Laundry

(14 months, I think)

Text

 * 1) Fei Yen (1;2, tan human) trumps to her parents’ room, finds the laundry basket, and—"Fo!!“—heaves it over onto its side.
 * 2) "Alarm!” cries Yutu (grey-green rabbit).
 * 3) “Awkia?"
 * 4) "Clear!"
 * 5) Fei Yen crawls into the laundry basket, ducks as flat as she can and spreads her arms, begins in a low timber, "Booooo,” and ploughs out the clothes.
 * 6) “Work work work,” chirps Yutu.
 * 7) “Beee! Beee! Beee!” Fei Yen crawls out backwards.
 * 8) “Time for different work!"
 * 9) "Fo!"
 * 10) "Alarm!"
 * 11) Fei Yen tips the laundry basket back over. "Awkia?"
 * 12) "Clear!"
 * 13) Fei Yen takes a breath. "Phuu."
 * 14) Blake (somewhat-overweight grey cat) strides in, makes himself comfortable on the laundry.
 * 15) Fei Yen looks at Yutu. "Boomboom?"
 * 16) "I’d love a ride, thank you!"
 * 17) Fei Yen looks at Blake. "Boomboom?"
 * 18) "Maaaaaaau,” whines Blake.
 * 19) Yutu huffs. "So what if you just sat down? We were already playing car."
 * 20) Blake snorts, stands, leaps into the laundry basket, settles in the front.
 * 21) Fei Yen tries pulling Blake towards the back.
 * 22) "But /I wanted to drive!” pouts Yutu.
 * 23) Blake yawns, flicks his tail.
 * 24) “Fine, I’ll sit in the back /this time.” Yutu puts her nose in the air and climbs in the back.
 * 25) “Awkia?"
 * 26) "Ready!"
 * 27) Blake’s ear twitches.
 * 28) Fei Yen toddles around to Yutu’s side. "Booboo!” Braces herself, and pushes.
 * 29) “Here we go!” cheers Yutu.
 * 30) Fei Yen engines the car from the room, down the hall–
 * 31) Mr Xiong comes from the washroom.
 * 32) “Maaaau.” Fei Yen stops.
 * 33) Mr Xiong tips an imaginary hat, putters to the kitchen table.
 * 34) “Awkia?"
 * 35) "Ready!” chirps Yutu.
 * 36) “Boomboom!"
 * 37) Fei Yen engines the car into the front room.
 * 38) "This is us,” announces Yutu.
 * 39) Fei Yen digs in her feet, “Maaaaaaau!”, and comes to a stop.
 * 40) “Nice job braking,” commends Yutu.
 * 41) “Daku.” Fei Yen bows.
 * 42) “You’re welcome!”

Analysis
Fei Yen has yet to figure out what sounds attach to what specific thing.

The idea that children need to learn what sound (combination) belongs with what referent, also which parts of the world belong together. At this stage, Fei Yen’s speaking in holophrastic utterances, that is, one word expresses a more complicated meaning (For example, ”Cookie” means “I want a cookie, give me a cookie, where are the cookies, when may I have a cookie, is that a cookie, etc” and also “this thing has something in common with cookies (it tastes sweet, it’s round, etc)”)

Produced: What she means (what it actually is)
 * “Fo!”: what someone yells as a warning, to draw attention.
 * “Awkia!”: “All clear”, the cue for things to start (‘Situation Normal’, ‘we’re good!’, etc)
 * “Boooooo” (with a deep timber):  the sound of a big thing moving.
 * “Beee! Beee!”: what something makes when it decides to do something else (a ‘reverse’ cue; a vehicle changing direction).
 * “Boomboom”: to head off, to ride (in a cart), to go somewhere
 * “Maaau”: something whiny (inspired by a child who called a number of things ‘bow-wow’ (Gillen, Julia (2003))
 * “Daku”: ‘thank you’