--- title: The hare (Nchigga) was very curious to know how it was that the parr… — Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria · tree and pragmatics description: The hare (Nchigga) was very curious to know how it was that the parrot always managed to get food, so he went to him pretending to be a great friend of his, but could never find him at home in the daytime, so he went in the evening and met the parrot returning home carrying his bag, full of palm nut --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/16/4/) [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/) / [Xxii.--a Story of the Great Famine.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/16/) / 4 # Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria, Xxii.--a Story of the Great Famine., sentence 4 The hare (Nchigga) was very curious to know how it was that the parrot always managed to get food, so he went to him pretending to be a great friend of his, but could never find him at home in the daytime, so he went in the evening and met the parrot returning home carrying his bag, full of palm nuts as usual. **Who acts:** hare, it, plenty, parrot · **What happens:** be, know, get, go, pretend, not find · **To what, where:** food, Nchigga, great friend, plenty, home, parrot · **Speech:** someone speaks here This is a sentence of «Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria» by Elphinstone Dayrell, Xxii.--a Story of the Great Famine.. The page gives its syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause: who acts (hare, it, plenty, parrot), 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:pg70959:16:4 # text = The hare (Nchigga) was very curious to know how it was that the parrot always managed to get food, so he went to him pretending to be a great friend of his, but could never find him at home in the daytime, so he went in the evening and met the parrot returning home carrying his bag, full of palm nuts as usual. 1 The the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 2 det _ _ 2 hare hare NOUN NN Number=Sing 8 nsubj _ _ 3 ( ( PUNCT -LRB- _ 4 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 4 Nchigga Nchigga PROPN NNP Number=Sing 2 appos _ SpaceAfter=No 5 ) ) PUNCT -RRB- _ 4 punct _ _ 6 was be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 8 cop _ _ 7 very very ADV RB _ 8 advmod _ _ 8 curious curious ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 0 root _ _ 9 to to PART TO _ 10 mark _ _ 10 know know VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 8 csubj _ _ 11 how how ADV WRB PronType=Int 18 advmod _ _ 12 it it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 18 nsubj _ _ 13 was be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 18 cop _ _ 14 that that SCONJ IN _ 18 mark _ _ 15 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 16 det _ _ 16 parrot parrot NOUN NN Number=Sing 18 nsubj _ _ 17 always always ADV RB PronType=Tot 18 advmod _ _ 18 managed manage VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 10 ccomp _ _ 19 to to PART TO _ 20 mark _ _ 20 get get VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 18 xcomp _ _ 21 food food NOUN NN Number=Sing 20 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 22 , , PUNCT , _ 25 punct _ _ 23 so so ADV RB _ 25 advmod _ _ 24 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 25 nsubj _ _ 25 went go VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 18 parataxis _ _ 26 to to ADP IN _ 27 case _ _ 27 him he PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 25 obl _ _ 28 pretending pretend VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 25 advcl _ _ 29 to to PART TO _ 33 mark _ _ 30 be be AUX VB VerbForm=Inf 33 cop _ _ 31 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 33 det _ _ 32 great great ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 33 amod _ _ 33 friend friend NOUN NN Number=Sing 28 xcomp _ _ 34 of of ADP IN _ 35 case _ _ 35 his his PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 33 nmod:poss _ SpaceAfter=No 36 , , PUNCT , _ 40 punct _ _ 37 but but CCONJ CC _ 40 cc _ _ 38 could could AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 40 aux _ _ 39 never never ADV RB PronType=Neg 40 advmod _ _ 40 find find VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 28 conj _ _ 41 him he PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 40 obj _ _ 42 at at ADP IN _ 43 case _ _ 43 home home NOUN NN Number=Sing 40 obl _ _ 44 in in ADP IN _ 46 case _ _ 45 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 46 det _ _ 46 daytime daytime NOUN NN Number=Sing 43 nmod _ SpaceAfter=No 47 , , PUNCT , _ 50 punct _ _ 48 so so ADV RB _ 50 advmod _ _ 49 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 50 nsubj _ _ 50 went go VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 18 parataxis _ _ 51 in in ADP IN _ 53 case _ _ 52 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 53 det _ _ 53 evening evening NOUN NN Number=Sing 50 obl _ _ 54 and and CCONJ CC _ 55 cc _ _ 55 met meet VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 50 conj _ _ 56 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 57 det _ _ 57 parrot parrot NOUN NN Number=Sing 55 obj _ _ 58 returning return VERB VBG VerbForm=Ger 57 acl _ _ 59 home home ADV RB _ 58 advmod _ _ 60 carrying carry VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 58 advcl _ _ 61 his his PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 62 nmod:poss _ _ 62 bag bag NOUN NN Number=Sing 60 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 63 , , PUNCT , _ 64 punct _ _ 64 full full ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 62 amod _ _ 65 of of ADP IN _ 67 case _ _ 66 palm palm NOUN NN Number=Sing 67 compound _ _ 67 nuts nut NOUN NNS Number=Plur 64 obl _ _ 68 as as ADP IN _ 69 case _ _ 69 usual usual ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 60 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 70 . . PUNCT . _ 8 punct _ _ ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **is** | past | the hare | | | | | curious *property* | tree rules | | 2 | **know** | to-infinitive | | | | | | | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1-1 «NP V how S\_INF»: agent=Experiencer clause=Stimulus | | 3 | **is** | past | it | | | | | the parrot *nsubj*; always, manage *property* | tree rules | | 4 | **get** | to-infinitive | | food | | | | | vn comprehend-87.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer food=Stimulus | | 5 | **go** | past | plenty | | Nchigga | | | | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V PP.initial\_location»: agent=Theme to he=Initial\_Location | | 6 | **pretend** | gerund | plenty *not said here* | | | | | | tree rules | | 7 | **is a** | to-infinitive | plenty *not said here* | plenty's great friend | | | | plenty *nmod:poss* | tree rules | | 8 | **not** **find** | could | plenty *not said here* | plenty | | home in the daytime | | | vn get-13.5.1 «NP V NP PP.source NP.asset»: agent=Agent he=Theme at home=Asset | | 9 | **go** | past | plenty | | | | evening | | vn disappearance-48.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme | | 10 | **meet** | past | plenty *not said here* | the parrot | | | | | vn meet-36.3-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent parrot=Co-Agent | | 11 | **return** | gerund | the parrot *not said here* | | | | | home *property* | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme | | 12 | **carry** | gerund | the parrot *not said here* | plenty's bag | | | | as usual | vn carry-11.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent bag=Theme | 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 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/16/3/) - next →: [sentence 5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/16/5/) - ↑ back to [Xxii.--a Story of the Great Famine.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/16/)