Telegraphic speech, according to linguistics and psychology, is speech during the two-word stage of language acquisition in children, which is laconic and efficient.
The name derives from the fact that someone sending a telegram was generally charged by the word. To save money, people typically wrote their telegrams in a very compressed style, without conjunctions or articles. As children develop language, they speak similarly: when a child says "Water now!" it is understood that the child means, "I would appreciate a glass of water, immediately."
In the field of psychology, telegraphic speech is defined as a form of communication consisting of simple two-word, noun-verb sentences that adhere to the grammatical standards of the culture's language. For example, an English-speaking child would say "Give cupcake" to express that they would like a cupcake rather than "Cupcake give". Researchers have noted that this period of language acquisition occurs some time between the ages of 18–36 months and is present not just in English-speaking cultures, but can be found worldwide (Bloom 1970).
In adults, regression to telegraphic speech may indicate a neurological problem such as multiple sclerosis.