--- title: The reason that the glass is presented with the left hand of the “po… — Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria · tree and pragmatics description: The reason that the glass is presented with the left hand of the “pourer out” is, that formerly the natives were afraid of being seized by the hand, when they held out the tombo, by some man who would seize them on behalf of a third person who owed him a debt, and if they held the glass out in their --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/12/68/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/) / [Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/) / [Xv.--what Happened At Okuni When Anyon…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/12/) / 68 # Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria, Xv.--what Happened At Okuni When Anyone Was Killed By Accident., sentence 68 The reason that the glass is presented with the left hand of the “pourer out” is, that formerly the natives were afraid of being seized by the hand, when they held out the tombo, by some man who would seize them on behalf of a third person who owed him a debt, and if they held the glass out in their right hand and were caught by it they could not get at their knives which are worn on their right side, to protect themselves. **Who acts:** reason, hand, glass, man, third person · **What happens:** present, be, seize, hold out, owe, catch · **To what, where:** glass, tombo, behalf, debt, pourer, right hand This is a sentence of «Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria» by Elphinstone Dayrell, Xv.--what Happened At Okuni When Anyone Was Killed By Accident.. The page gives its syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause: who acts (reason, hand, glass, man), what happens, when and where, as Mova's frames read it from the tree. **Mova's own parse.** This tree may be wrong. ## The tree {#tree} ```conllu # sent_id = book:pg70959:12:69 # text = The reason that the glass is presented with the left hand of the “pourer out” is, that formerly the natives were afraid of being seized by the hand, when they held out the tombo, by some man who would seize them on behalf of a third person who owed him a debt, and if they held the glass out in their right hand and were caught by it they could not get at their knives which are worn on their right side, to protect themselves. 1 The the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 2 det _ _ 2 reason reason NOUN NN Number=Sing 25 nsubj:outer _ _ 3 that that SCONJ IN _ 7 mark _ _ 4 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 5 det _ _ 5 glass glass NOUN NN Number=Sing 7 nsubj:pass _ _ 6 is be AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 7 aux:pass _ _ 7 presented present VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 2 acl _ _ 8 with with ADP IN _ 11 case _ _ 9 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 11 det _ _ 10 left left ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 11 amod _ _ 11 hand hand NOUN NN Number=Sing 7 obl _ _ 12 of of ADP IN _ 15 case _ _ 13 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 15 det _ _ 14 “ " PUNCT `` _ 15 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 15 pourer pourer NOUN NN Number=Sing 11 nmod _ _ 16 out out ADP RP _ 15 compound:prt _ SpaceAfter=No 17 ” " PUNCT '' _ 15 punct _ _ 18 is be AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 25 cop _ SpaceAfter=No 19 , , PUNCT , _ 25 punct _ _ 20 that that PRON DT Number=Sing|PronType=Dem 25 nsubj _ _ 21 formerly formerly ADV RB _ 23 advmod _ _ 22 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 23 det _ _ 23 natives native NOUN NNS Number=Plur 25 nsubj _ _ 24 were be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 25 cop _ _ 25 afraid afraid ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 0 root _ _ 26 of of SCONJ IN _ 28 mark _ _ 27 being be AUX VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 28 aux:pass _ _ 28 seized seize VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 25 xcomp _ _ 29 by by ADP IN _ 31 case _ _ 30 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 31 det _ _ 31 hand hand NOUN NN Number=Sing 28 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 32 , , PUNCT , _ 35 punct _ _ 33 when when ADV WRB PronType=Int 35 advmod _ _ 34 they they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 35 nsubj _ _ 35 held hold VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 25 conj _ _ 36 out out ADP RP _ 35 compound:prt _ _ 37 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 38 det _ _ 38 tombo tombo NOUN NN Number=Sing 35 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 39 , , PUNCT , _ 42 punct _ _ 40 by by ADP IN _ 42 case _ _ 41 some some DET DT PronType=Ind 42 det _ _ 42 man man NOUN NN Number=Sing 35 obl _ _ 43 who who PRON WP PronType=Rel 45 nsubj _ _ 44 would would AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 45 aux _ _ 45 seize seize VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 42 acl:relcl _ _ 46 them they PRON PRP Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 45 obj _ _ 47 on on ADP IN _ 48 case _ _ 48 behalf behalf NOUN NN Number=Sing 45 obl _ _ 49 of of ADP IN _ 52 case _ _ 50 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 52 det _ _ 51 third third ADJ JJ Degree=Pos|NumForm=Word|NumType=Ord 52 amod _ _ 52 person person NOUN NN Number=Sing 48 nmod _ _ 53 who who PRON WP PronType=Rel 54 nsubj _ _ 54 owed owe VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 52 acl:relcl _ _ 55 him he PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 54 iobj _ _ 56 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 57 det _ _ 57 debt debt NOUN NN Number=Sing 54 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 58 , , PUNCT , _ 62 punct _ _ 59 and and CCONJ CC _ 62 cc _ _ 60 if if SCONJ IN _ 62 mark _ _ 61 they they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 62 nsubj _ _ 62 held hold VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 25 parataxis _ _ 63 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 64 det _ _ 64 glass glass NOUN NN Number=Sing 62 obj _ _ 65 out out ADP RP _ 62 compound:prt _ _ 66 in in ADP IN _ 69 case _ _ 67 their their PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 69 nmod:poss _ _ 68 right right ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 69 amod _ _ 69 hand hand NOUN NN Number=Sing 62 obl _ _ 70 and and CCONJ CC _ 72 cc _ _ 71 were be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 72 aux:pass _ _ 72 caught catch VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 62 conj _ _ 73 by by ADP IN _ 74 case _ _ 74 it it PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 72 obl _ _ 75 they they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 78 nsubj _ _ 76 could could AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 78 aux _ _ 77 not not PART RB Polarity=Neg 78 advmod _ _ 78 get get VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 72 parataxis _ _ 79 at at ADP IN _ 81 case _ _ 80 their their PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 81 nmod:poss _ _ 81 knives knife NOUN NNS Number=Plur 78 obl _ _ 82 which which PRON WDT PronType=Rel 84 nsubj:pass _ _ 83 are be AUX VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 84 aux:pass _ _ 84 worn wear VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 81 acl:relcl _ _ 85 on on ADP IN _ 88 case _ _ 86 their their PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 88 nmod:poss _ _ 87 right right ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 88 amod _ _ 88 side side NOUN NN Number=Sing 84 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 89 , , PUNCT , _ 91 punct _ _ 90 to to PART TO _ 91 mark _ _ 91 protect protect VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 78 advcl _ _ 92 themselves themselves PRON PRP Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs|Reflex=Yes 91 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 93 . . PUNCT . _ 25 punct _ _ ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **present** | present · passive | the reason *not said here* | the glass | | | | with the left hand of the pourer | vn fulfilling-13.4.1 «NP V NP-Fulfilling PP.theme»: subject=Recipient with hand=Theme | | 2 | **is** | present | the reason | | | | | that *nsubj*; the natives *nsubj*; afraid *property* | tree rules | | 3 | **seize** | gerund · passive | the hand | | | | | | vn obtain-13.5.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent | | 4 | **hold out** | past | glass | the tombo | | | | by some man | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP PP.location»: agent=Agent tombo=Theme by man=Location | | 5 | **seize** | would | some man | glass | | behalf of a third person | | | vn obtain-13.5.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent they=Theme | | 6 | **owe** | past | a third person | a debt | pourer | | | | vn future\_having-13.3 «NP V NP.goal NP»: agent=Agent he=Goal debt=Theme | | 7 | **hold out** *a condition, not said to happen* | past | glass | the glass | | glass's right hand | | | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP PP.location»: agent=Agent glass=Theme in hand=Location | | 8 | **catch** | past · passive | glass *not said here* | | | | | by tombo | vn get-13.5.1 «NP V NP» | | 9 | **not** **get** | could | glass | | | glass's knives | | | vn comprehend-87.2-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Experiencer | | 10 | **wear** | present · passive | | glass's knives | | glass's right side | | | vn wipe\_manner-10.4.1-1 «NP V NP.source»: subject=Source | | 11 | **protect** | to-infinitive | glass *not said here* | glass | | | | | vn defend-72.3 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent themselves=Beneficiary | One row per clause the reader finds. «not said here»: a role filled from the clause above. «roles by»: a VerbNet class and frame when one fits the verb, else the reader's rules on the tree. **Text:** «Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria» by Elphinstone Dayrell, Project Gutenberg book 70959 (public domain in the USA). **Tree:** Mova's own parse, Elamur Cosmic License. **Frames:** Mova's frames reader (`prag`), the chapter read in order. - ← previous: [sentence 67](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/12/67/) - next →: [sentence 69](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/12/69/) - ↑ back to [Xv.--what Happened At Okuni When Anyone Was Killed By Accident.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/12/)