. at8 etukk8•

daughter-accu that take

'daughter take that'.

c. attention

When baby is looking somewhere, baby is asked to look at

the speech to get attention.

mother: moole iririoott8. ..daughter-accu here

'daughter look here'.

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Dookk8.

look

d. Prohibition

Usually to prohibit the child in doing something a high

pitch sound is used. Then the child understands the situation.

son - accu there

'son don't go there'.

daughter-accu that

'daughter don't catch that'.

a.

b.

moone

moole•

annoott8..

atine

poovallee

go not

pitikkallee

catch not

Experimental research has shown that babies brain pay

more attention to Baby Talk speech even in their sleep. Baby

Talk grabs the attention because it might be the higher pitch.

High pitched vocalizations are used as attention-getters. Baby

Talk has greater pitch range and more exaggerated emotional

tone. Babies like to listen Baby Talk when it is highly charged

with pleasant emotions. Baby Talk act as a link for linguistic

transfer between mother and child. If the brain processes Baby

Talk, it could establish a communication bond between mother

and child and also activate language centres in preverbal infant's

brain.

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Baby Talk is an important part of emotional bonding

process. Affection between the parent and child can easily

express through the Baby Talk words. Adults use special words

to express affection and love. For eg: cakkaree, kuna, vaavee,

muttee etc are the words used to show the intimacy between the

mother and child. Lullby song also shows the affection between

mother and child.

Pet names are used for express the affection. The original

name of the child is very lengthy. So parents use short pet names

for calling them.

eg: kal)l)an, ma!u, kunan, accu,meenu, kaattu etc.

Summary

This chapter analysed the data in linguistic basis ie.,

phonology, morphology and syntax. The Phonology discussed

the number of consonant, vowels, etc., are present. The word

structure, lexical features, etc., are the next. Syntax describes the

types of the sentences and its features. It analyses the features of

lullabies and nursery rhymes. It also provide the psychological

features.

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