Sous-Chef

Sous-Chef

 * 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. "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!"

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).

/θæŋk ju/

ðɛː(ɹ)

pænts

bæθ