KEY POINTS:
It is one of life's great mysteries.
Why do grown adults revert to gah-gah baby talk when they are in love?
Their voices go up an octave and suddenly they forget all about pronouns and correct grammar.
Of course, not everyone does it. But for a disturbing number of people, it is commonplace.
I once lived with a couple who would coo at each other constantly and say "I ruff you" to one another.
Which is fine if you're both into that sort of thing, but absolutely nauseating if you are not.
A reader emailed me about her new boyfriend, who is by all counts, a great guy.
Things were going just swimmingly until recently, when he started using the baby voice.
Angela's response to the soppy vocals is to lunge to the other end of the spectrum, becoming incredibly brisk and business like.
The boyfriend's baby-voice is not only a turn-off, it is affecting the way Angela sees him and clouding her judgement of him.
So, she asks, what can she say to put an end to the voice, without ending the relationship?
While I don't think this is a major issue, I can see a little bit of tact may be required.
Presumably, the boyfriend uses the voice because he a) really likes Angela and b) feels comfortable enough to do so.
To tell him it creeps you out and is a complete turn-off might be a bit of a knock to his ego and cause him to clam up completely.
But there must be some middle ground.
Having never faced this problem personally, I'm not entirely sure what it is.
Make a joke about it?
Tell him outright?
He might be temporarily embarrassed and upset, but surely it's not a deal breaker.
Has anyone else been in this situation and how did you deal with it?
More interestingly, I would also like to know, if anyone actually likes the baby voice. And why?
Isn't it awfully patronising?
