The child says 'look doggy,' 'more cookie,' 'no bed,' and 'mommy good.' Which description best fits this speech sample?

• A. Babbling
• B. Telegraphic speech
• C. Simple sentence
• D. Narrative

Answer: (B)

Telegraphic speech; this is the stage where young children string together two-word phrases and omit small function words, focusing on content words that carry the main meaning. In the sample, each utterance is two words long—“look doggy,” “more cookie,” “no bed,” “mommy good”—and you don’t see articles, auxiliary verbs, or endings that would flesh out a full sentence. This pared‑down, comma-like production is exactly what telegraphic speech looks like in the two‑word stage of development. If it were babbling, you’d hear non-words or syllables rather than real words; a simple sentence would usually show a subject and a predicate with fuller grammar; a narrative would involve a sequence of events. So this best fits telegraphic speech.