Trying to figure out a specific name for this type of word

[Joe Bread]

I'm trying to figure out the specific name for words that are simplified (or replaced by "childish" synonyms) that are intentionally used in such a fashion in order to undermine or insult.

I'll give an example for clarity:

She bought her car with mommy and daddy's money.

The speaker could have just as easily claimed that "She bought her car with her parents' money", but the more childish words "mommy and daddy" are intentionally substituted into the sentence in order to undermine whoever "she" is.

Does anybody know if there is an English word to describe words that are used in such a way?

I know this forum is typically for more common English words and expressions being learned by non-native speakers, but I figure the teachers here probably have large English vocabularies and may be able to help. Thanks in advance.

 

[Rover_KE]

Welcome to the forum.

Also asked here.

We recommend posting a question on one forum only initially. If you do not get a satisfactory answer from that forum and you feel that you have exhausted its possibilities, then of course trying a different forum might help. It is only courteous however, to tell the second forum that you have already asked the question on another forum and then give a precis of the answers you received there, or provide a link to it, along with an explanation of why you are now looking elsewhere.
(emsr2d2)

 

[Joe Bread]

I appreciate that you take your moderating job so seriously - but as you can see from the other link (which I'm sure you did see, as you took the time to do the research) I have yet to receive an answer to the question.

 

[tedmc]

I have not heard of a word to describe that. I guess you can put it in a few words, like "write/speak in child's language".

 

[emsr2d2]

I appreciate that you take your moderating job so seriously - but as you can see from the other link (which I'm sure you did see, as you took the time to do the research) I have yet to receive an answer to the question.

At 10:07pm (UK time) last night, 20 minutes before you wrote post #3 here, you had five responses to your post on WR. Did you mean that you hadn't had an acceptable or satisfactory answer?
As Rover said, though, when you have already posted on another forum, it is courteous to tell us that you have done so and provide a link, whether there are responses or not.

Using "mommy and daddy" in your original example could be used to infantilise the person in question.

 

[jutfrank]

Your question is a bit confused.

It seems that you're looking for a term to describe the rhetorical device of using infantile words to a certain effect, rather than a term to describe any particular kind of word. Is that so?

In any case, I'm pretty sure that no such term exists.

 

[Joe Bread]

At 10:07pm (UK time) last night, 20 minutes before you wrote post #3 here, you had five responses to your post on WR. Did you mean that you hadn't had an acceptable or satisfactory answer?
As Rover said, though, when you have already posted on another forum, it is courteous to tell us that you have done so and provide a link, whether there are responses or not.

Using "mommy and daddy" in your original example could be used to infantilise the person in question.

No, I meant that I hadn't had an answer. A response to a thread is not synonymous with an answer to the question. The one and only attempt at an answer was quickly retracted upon admitting she misunderstood what I was asking. If you're going to go through the effort of finding duplicate threads and counting the responses, you might as well do a quick read-through of them.

Thank you for your contribution by the way, infantilize may be the best I'm going to get. I was hoping for something more of an -ism type word that describes the rhetorical device as opposed to a verb, but I'll take what I can get.

 

[Joe Bread]

Your question is a bit confused.

It seems that you're looking for a term to describe the rhetorical device of using infantile words to a certain effect, rather than a term to describe any particular kind of word. Is that so?

In any case, I'm pretty sure that no such term exists.

Yes, it would be a rhetorical device. I was hoping that there was a word out there to describe it.

 

[Phaedrus]

[. . .] infantilize may be the best I'm going to get. I was hoping for something more of an -ism type word that describes the rhetorical device as opposed to a verb, but I'll take what I can get.

How about an -ation type word? We could refer to (linguistic/rhetorical) infantilization. That word exists, and -ism could, if you like, be added to it.

 

[Joe Bread]

How about an -ation type word? We could refer to (linguistic/rhetorical) infantilization. That word exists, and -ism could, if you like, be added to it.

For some context, the end goal here is to be able to weaken arguments that utilize this device by pointing out the use of it without having to go into explicit detail.

So if I was to go with your suggestion, I would claim something like:
"...you instead rely on the use of petty infantilism as a means of...".

How do we feel about this if we applied it to say, the example I used above? It still seems to read as though I'm claiming that my opponent was acting infantile, when what I'm really trying to convey is that their use of such a "cheap" device weakens their argument by nature.

 

[Phaedrus]

How do we feel about this if we applied it to say, the example I used above? It still seems to read as though I'm claiming that my opponent was acting infantile, when what I'm really trying to convey is that their use of such a "cheap" device weakens their argument by nature.

My suggestion was that you use, not infantilism, but infantilization (which exists) -- or, if you must, infantilizationism (which doesn't exist).

"...you instead rely on the use of petty infantilization as a means of...".

 

[Joe Bread]

My suggestion was that you use, not infantilism, but infantilization (which exists) -- or, if you must, infantilizationism (which doesn't exist).

"...you instead rely on the use of petty infantilization as a means of...".

Ah, I misread the second half of your post. I thought you intended to replace the"-ation" with"-ism" to better convey that I'm referring to a specific rhetorical device as opposed to a more general action (which I am).

I think infantilization gets the job done better than anything else that I've tried though. Thanks for the contribution.