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Baby Language

 Baby Language
type
FeatureClass
 Baby Language
label
Baby Language
 Baby Language
page
BabyLanguage
 Baby Language
comment
Often in fiction, babies who can't talk yet are treated as having their own esoteric language, similar to Animal Talk. Adults can't hope to understand this language without magic or phlebotinum, yet it's usually understood by all babies regardless of national origin. Usually, this will be the center of the plot for that particular story, although it may occasionally be used as a throwaway joke.
Whether the babies have an intelligence to match their language varies greatly. In some works, it may just be a cutesy version of Hulk Speak. In others, the babies may in fact be geniuses, and unable to share their brilliance with the world — what a shame they forget it as soon as they begin to actually communicate. In others, the children seem to be relatively intelligent, but with poor decision skills and naivety, making them less capable. This last one is usually the most successful, but any of these forms can result in awkwardness if not handled well.
Creepily, this might have an element of Truth in Television. Studies show that babies actually understand far more words than they're actually able to speak because they're so uncoordinated. It's called passive vocabulary. So for the first few years of life, it's very similar to communicating with the more intelligent pet animals. However, there is no universal "baby language" that babies can use to communicate with each other.
Not to be confused with Baby Talk, which is about adults speaking in a babylike way.

Examples
 Baby Language
fetched
2024-02-03T20:00:29Z
 Baby Language
parsed
2024-02-03T20:00:29Z
 Baby Language
processingComment
Dropped link to PersonalDictionary: Not an Item - FEATURE
 Baby Language
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Dropped link to Rugrats1991: Not an Item - UNKNOWN
 Baby Language
processingComment
Dropped link to invokedtrope: Not an Item - FEATURE
 Baby Language
processingUnknown
Rugrats1991
 Baby Language
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Baby Language / int_13608e8f
type
Baby Language
 Baby Language / int_13608e8f
comment
Rugrats:
The original 1991 series is an interesting case in that three-year-olds like Angelica and Susie can talk with the baby characters as well as with the adults. There's also Dil, who's three months old and can't be understood by the babies except for when he says occasional words like "Mine" or "Poopy".
The 2021 reboot has several changes from the original series, namely making Susie two years old and making Buster and Edwin, who were her older brothers in the original series, her cousins. The plot of "Baby Talk" involves Edwin having just turned five and being unable to understand Susie.
 Baby Language / int_13608e8f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Baby Language / int_13608e8f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Rugrats (Franchise)
hasFeature
Baby Language / int_13608e8f
 Baby Language / int_14303c5a
type
Baby Language
 Baby Language / int_14303c5a
comment
Rowan from Boy and Dog speaks his own pre-verbal language called "Rowan", that animals understand too.
 Baby Language / int_14303c5a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Baby Language / int_14303c5a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Boy and Dog (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Baby Language / int_14303c5a
 Baby Language / int_38fcfa93
type
Baby Language
 Baby Language / int_38fcfa93
comment
Babies in Jump Start speak in all lowercase letters as a Translation Convention that represents this.
 Baby Language / int_38fcfa93
featureApplicability
1.0
 Baby Language / int_38fcfa93
featureConfidence
1.0
 Jump Start (Comic Strip)
hasFeature
Baby Language / int_38fcfa93
 Baby Language / int_3defe34c
type
Baby Language
 Baby Language / int_3defe34c
comment
A Discussed Trope on the Kids React video with the Talking Twin Babies. Asked whether all babies speak a universal baby language, the kids give varied answers. The twins Megan and Shannon have no memory of being able to communicate with each other before they could talk.
 Baby Language / int_3defe34c
featureApplicability
1.0
 Baby Language / int_3defe34c
featureConfidence
1.0
 Discussed Trope
hasFeature
Baby Language / int_3defe34c
 Baby Language / int_41c629e2
type
Baby Language
 Baby Language / int_41c629e2
comment
One Baby Blues strip revealed that Hammie (at the time a toddler) could perfectly understand his younger sister Wren's baby talk, as well as speaking English. Zoe (a kindergartner) observed that she must have grown up too much as she couldn't make any sense of baby talk anymore.
 Baby Language / int_41c629e2
featureApplicability
1.0
 Baby Language / int_41c629e2
featureConfidence
1.0
 Baby Blues (Comic Strip)
hasFeature
Baby Language / int_41c629e2
 Baby Language / int_4ef27389
type
Baby Language
 Baby Language / int_4ef27389
comment
Baby Talk (1991) was a TV series based on the movie Look Who's Talking, thus it had the same premise of babies speaking to each other Garfield style.
 Baby Language / int_4ef27389
featureApplicability
1.0
 Baby Language / int_4ef27389
featureConfidence
1.0
 Baby Talk 1991
hasFeature
Baby Language / int_4ef27389
 Baby Language / int_4f504868
type
Baby Language
 Baby Language / int_4f504868
comment
In Motherly Scootaloo, a My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic Tumblr comic, apparently Lightning Blitz fits this, as the Ask Discord Hooves crossover shows (this makes sense, since it's the Doctor in pony form he's talking to).
 Baby Language / int_4f504868
featureApplicability
1.0
 Baby Language / int_4f504868
featureConfidence
1.0
 Motherly Scootaloo (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Baby Language / int_4f504868
 Baby Language / int_5178149f
type
Baby Language
 Baby Language / int_5178149f
comment
Sugar and Spike appeared in one issue of the Batman: The Brave and the Bold spin-off comic (which appears determined to not only have dafter plots than the series, but even more obscure guest stars). Batman gets turned into a baby, and can instantly understand them.
 Baby Language / int_5178149f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Baby Language / int_5178149f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Batman: The Brave and the Bold
hasFeature
Baby Language / int_5178149f
 Baby Language / int_64b9cf6b
type
Baby Language
 Baby Language / int_64b9cf6b
comment
In the PB&J Otter episode, "The Legend of Ponce de L'Otter", when the Otter kids need an idea on how to retrieve Ponce de L'Otter's lost telescope from the bottom of Lake Hoohaw, Baby Butter has an idea. However, because she can't really talk yet, her idea, which involves her using her diaper to absorb the water of the lake, is shown in an Imagine Spot. Unfortunately, because Peanut and Jelly are a few years older than her, they are unable to understand her.
 Baby Language / int_64b9cf6b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Baby Language / int_64b9cf6b
featureConfidence
1.0
 PB&J Otter
hasFeature
Baby Language / int_64b9cf6b
 Baby Language / int_654c5aa8
type
Baby Language
 Baby Language / int_654c5aa8
comment
Look Who's Talking had some of this.
 Baby Language / int_654c5aa8
featureApplicability
1.0
 Baby Language / int_654c5aa8
featureConfidence
1.0
 Look Who's Talking
hasFeature
Baby Language / int_654c5aa8
 Baby Language / int_746814ae
type
Baby Language
 Baby Language / int_746814ae
comment
Kate from Arthur did this. However, she could also talk to Pal, the dog, implying that her Baby Language was on the same level as Animal Talk.
 Baby Language / int_746814ae
featureApplicability
1.0
 Baby Language / int_746814ae
featureConfidence
1.0
 Arthur
hasFeature
Baby Language / int_746814ae
 Baby Language / int_85a70c03
type
Baby Language
 Baby Language / int_85a70c03
comment
The 2021 reboot has several changes from the original series, namely making Susie two years old and making Buster and Edwin, who were her older brothers in the original series, her cousins. The plot of "Baby Talk" involves Edwin having just turned five and being unable to understand Susie.
 Baby Language / int_85a70c03
featureApplicability
1.0
 Baby Language / int_85a70c03
featureConfidence
1.0
 Rugrats (2021)
hasFeature
Baby Language / int_85a70c03
 Baby Language / int_87ded408
type
Baby Language
 Baby Language / int_87ded408
comment
The entire premise of The Boss Baby. In this film, babies even own their MegaCorp.
 Baby Language / int_87ded408
featureApplicability
1.0
 Baby Language / int_87ded408
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Boss Baby
hasFeature
Baby Language / int_87ded408
 Baby Language / int_8dd0bbcc
type
Baby Language
 Baby Language / int_8dd0bbcc
comment
In A Series of Unfortunate Events, toddler Sunny spoke in subtitled gibberish. Her speech was translated in the books.
 Baby Language / int_8dd0bbcc
featureApplicability
1.0
 Baby Language / int_8dd0bbcc
featureConfidence
1.0
 A Series of Unfortunate Events
hasFeature
Baby Language / int_8dd0bbcc
 Baby Language / int_8f36f969
type
Baby Language
 Baby Language / int_8f36f969
comment
Throughout the The Loud House episode, "Homespun", Lincoln and his sisters worry about their run-down house being destroyed by a tornado during a warning, so they all share their favorite memories of the house to learn to appreciate what they have. When it's one-year-old Lily's turn to share her favorite memory, Luan serves as her translator.
 Baby Language / int_8f36f969
featureApplicability
1.0
 Baby Language / int_8f36f969
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Loud House
hasFeature
Baby Language / int_8f36f969
 Baby Language / int_9b08bd8c
type
Baby Language
 Baby Language / int_9b08bd8c
comment
This is one of the hallmarks of Kurami; the titular infant's "speech" consists solely of "gek gek" and variations thereof.
 Baby Language / int_9b08bd8c
featureApplicability
1.0
 Baby Language / int_9b08bd8c
featureConfidence
1.0
 Kurami (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Baby Language / int_9b08bd8c
 Baby Language / int_b6e6a7c7
type
Baby Language
 Baby Language / int_b6e6a7c7
comment
In P.L. Travers' original Mary Poppins stories, babies could talk to each other, and also to animals and inanimate objects. They are also aware that as they learn regular language, they will forget this one. (Except of course, for Mary Poppins herself, because she's Mary Poppins.)
 Baby Language / int_b6e6a7c7
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1.0
 Baby Language / int_b6e6a7c7
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1.0
 Mary Poppins
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Baby Language / int_b6e6a7c7
 Baby Language / int_c43df4d8
type
Baby Language
 Baby Language / int_c43df4d8
comment
Doctor Who:
"A Good Man Goes To War" reveals that the Doctor can apparently speak baby. His companion doesn't buy it, and he calmly retorts "I speak everything". With the translation circuits, this may actually be true.
Proving that he can indeed speak baby is the episode "Closing Time", where the Doctor spends much of the episode translating a baby for his father, Craig.
At the end of the episode that all changes. (Also, despite the Doctor's efforts to seem like he never appeared, Alfie's first actual spoken English word is Doctor.)
Returns again in "The Girl Who Died", when the Twelfth Doctor translates a Viking baby's worries. Unlike the previous occasions, it's played for drama, not laughs.
 Baby Language / int_c43df4d8
featureApplicability
1.0
 Baby Language / int_c43df4d8
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1.0
 Doctor Who
hasFeature
Baby Language / int_c43df4d8
 Baby Language / int_d26874b6
type
Baby Language
 Baby Language / int_d26874b6
comment
Apparently, in Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Manny knows several toddler slang terms. The only one we hear is "Ploopy," which Manny apparently considers quite offensive.
 Baby Language / int_d26874b6
featureApplicability
1.0
 Baby Language / int_d26874b6
featureConfidence
1.0
 Diary of a Wimpy Kid
hasFeature
Baby Language / int_d26874b6
 Baby Language / int_dc2c5a74
type
Baby Language
 Baby Language / int_dc2c5a74
comment
The Boss Baby: Back in Business, which is a sequel of the aforementioned 'The Boss Baby.
 Baby Language / int_dc2c5a74
featureApplicability
1.0
 Baby Language / int_dc2c5a74
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Boss Baby: Back in Business
hasFeature
Baby Language / int_dc2c5a74
 Baby Language / int_dc84b9d5
type
Baby Language
 Baby Language / int_dc84b9d5
comment
Baby Geniuses has the babies speaking a coherent language that adults cannot understand, and writing in "Ancient Babylonian" script that takes the form of a child's seemingly random scrawling. Its stated that when babies grow up past a certain point, they lose this intelligence and all knowledge of the language, and the villains of the first film are obsessed with (among other things) deciphering the language.
 Baby Language / int_dc84b9d5
featureApplicability
1.0
 Baby Language / int_dc84b9d5
featureConfidence
1.0
 Baby Geniuses
hasFeature
Baby Language / int_dc84b9d5
 Baby Language / int_ea4f62db
type
Baby Language
 Baby Language / int_ea4f62db
comment
Stewie on Family Guy may be an example, depending on how the writers feel that day. To the audience, Stewie can seemingly speak perfect English despite being only a year old, yet his parents, sister and most other adults are presumed to not understand him since they rarely respond to what he says, and when they do, it's in an indirect way, suggesting that they just guess what he means based on his mood. The only primary characters who are consistently shown to understand Stewie are Brian and Chris. Any minor or One Shot adult character that Stewie interacts with is usually shown to understand him as well. It gets lampshaded at one point where an angry Meg demands to know who was talking about her and everyone immediately blames Stewie, causing him to say "Oh, so now everyone understands me?" Word of God also says that everyone can understand Stewie, but choose to ignore him most of the time.
 Baby Language / int_ea4f62db
featureApplicability
1.0
 Baby Language / int_ea4f62db
featureConfidence
1.0
 Family Guy
hasFeature
Baby Language / int_ea4f62db
 Baby Language / int_ea85bebc
type
Baby Language
 Baby Language / int_ea85bebc
comment
Stone Telling from Always Coming Home notes that as they went back home from the Dayao city, her toddler daughter communicated with other toddlers in towns along the way far better than she herself did.
 Baby Language / int_ea85bebc
featureApplicability
1.0
 Baby Language / int_ea85bebc
featureConfidence
1.0
 Always Coming Home
hasFeature
Baby Language / int_ea85bebc

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Baby Language
processingCategory2
Artistic License – Biology
 Baby Language
processingCategory2
Babies, Babies Everywhere
 Baby Language
processingCategory2
Language Tropes
 The Sandman Universe (Comic Book) / int_c96e8b3
type
Baby Language
 Pogo (Comic Strip) / int_c96e8b3
type
Baby Language
 Prerugrats (Fanfic) / int_c96e8b3
type
Baby Language
 Skyhold Academy Yearbook (Fanfic) / int_c96e8b3
type
Baby Language
 Baby Geniuses / int_c96e8b3
type
Baby Language
 Always Coming Home / int_c96e8b3
type
Baby Language
 Diary of a Wimpy Kid / int_c96e8b3
type
Baby Language
 Mary Poppins / int_c96e8b3
type
Baby Language
 Baby Talk 1991 / int_c96e8b3
type
Baby Language
 Kill la Kill AU (Webcomic) / int_c96e8b3
type
Baby Language
 Kurami (Webcomic) / int_c96e8b3
type
Baby Language