Wakey-wakey 〈WORKING | 2024〉

We propose a ritualization of infantilization : waking another person recapitulates the parent-infant dynamic. The reduplicative, sing-song quality lowers the hearer’s startle response (a survival reflex). By mimicking non-threatening, predictable nursery phonology, “wakey-wakey” signals “I am not a predator; I am a caregiver.” The phrase’s decline in use among adolescents and rise in caregiving contexts supports this hypothesis.

“Wakey-Wakey”: A Sociolinguistic Analysis of a Reduplicative Morning Ritual wakey-wakey

[Generated] Date: April 18, 2026