Why are baby words repeated twice? Like “mama” and “dada”. Isn’t it easier for baby to go “ma” or “da”?

Question

Also, linguistically, why is repeating a word make it associated to baby talk? E.g. “No no”, “bye bye”.

In: 1

Answer 1

Intentionality. Making a single syllable sound intentionally is hard to differentiate from making random noises. Making a two syllable sound consistently requires intentionality.