DEAR MISS MANNERS: I’m lucky enough to work at a place where everyone generally gets along very well. We have one newer person who is nice, but has one annoying quirk: She randomly inserts baby talk into the conversation. For example, instead of saying, “I’m sorry you’ve had a rough day,” it’s “Awww, I sowwy you had a wuff day,” accompanied by a pouty lip. I’d like suggestions on how to deter the baby talk, especially since I can tell she’s really trying to fit in with the people who have been here for years.
GENTLE READER: “Haha, do you have a child at home? I know it is hard to stop talking like that when you have a baby.” If this is said kindly, Miss Manners hopes that your co-worker will take the feedback: that this is not how one speaks — and pouts — in a professional setting.
(Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, [email protected]; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)
