Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution

Motherese is the term that scientists use for how human mothers interact with their babies. Motherese functions somewhat similarly to “baby talk” but is different. It incorporates higher pitches and over-pronunciation of vowels and consonants, along with simplification of grammar. Motherese is also something that other people can and do use. Bohannon states, “Motherese is so universal, in fact, that we do it not just with babies but also with our pets and or to tease an adult we think is acting childish” (325). Motherese can be found across all human cultures and all human languages, especially among mothers and other female individuals. Other animals change their pitch with their young as well, including squirrel monkeys and dolphins. Bohannon argues that Motherese, while maybe not mandatory, is important for bonding a child to their mother. Motherese also helps babies learn language, which is extremely important for their early cognitive development. Not receiving enough communication and language from their parents can cause babies to develop severe and, often permanent, language deficits, and Motherese helps prevent that. Motherese has also been linked to a higher proficiency in language and verbal skills. Motherese is an essential way in which female individuals have evolved to communicate with their children, and its existence shows the extraordinary growth of the species over millions of years.