--- title: This probably saved his life, as the ju-ju man was unable to poison… — Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria · tree and pragmatics description: This probably saved his life, as the ju-ju man was unable to poison him, so after a time he went to Chief Oga, and told him that the year of ’Nyambi’s death had not yet arrived, and he could do nothing with the young man. Who acts: This, ju man, NYAMBI. 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The page gives its syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause: who acts (This, ju man, NYAMBI), 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:pg70959:17:88 # text = This probably saved his life, as the ju-ju man was unable to poison him, so after a time he went to Chief Oga, and told him that the year of ’Nyambi’s death had not yet arrived, and he could do nothing with the young man. 1 This this PRON DT Number=Sing|PronType=Dem 3 nsubj _ _ 2 probably probably ADV RB _ 3 advmod _ _ 3 saved save VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 4 his his PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 5 nmod:poss _ _ 5 life life NOUN NN Number=Sing 3 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 6 , , PUNCT , _ 14 punct _ _ 7 as as SCONJ IN _ 14 mark _ _ 8 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 12 det _ _ 9 ju ju NOUN NN Number=Sing 11 compound _ SpaceAfter=No 10 - - PUNCT HYPH _ 9 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 11 ju ju NOUN NN Number=Sing 12 compound _ _ 12 man man NOUN NN Number=Sing 14 nsubj _ _ 13 was be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 14 cop _ _ 14 unable unable ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 3 advcl _ _ 15 to to PART TO _ 16 mark _ _ 16 poison poison VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 14 xcomp _ _ 17 him he PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 16 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 18 , , PUNCT , _ 24 punct _ _ 19 so so ADV RB _ 24 advmod _ _ 20 after after ADP IN _ 22 case _ _ 21 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 22 det _ _ 22 time time NOUN NN Number=Sing 24 obl _ _ 23 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 24 nsubj _ _ 24 went go VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 3 conj _ _ 25 to to ADP IN _ 26 case _ _ 26 Chief Chief PROPN NNP Number=Sing 24 obl _ _ 27 Oga Oga PROPN NNP Number=Sing 26 flat _ SpaceAfter=No 28 , , PUNCT , _ 30 punct _ _ 29 and and CCONJ CC _ 30 cc _ _ 30 told tell VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 3 conj _ _ 31 him he PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 30 iobj _ _ 32 that that SCONJ IN _ 43 mark _ _ 33 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 34 det _ _ 34 year year NOUN NN Number=Sing 43 obl:unmarked _ _ 35 of of SCONJ IN _ 43 mark _ _ 36 ’ ' PUNCT `` _ 43 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 37 Nyambi Nyambi PROPN NNP Number=Sing 39 nmod:poss _ SpaceAfter=No 38 ’s 's PART POS _ 37 case _ _ 39 death death NOUN NN Number=Sing 43 nsubj:pass _ _ 40 had have AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 43 aux _ _ 41 not not PART RB Polarity=Neg 43 advmod _ _ 42 yet yet ADV RB _ 43 advmod _ _ 43 arrived arrive VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 30 ccomp _ SpaceAfter=No 44 , , PUNCT , _ 48 punct _ _ 45 and and CCONJ CC _ 48 cc _ _ 46 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 48 nsubj _ _ 47 could could AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 48 aux _ _ 48 do do VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 43 conj _ _ 49 nothing nothing PRON NN Number=Sing|PronType=Neg 48 obj _ _ 50 with with ADP IN _ 53 case _ _ 51 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 53 det _ _ 52 young young ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 53 amod _ _ 53 man man NOUN NN Number=Sing 48 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 54 . . PUNCT . _ 3 punct _ _ ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **save** | past | This | NYAMBI's life | | | | probably *property* | vn get-13.5.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent life=Theme | | 2 | **is** | past | the ju man | | | | | unable *property* | tree rules | | 3 | **poison** | to-infinitive | the ju man *not said here* | NYAMBI | | | | | vn poison-42.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent he=Patient | | 4 | **go** | past | NYAMBI | | | Chief | time | | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V PP.initial\_location»: agent=Theme to chief=Initial\_Location | | 5 | **tell** *speech: assert* | past | This *not said here* | | NYAMBI | | | | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Agent he=Recipient clause=Topic | | 6 | **not** **arrive** | past · perfect · passive | | Nyambi's death | | | yet; year | | tree rules | | 7 | **do** | could | NYAMBI | nothing | | | | with the young man | vn act-114-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent nothing=Eventuality | | 8 | **die** | | Nyambi | | | | | | nom death «event intransitive»: poss=agent | 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 87](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/17/87/) - next →: [sentence 89](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/17/89/) - ↑ back to [Xxiii.--why Edidor Killed Her Husband and Her Lover.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/17/)