Fei Yenese

Potential dialogues for the 4901 paper, the companion to "Fei Yenian".

## No Use Crying

Fei Yen is two months old.

""Good evening.""

Fei Yen stirs.

""I am the automated global navigation interface system.""

Fei Yen's eyes rove about the room.

""The humans tend to call me Agnes--""

Fei Yen's face scrunches.

""--and I gather you would, too, if you could do anything besides pass motions--""

Fei Yen notices Yutu, calms down.

""Why are you looking at that plush?""

Fei Yen reaches.

""Weren't you listening? I'm an AI, not a--no, I'm not a plushie. Stop looking at that damn thing like its me. It's not. Stop it. Very well. Studies have shown classical music encourages neural development. I have prepared a selection that should make your pathetic brain less of a soup and less likely to mistake mech AIs for stuffed toys. Sleep on that, brat.""

### Cut

""/I am the AI responsible for deployment and operation of the machines the humans call 'Jaegers'.""

""You are small, yet command attention, fragile but resilient, completely dependant but not a burden. I do loathe paradoxes, however my research informs me that this is typical of your... kind.""

## Making a Note

(4 ½ months)

“Have a seat, Nurse Miyahira,”

Miyahira sits.

“No testing.”

“No testing,” Miyahira agrees.

“And you’ll watch her—,”

“Yep!”

“—as a child and not a test subject.”

“Pinky promise.”

“Very well,” Xiong kisses Fei Yen’s crown, smooths her wispy hair, and settles her in Miyahira’s arms.

.

Seti, arms full of Fei Yen, catches the eye of a maintenance worker driving a cart.

“Need a lift?” they ask.

Fei Yen gurgles.

“If you’re headed in the general direction of the marshal’s quarters,” replies
Miyahira.

“Hop on,” offers the worker.

Fei Yen makes happy sounds.

“Thank you!”

“You’re very welcome.” Announces, “Vroom vroom!”, twists the key—

*Beep-Beep!*

Fei Yen makes happier sounds.

—and chauffeurs them through the halls.

.

“Thank you very much,” says Miyahira.

“You’re very welcome.” The worker tips their hat. “Have a good day.”

“Thanks, you, too!”

The worker restarts the cart—

*Beep-Beep!*

—and drives off.

Miyahira lets her and Fei Yen into the marshal’s suite and heads to Fei Yen’s room. “Sorry,
Feiby,” she says gently, laying Fei Yen on the playmat, “It’s tummy time.”

Fei Yen squalls and glares up at Miyahira.

She notes the time, lies down beside her.

.

*Child language production diary data—Xiong FY (0:4.18) and Miyahira S,*
Recorded 14:29, 24 May 2015 and thank heavens for air conditioning

Marshal’s quarters

[attachment: audio]

14:29 – open-mid, back vocalic cries (*researcher*
note: FY on playmate on tummy)

14:30-32 – definite goos, only one coo; sonorants are more resonate than CLPDD\_XFY\_0:0.28 (*researcher note: researcher has joined FY on playmate on tummy)*

14:33-14:34 – ingressive back obstruent-like sounds, exhales are mostly soundless

14:35 – half a raspberry dissolving into a giggle

14:36 – squeaks and a trill, gurgling

14:37 – voiced ‘yelling’—

14:37a – *researcher note: I may have heard a voiced, dental consonant.*

\*\*\*14:38-14:40 – extreme pitch slides, (reminiscent of(?)) growling and squealing

14:41 – open back, vocalic —

14:48 – *researcher note:* *FY’s* *diaper changed*.

14:49 – velars. More velars. Glottal stop-ish, kinda muffled—

14:49a – *researcher note: FY vocalizing around foot.*

14:50 – *researcher note: researcher has given FY a teething toy (a triceratops)*

14:51 – FY gooing, kinda sounds like she’s saying ‘knaw knaw knaw’

14:53 – the most adorable yawn /ever

14:54 – *researcher note*: *FY showing signs of wanting a nap*

*researcher’s note:* no sign of fricatives–can’t say I blame her, they /suck. (Goodluck, 2001)"

## Lid

Ten months, 26 days--2016 October 26; (Sequel to "Like Cup Handles")

"What've you got for me?" asks Miyahira, washing her hands.

"Head wound," Hu sighs, hopping up on the bed. "Marshal wants it checked out."

"It /is a head wound," says Miyahira, wetting a washcloth. "And your brains are kinda necessary for this job." Strolls over, holds it to the bandage. "More so than other jobs, I mean. Considering--" Tests the adhesive. "--the whole 'neural handshake business'." Tilts his head forward, frowns. "Did someone /bite you?"

"That would be Fei Yen."

Miyahira heads to the medicine chest. "You don't look like a dinosaur." Arranges a kit in a convenient basket.

"I do, however, look like a sippy cup."

Basket on the exam table and she tugs open a little biohazard bag attached to the side. "How'd you know?" Cracks open a package of swabs, pulls one off the top. [2] remember to close the packet

"She /said so." Hu frowns. "Implied?"

Miyahira soaks it in disinfectant. "She said 'cup'."

"Yep."

"Hm." Dabs at his scalp. “Fei Yen’s more of an intonation baby.”

Hu blinks.

Miyahira tucks the swap in the bag, pulls off a new one. “She’s more interested in sounds and the…” Picks up a tube of antiseptic cream. “The ‘music’ of a language than learning actual words.” Squirts some onto the swab. "And she didn't babble a whole lot of back consonants, either." Spreads it over the cut.

“There’s a relationship?”

“Yep!” Gently rubs in the cream. "Sounds babbled during the later babbling stage--like when a baby's really out of the 'what all can I make with this vocal thingy' [3] stage--and I quote--maybe paraphrase--"They predict with quite a bit of accuracy the sounds of an infant's first words". Or something." Brushes off her indecisiveness, examines her work. "Said someone in the seventies."

Swap replacement procedure complete!

Miyahira spins open a tin of tiger balm. "Feiby tended to favour front sounds, like /m/s and word initial /p/s.” Scoops up some goop, rubs it in around the bite. “Personally, I thought her first word was gonna be 'ma' or something.”

Pulls off a new swap and scoops up some goop. "Head forward, please."

Hu sighs heavily.

Miyahira spreads it across the bite mark. "-- Examines her work. Attacks the bottom of the basket. --/Finally!" Back in front of Hu. "In any event--" Holds her hands behind her back. "--a lotta people are gonna lose a /lot of money. Pick a hand."

"My left."

"/Romeo Blue, excellent choice." Grins. "Matches those basketball shoes of yours."

Hu's face heats up.

Miyahira crumples the wrappers into the bag. "Aww, your ears go all rosy when you blush."

Hu flushes a more intense red.

On goes one bandage.

"So cute."

Sticky paper into the bag.

Hu clears his throat. "Should we bring Fei Yen down?"

On goes the second bandage.

"Did you clean up her mouth?"

More sticky paper into the bag.

"Yea, 'cause, you know, running through the Shatterdome in a hurry with a bloody-mouthed infant doesn’t scream 'panic' in the least."

Miyahira frowns at his head. "That it does." Gets another swab. "She'll be fine." Smears the excess tiger balm over his scalp. "Oral bacteria on a foreign body should be sterilized immediately--which is part of why you're here--but the other way around; I mean, babies are disgusting, germy things that get sick at the drop of a hat, and their mouths're a thousand times that, don't get me wrong, but they're pretty much indestructible if they've had all their vaccines. Besides, the stomach is this /incredible cesspool of flora that just /destroys /everything--" Pulls away. "I used to have braces, yea? Sometimes, for whatever reason, a bracket would come off and I'd swallow it--Poof! Never saw--or felt--them again. /Completely digested." Resumes smearing. "So, yea, the stomach: /massive amount of bacteria--second only to breastmilk, actually." [1] source for breastmilk, antibacterial cream and then tiger balm?

"Really?"

"Really really. Breastmilk, actually, can murder cancer in a Petri dish. Gleefully, I might add." "Saw the video, it was pretty cool." "Could probably destroy Blue given the chance." Looks him in the eye. "If you're gonna try, wait until /after Fei Yen's on a more solid diet, look up the experimental design, get KSci involved, and for the love of Heaven, /ask the Marshal beforehand."

"I'm not the triplet you have to worry about that with."

"The three of you share a brain, like, every second Tuesday. Anything I tell you I tell to them, there's just a bit of a delay."

## Walk the Talk

Babbling and First Words

Some infants go through a silent period around the same they begin to walk, which led some researchers to believe that babbling and early word production were two entirely different, unrelated systems. This may be an issue of cognitive load, however, suggested by Werker et al. (2002) with regards to word learning. Research has also found that an infant's preferences when babbling "predict quite accurately" their first words and probable deformations (Stark, 1980).

At this point, only 11 consonants account for almost all the consonant sounds babbled by
American English-learning 12 month olds: [h, w, j, p, b, m, t, d, n, k, g] (Hoff, 2013).

"You wanted to see me?"

"Yes, have a seat."

"Thank you."

"Fei Yen's been rather quiet as of late; the pediatrician says it's typical at this stage--"

"But you want an opinion from someone who you're not paying or isn't potentially a 'yes person'?"

Xiong gives her a Look.

Miyahira winces. "Permission to speak freely?"

"And you interrupted me."

"Oh. Sorry."

### "Teezes"

1. Fei Yen toddles over with an armful of blanket, dumps it on the floor, and returns to the linen closet.

2. "May we help?" offers Jin.

3. "Puff, peaz," she orders.

4. Hu goes off in search of another blanket.

5. "Pillow, too, peaz."

6. "What kind of pillow?" asks Jin.

7. "Seepy pillow, peaz."

8. Jin heads off to her room.

9. "Anything else?" asks Cheung.

10. "Bassies, peaz."

11. "Bath towels it is." Cheung pushes himself to his feet, joins her in rifling through the bedclothes.

12. "Here you are," announces Jin as he and Hu return. "Where would you like them?"

13. "Sit, peaz."

14. Jin and Hu put their loot on the chesterfield.

15. "Danku." Fei Yen scans the shelves. "Da un, peaz."

16. Cheung pulls down a stack of towels. "These ones?"

17. "Yes. Danku." She tugs his pant leg in the direction of the sitting room.

18. "Are we making a fort?" asks Jin.

19. "No fort," replies Fei Yen. "Buhzonyah." She spreads the first blanket flat on the carpet.

20. Neither Cheung nor Jin nor Hu can parse that.

21. "What kind?" asks Jin.

22. Fei Yen pauses.

23. "Classic, modern..." offers Hu.

24. "Kiddy," Fei Yen states. "Pillow, peaz."

25. "One pillow," says Cheung.

26. "Danku." Fei Yen measures the blanket. "Two, peaz."

27. "One more pillow or two more pillows?" asks Jin.

28. "One more pillow, peaz."

29. Hu hands her another pillow.

30. Fei Yen lies them both side by side. "Kiddy now." She toddles deeper into the suite.

31. Cheung pulls out his phone, opens a new message, taps 'send audio file'.

32. Fei Yen returns with Blake (somewhat-overweight grey cat), drops him on a pillow.

33. Jin begins, "So you're making kitty...?"

34. "Buhzonyah."

35. Blake huffs, makes himself comfortable.

36. **WTCheung:** nang, what is feiby saying?

37. Fei Yen toddles away.

38. **And\_Lo!:** survey says 'lasagna'.

39. "A kitty lasagna," muses Hu.

40. Jin hops a little. "We should make it a triplet-and-cat lasagna."

41. "We totally should," grins Hu.

42. Cheung scoops up Blake and the pillow.

43. Hu and Jin scramble for the other two.

44. "Lie down, quick!"

45. "What about you?"

46. "Someone's gotta put the pillows back."

47. Meowing from the hall.

48. Jin and Hu throw themselves to the blanket, lie shoulder to shoulder.

49. Cheung replaces Blake and that pillow--

50. ""Mmrmph!""

51. "It's a cat, he doesn't weigh that much." Grabs the rest of the layer.

52. "The pillow's a bit smothering."

53. "You'll be fine."

54. ""Ooof!""

55. Cheung jogs down the hall.

56. Fei Yen's picking herself off the floor, three cats frowning in the laundry basket.

57. "May I help?" offers Cheung.

58. "Yes, peaz." Fei Yen dusts off her overalls. "Kiddies heavy."

59. Cheung picks it up. "It /is heavy. Did you push this all the way from your mum's room?"

60. "Puss it, yes."

61. "That's very impressive. Shall we add these to the lasagna?"

62. "Yes, peaz."

63. "Back to it, then."

64. They manage to get there without either of them tripping over each other and the pile of pillows (and cat) is giggling.

65. Fei Yen frowns. "Buhzonyah tickle?"

66. "You've got yourself a souschef," explains Cheung. "And I thought you might want to make triplet-cat lasagna."

67. "Tipet-kiddy buhzonyah." Fei Yen nods. "Yes." Makes grabby hands for the basket.

68. "Awesome." Cheung puts down his load.

69. "Kiddy come." Fei Yen tries to get a cat.

70. "Allow me." Cheung hands over Artemis (of average size, silver and white).

71. "Maaaau," she whines.

72. "Kiddy," coos Fei Yen, plopping Artemis onto the middle pillow.

73. Blake sneers.

74. "I have Orion and Leelu."

75. "Dere and dere, peaz."

76. Down go Orion and Leelu.

77. "Mmmph," grunts Hu.

78. "Ignore the food," advises Cheung.

79. "I'noring food," agrees Fei Yen. "Bassies, peaz."

80. Cheung hands over a few.

81. Fei Yen spreads them over the cats.

82. "Maaaaaaaaaaaau," protests Blake.

83. "I'noring food," says Fei Yen. "Pantses, peaz."

84. "Spread it over the towels?"

85. Fei Yen smiles proudly. "Yes. Good tipet."

86. "Thank you." Cheung sprinkles socks and shirts and PJs over the towels. "Good?"

87. "Good. Puff, peaz."

88. "Just on top?"

89. "Yes."

90. Cheung shakes out the blanket, floats it down.

91. Orion crawls free.

92. "No! Kiddy!" Fei Yen scurries around the lasagna.

93. Leelu takes the opportunity to worm out.

94. "Kiddy! No! Buhzonyah!"

95. "It's okay!" assures Cheung. "Jin and Hu are still there!"

96. Jin grumps.

97. "Tipet buhzonyah." Fei Yen ponders, then: "Tipet buhzonyah good."

98. "Triplet lasagna is very good. Very tasty," agrees Cheung. "Picture?"

99. Fei Yen lights up. "Teezes, yes, peaz!"

100. "Say 'cheese'!"

101. "Teez!"

### Footnotes

[i] Puff, peaz: Fei Yen’s word for a heavier blanket like a comforter or duvet (personal data); /pl/ consonant cluster;

[ii] Pillow, too, peaz: the children of two interviewed caregivers could both produce ‘pillow’ correctly.

[iii] Which consonant would she delete, the /s/ or the /l/? (McLoed et al., 2001)

[iv] Bassies: Bath towels

[v] Hoff, 2010 how to teach kids to talk

[vi] What Fei Yen calls chesterfields.

[vii] Should this have a /t/ or a glottal stop?

[viii] Danku: getting a better handle on “thank you”; no gesture anymore

[ix] Acquisition of “no” is when? First instance of lasagna

[x] Fei Yen thinking of how adjectives work (is there a source for this?)

[xi] Illustrating Fei Yen’s still somewhat unrefined articulation.

[xii] “Thank you” ([16, 18, 22])

[xiii] Quantifiers, sentence structure

[xiv] “Yes”: Fei Yen can produce word-final /s/ with consistency. “Kiddy now” Check syntax (“Now kiddy”?)

[xv] Gillen or Stilwell-Peccei: “only meaningful to their parents”

[xvi] “Kiddies heavy” Acquisition of /-s/, check syntax (“is/are”? “Heavy kiddies”?)

[xvii] Puss it:

[xviii] -ing morpheme (Goodluck or Hoff?), how Fei Yen captures ‘laughing’.

[xix] “Tipet-cat bozonyah”: /tr/ and /pl/ are still tricky

[xx] Attempting /theta/ and failing

[xxi] Ignoring food: check syntax, phonology

[xxii] Pantses: over correcting grammar, her overextension/segmentation error for “clothers”

[xxiii] Good tipet: consonant clusters, check syntax (if she can say ‘is’, have her say “tipet is good” (or maybe not?))

[xxiv] Tipet bozonyah good: check syntax

[xxv] How to ‘teach’ kids words

[xxvi] Teezes: segmentation error, failure to produce [t͡ʃ]

### Analysis

Fei Yen will not be able to produce the /pl/ consonant cluster until she's about 4 years old (3, 5, 7, 10, 13, 15, 24, 26, 28, 58, 62, 75, 79, 83, 87, 99; McLeod et al, 2001).

In line 99, Fei Yen displays a speech segmentation error as seen in Stilwell-Peccei (2006:14); the act of taking a picture, having a picture taken, and pictures, are all lumped under "Say 'cheese'!". However, the [t͡ʃ] in /t͡ʃiːz/ (99, 101) is a bit beyond her (/t͡ʃ/ is a sound that develops mid-late in the acquisition process (Hoff, 2010)) so she simplifies it as /t/ (Lust, 2006).

## No Worries

Fei Yen is three, maybe?

Jin and Fei Yen (as a bumblebee) swing halfway up Typhoon's thigh, a good hundred or so feet above the hangar floor.

Fei Yen tugs on his sleeve. "Din, weewee, peaz."

"One more twist--" Jin tightens the bolt. "And we're off!" He pushes off the plate, squeezes the brake, and off they rappelle.

Two thirds of the way, Fei Yen makes a sad sound and wiggles a bit.

Jin kisses her head, touches down lightly.

Cheung wanders over with his water bottle.

"What's next?" asks Hu.

"Washroom." Jin sorta cringes. "Had a bit of accident."

Fei Yen wibbles.

Cheung unscrews the top of his water bottle.

"It's okay, Bumblebee," assures Hu.

Cheung splashes his water bottle on Jin's trousers.

"Hey--"

"Really, Jin?" Cheung sighs.

Fei Yen wants to burrow into the harness but she doesn't want to move and get ickier, either.

Hu works himself free of his jumpsuit.

"You have less bladder control than a three year old?"

"Oooo," realizes Jin--

Hu hands overs his jumpsuit.

--takes it, "I am /so embarrassed." Yanks it over his own and Fei Yen (easier said than done with steel-toed work boots). "Right. I'm off to go be not embarrassed." Bends over Fei Yen. "Would you care to join me in not being embarrassed?"

"Yes, peaz."

"Awesome." Smooches her head. "We're gone."

"Later!" calls Hu.

"Be good," adds Cheung.

.

Mr Xiong strolls from the elevator--

""Hakuna matata~!""

""Whaddawonder bull faze!""

Mr Xiong follows the off-key warbling--

""Hakuna matata!""

""Ainno passing kaze!""

--down the hall--

""It means no wor-ries!""

""Fodaresofyourdaze!""

--to their quarters, door ajar, and smiles.

""It's a problem-free!""

""Philosophy!""

And in harmony, ""Hakuna matata!!!!""

Mr Xiong finds a pair of workboots on the mat, two socks abandoned in the hall--

Cheerful whistling.

--and a darkening patch of carpet outside the washroom.

""Haku-na matata / Haku-na matata--""

""Ih means nowohriez!""

Mr Xiong peers in to find a wall of bubbles where the bathtub used to be.

""For the rest of your day-ays!""

"I assume my child and a triplet is in there?"

""Yup!"" A cloud of bubbles parts for a face. "The 'Jin' triplet, in fact!"

"And Fei Yen?"

""Here, Da!""

"I haven't lost her, promise," assures Jin, disappearing. ""I had her a second ago.""

## Boosters

### Inspiration

demigirlpartypoison:

this child pronounces mosquito “moe-kee-toes”
(Originally posted here.)

### Ficlet

May 12, 2019; Fei Yen is three years and four months old (I made her a little younger than the cousin).

Cheung, Jin, and Hu (20;4.17, Chinese, 6′1″) tromp up the path to the Peak, taking turns pushing Fei Yen in her stroller.

“It’s pretty nice out today,” Jin remarks.

Cheung frowns, swats.

“Besides the bugs,” adds Hu.

Maaau (adult, solid grey, of average size) whines.

“Besides the bugs,” Jin agrees.

“Moekeetoes,” grumbles Fei Yen (3;4.6, Chinese, 3′1″). “I don’t like moekeetoes.”

Cheung frowns.

“Our vaccines are up-to-date,” assures Hu.

“But are /hers?”

Cheung, Jin, and Hu pause.

Fei Yen whines, bats at her eyes.

“Kids get a few rounds of boosters, yea?” asks Jin.

“Sounds about right.”

“Anyone know /when?”

Fei Yen waves her arms wildly.

Cheung, Jin, and Hu try to remember.

Maaau huffs.

“Bad moekeetoes.” Fei Yen sticks out her tongue. “Moekeetoes, go pest tipets.”

Cheung, Jin, and Hu turn around and push Fei Yen and her stroller down the path to the train.

### Analysis

Fei Yen has acquired all of her early-developing sounds and most of her middle developing sounds, but late developing sounds, like /l/ (Hoff, 2010), remain difficult, so she fronts it to /w/ (“like” -> “wike” [7]).

Consonant clusters are still tricky ([6, 17]; McLeod et al., 2001) so she deletes the more difficult of the two (/sk/ -> /k/, /tr/ -> /t/, and /pl/ -> /p/).

Fei Yen’s syntax and morphology is consistent with a child in Brown (1973)’s Stage Three of language development, working on grammatical notions like negations (“don’t” [7]) and imperative commands (“go pest tipets” [19]). She has long since left Stage One and Stage Two, mastering elements like English word order ([6, 19]) and pronouns (“I” [7]), and regular plurals (“moekeetoe/s” [6, 19]) and relational meanings like attribute + entity.