A study said mothers across the world speak to their babies in the same way. Researchers from the Baby Lab at Princeton University said "motherese" is a universal language. It is not just cute noises and coochy-coos. The words and sounds mothers say to babies are quite complex. They are a special form of communication. Mothers use them in the same way across the world. They help the language development in babies. Dr Elise Piazza, co-author of the research, said baby talk is more important than we thought. She said: "It is not something to be embarrassed about at all."

The researchers recorded 24 different mothers talking to babies aged between seven months and one year. The mothers spoke 10 different languages, including English, Mandarin and Russian. Dr Piazza said: "We basically brought mothers into the lab and had them play with and read to their own babies, just like they would at home." She said mothers changed the quality of their voices when speaking to babies, in any language. The study didn't look at fathers' talk, but Piazza said that it is likely fathers would also speak to their babies in a similar way across the world.