# Do you baby talk to your SO? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 25, 2006, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-baby-talk-to-your-so/365924 "2006-07-25T03:45:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/278dde/32.png) [@Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Runs_With_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-baby-talk-to-your-so/365924/1 "2006-07-25T03:45:59Z")
Have you heard of the movie _The Puffy Chair_? Here’s a Rotten Tomatoes link to it, if you are so inclined: [The Puffy Chair on Rotten Tomatoes](http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10005108-puffy_chair/) It’s extremely low budget and “indie.” I love movies like this. However, not everyone is good at making low budget, indie movies. Including the writer and director of this film. But that’s not really the point of this post. In the film, the main character’s girlfriend baby talks to him. It’s part of her entire passive/aggressive routine. At this point, I’m not sure if I was supposed to be endeared to her or not. She spends half the movie baby talking, and the other half passively and/or aggressively being pissed off at him, and I’ll bet you can tell by the tone of my post that I would rather have had a root canal than sit and listen to her and him(!) baby talk to each other. Ugh, they even mixed it with talking with their mouths full and kissing. So now we come to the titular aspect of my post: (I use “titular” because one of the reviews linked from RT used that word NONstop to describe the chair, and without irony.) Do you baby talk to your SO? Slam me, flame me, take my dinner away, call me rude names like “tittilatinig titular titty twister,” put me in the corner, and/or send me to bed without supper, but here is my opinion on that. It’s sick and wrong. I’m serious. I think baby talking to a boy/girlfriend is psychologically and pathologically wrong. I don’t even talk to BABIES like this, much less my SO. I can’t imagine what I would do if my SO spoke to me like that. I imagine be so replused that I’d wretch and writhe and heave. So…do ya? ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-baby-talk-to-your-so/365924/2 "2006-07-25T03:59:42Z")
No, we never do anything so ridiculous. We call each other “babykins” in jest, but that’s about the extent of it. It wouldn’t occur to us to talk baby talk to each other. I don’t think you’re wrong to dislike it, either. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-baby-talk-to-your-so/365924/3 "2006-07-25T04:03:06Z")
I’ve not seen the movie, can you describe what ‘baby talk’ is? Apologies in advance for my denseness… ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-baby-talk-to-your-so/365924/4 "2006-07-25T04:05:22Z")
Ew, no. My sister does that but not only to her SO. I know she talks to me like that almost all the time (which is why I rarely talk to her anymore), as well as my child, my parents, her kids, etc. I would think that it’s just her normal voice (a high-pitched, vaguely whiny, nasally tone) but I’ve heard her speak at work and stuff. It’s really… well, to be honest, it makes me want to stab her. I can’t help it. I don’t really know anybody except her who does it constantly. ---
**Author:** ![Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/278dde/32.png) [@Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Runs_With_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-baby-talk-to-your-so/365924/5 "2006-07-25T04:08:28Z")
> [@sandra\_nz](#): > > I’ve not seen the movie, can you describe what ‘baby talk’ is? Apologies in advance for my denseness… No, not dense…it’s actually hard to explain. There was a Seinfeld episode that kind of touched on this…the “I love YOU shmoopie” episode. But this is more than that. It’s not just the nauseating pet names, it’s having an entire conversation like this, interspersed with kissing and staring googly eyed. It’s kind of the way people talk to babies: “Oh, who’s cute? Who’s the cutest baby? What? That’s RIGHT! It’s YOU!” High pitched, little girl talking to a puppy, drippy, syupy way of talking. Maybe someone else can give it a crack 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-baby-talk-to-your-so/365924/6 "2006-07-25T04:40:56Z")
Babytalk is like a series of pseudo-rhetorical questions followed by obvious answers. Imagine having a conversation with a wall. Then imagine filling in for the wall. Now imagine raising your vocal tone an octave or two and talking about the most inconsequential shit imaginable. ---
**Author:** ![NajaNivea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NajaNivea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NajaNivea)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-baby-talk-to-your-so/365924/7 "2006-07-25T05:01:00Z")
I have this vague memory of Mr. Armadillo blurting out some baby talk the second(? third?) time we were together, in bed after… events. I remember freezing, staring at the ceiling for a moment, looking at him, and changing the subject. I thought perhaps his ex, for whom it would have been perfectly plausible to _be_ a baby-talker --she was that kind of chick-- had trained him to do it, but he says no. He never did it again, he has no memory of it ever happening, and says none of his previous girlfriends had ever been a baby-talker so at this point I’m not even 100% sure it actually happened. The point is, there was a moment in that memory where I was mentally checking in for the first flight home. No, I don’t baby-talk my SO and would be seriously weirded out if they felt the need to baby-talk me. We do it in jest towards the dog sometimes, and I’ll tease him with “who’s the best, who’s the best husband? Who is? It’s YOU! It’s YOU!” in a baby-talk kind of voice, but that’s it. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-baby-talk-to-your-so/365924/8 "2006-07-25T06:09:57Z")
The very thought makes me cringe. I used to work with a girl who did this (when speaking on the phone to her husband, _in front of people_! At work!) I lost a lot of respect for her. I can’t fathom talking to another human being like that, especially someone you’re sleeping with. Babies are not sexy. I do, however, occasionally talk to my dogs like that. Maybe that is why I have such a hard time with babies–how do you talk to them? Baby talk just seem so wrong with people. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-baby-talk-to-your-so/365924/9 "2006-07-25T08:12:49Z")
Baby-talk is an abomination upon language, no matter to whom it is directed. Hey there, **Silver Fire**! Haven’t seen you around in a while. ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-baby-talk-to-your-so/365924/10 "2006-07-25T09:07:00Z")
> [@fetus](#): > > Baby-talk is an abomination upon language, no matter to whom it is directed. > > Hey there, **Silver Fire**! Haven’t seen you around in a while. For real. I did a zombie-thread check when I saw she’d posted. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-baby-talk-to-your-so/365924/11 "2006-07-25T09:36:00Z")
Thanks for those explanations, I think I know what you’re talking about. No, my husband and I don’t ‘baby talk’. We definately have our own lingo and catch phrases though, sometimes I’m pretty sure our conversations wouldn’t make sense to any passersby listening in! ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-baby-talk-to-your-so/365924/12 "2006-07-25T10:34:12Z")
My husband and I have pet names for each other, but nothing as obnoxious as “schmoopie,” and typically we don’t use them around other people. He’ll also do this endearing “who’s your buddy?” thing when I’m feeling down, but again, no higher pitch in voice or general babbling. ---
**Author:** ![Idlewild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8491ac/32.png) [@Idlewild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idlewild)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-baby-talk-to-your-so/365924/13 "2006-07-25T10:44:30Z")
Mr. Wild and I have an obnoxiously cute private language at home. I wouldn’t call it baby talk but it certainly isn’t my usual crisp intonation either. We don’t talk like that in front of other people though, because I’m fully aware that it’s nauseating. What? Some people juggle geese. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-baby-talk-to-your-so/365924/14 "2006-07-25T11:38:10Z")
We have goofy-ass terms of endearment for each other, and if he asks me to do an unpleasant task, I respond with a whiny, toddler, “NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” like it’s the end of the world. And we talk baby talk when we talk about the kitties. Can’t help it. ---
**Author:** ![Geobabe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/geobabe/32/3908_2.png) [@Geobabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geobabe)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-baby-talk-to-your-so/365924/15 "2006-07-25T12:32:49Z")
> [@Runs With Scissors](#): > > I don’t even talk to BABIES like this, much less my SO. Same here. My husband and I call each other “Baby”–which is getting confusing now that we have two actual babies–but that’s it. I find baby talk with someone you’re having sex with kind of disturbing. ---
**Author:** ![SkeptiJess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SkeptiJess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkeptiJess)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-baby-talk-to-your-so/365924/16 "2006-07-25T12:34:39Z")
Nope. I never even baby-talked my babies. my husband does have a pet name he uses for me – not as bad as ‘schloopie,’ but along those lines. He doesn’t use the baby-talk voice when he calls me by the pet name, though. And he only uses it in private. We both baby-talk the dog, though. In fact, we _all_ (kids too) baby-talk the dog. ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-baby-talk-to-your-so/365924/17 "2006-07-25T12:36:04Z")
I babytalk my cats. I’d probably babytalk a dog if I had one. And of course babytalking babies is expected and mandatory – but not to the kind of excess that makes people want to give you a leather enema. My SO though? Nope. Neither does she to me. Oh, she’ll sometimes do that cute-little-kid face and mock whining/tantrum-throwing when she doesn’t get her way in matters of lesser import, which is more endearing than irritating (and often makes me recant my position, which is generally her point.) For some reason I’m just reminded of the Seinfeld “Shmoopsie” episode. _gag_ ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-baby-talk-to-your-so/365924/18 "2006-07-25T12:37:48Z")
Well, I currently have no SO. But when I have had, I do not talk baby talk. The closest I come is calling her sweetie. ---
**Author:** ![stargazer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@stargazer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stargazer)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-baby-talk-to-your-so/365924/19 "2006-07-25T15:36:27Z")
I’m with **Idlewild**. We do NOT babytalk – eww – but we do this other talking thing. It’s hard to explain. Of course we babytalk the kitties, though. They don’t seem to mind. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-baby-talk-to-your-so/365924/20 "2006-07-25T16:15:45Z")
I have no SO at present, but when I did, there was no baby talk. > [@Runs With Scissors](#): > > However, not everyone is good at making low budget, indie movies. Including the writer and director of this film. On the other hand, I really liked _The Puffy Chair_ a lot. Thought it was very entertaining, with well observed characters, great dialogue, and a perfect balance between a low-key verite realism and random absurdity. And the ending was pretty brave. So… YMMV. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-baby-talk-to-your-so/365924.md?page=2)