--- title: The head slave kept the fowls and rods for himself, and did not go n… — Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria · tree and pragmatics description: The head slave kept the fowls and rods for himself, and did not go near the ju-ju man, but the next day he went to his master and said that he had consulted the ju-ju man, who had said that the chief’s life was in danger, and that he had been poisoned by his Okuni wife, who wanted her son to inherit --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/20/33/) [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/) / [Xxv.--how Two Bendega Young Men Change…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/20/) / 33 # Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria, Xxv.--how Two Bendega Young Men Changed Their Skins., part 3, sentence 33 The head slave kept the fowls and rods for himself, and did not go near the ju-ju man, but the next day he went to his master and said that he had consulted the ju-ju man, who had said that the chief’s life was in danger, and that he had been poisoned by his Okuni wife, who wanted her son to inherit her husband’s property. **Who acts:** head slave, Chief, ju man, life, Okuni wife, son · **What happens:** keep, not go, go, say, consult, be · **To what, where:** fowls, master, ju man, danger, Chief, son · **Speech:** someone speaks here This is a sentence of «Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria» by Elphinstone Dayrell, Xxv.--how Two Bendega Young Men Changed Their Skins., part 3. The page gives its syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause: who acts (head slave, Chief, ju man, life), 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:pg70959:20:33 # text = The head slave kept the fowls and rods for himself, and did not go near the ju-ju man, but the next day he went to his master and said that he had consulted the ju-ju man, who had said that the chief’s life was in danger, and that he had been poisoned by his Okuni wife, who wanted her son to inherit her husband’s property. 1 The the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 3 det _ _ 2 head head NOUN NN Number=Sing 3 compound _ _ 3 slave slave NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 nsubj _ _ 4 kept keep VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 5 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 6 det _ _ 6 fowls fowl NOUN NNS Number=Plur 4 obj _ _ 7 and and CCONJ CC _ 8 cc _ _ 8 rods rod NOUN NNS Number=Plur 6 conj _ _ 9 for for ADP IN _ 10 case _ _ 10 himself himself PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs|Reflex=Yes 8 nmod _ SpaceAfter=No 11 , , PUNCT , _ 15 punct _ _ 12 and and CCONJ CC _ 15 cc _ _ 13 did do AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 15 aux _ _ 14 not not PART RB Polarity=Neg 15 advmod _ _ 15 go go VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 4 advcl _ _ 16 near near ADP IN _ 21 case _ _ 17 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 21 det _ _ 18 ju ju NOUN NN Number=Sing 20 compound _ SpaceAfter=No 19 - - PUNCT HYPH _ 18 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 20 ju ju NOUN NN Number=Sing 21 compound _ _ 21 man man NOUN NN Number=Sing 15 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 22 , , PUNCT , _ 28 punct _ _ 23 but but CCONJ CC _ 28 cc _ _ 24 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 26 det _ _ 25 next next ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 26 amod _ _ 26 day day NOUN NN Number=Sing 28 obl:unmarked _ _ 27 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 28 nsubj _ _ 28 went go VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 4 parataxis _ _ 29 to to ADP IN _ 31 case _ _ 30 his his PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 31 nmod:poss _ _ 31 master master NOUN NN Number=Sing 28 obl _ _ 32 and and CCONJ CC _ 33 cc _ _ 33 said say VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 28 conj _ _ 34 that that SCONJ IN _ 37 mark _ _ 35 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 37 nsubj _ _ 36 had have AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 37 aux _ _ 37 consulted consult VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part 33 ccomp _ _ 38 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 42 det _ _ 39 ju ju NOUN NN Number=Sing 41 compound _ SpaceAfter=No 40 - - PUNCT HYPH _ 39 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 41 ju ju NOUN NN Number=Sing 42 compound _ _ 42 man man NOUN NN Number=Sing 37 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 43 , , PUNCT , _ 46 punct _ _ 44 who who PRON WP PronType=Rel 46 nsubj _ _ 45 had have AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 46 aux _ _ 46 said say VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part 42 acl:relcl _ _ 47 that that SCONJ IN _ 54 mark _ _ 48 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 49 det _ _ 49 chief chief NOUN NN Number=Sing 51 nmod:poss _ SpaceAfter=No 50 ’s 's PART POS _ 49 case _ _ 51 life life NOUN NN Number=Sing 54 nsubj _ _ 52 was be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 54 cop _ _ 53 in in ADP IN _ 54 case _ _ 54 danger danger NOUN NN Number=Sing 46 ccomp _ SpaceAfter=No 55 , , PUNCT , _ 61 punct _ _ 56 and and CCONJ CC _ 61 cc _ _ 57 that that SCONJ IN _ 61 mark _ _ 58 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 61 nsubj _ _ 59 had have AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 61 aux _ _ 60 been be AUX VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part 61 aux:pass _ _ 61 poisoned poison VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 4 conj _ _ 62 by by ADP IN _ 65 case _ _ 63 his his PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 65 nmod:poss _ _ 64 Okuni Okuni PROPN NNP Number=Sing 65 compound _ _ 65 wife wife NOUN NN Number=Sing 61 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 66 , , PUNCT , _ 68 punct _ _ 67 who who PRON WP PronType=Rel 68 nsubj _ _ 68 wanted want VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 65 acl:relcl _ _ 69 her her PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 70 nmod:poss _ _ 70 son son NOUN NN Number=Sing 68 obj _ _ 71 to to PART TO _ 72 mark _ _ 72 inherit inherit VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 68 xcomp _ _ 73 her her PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 74 nmod:poss _ _ 74 husband husband NOUN NN Number=Sing 76 nmod:poss _ SpaceAfter=No 75 ’s 's PART POS _ 74 case _ _ 76 property property NOUN NN Number=Sing 72 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 77 . . PUNCT . _ 4 punct _ _ ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **keep** | past | the head slave | the fowls and rods for Chief | | | | | vn keep-15.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent fowl=Theme | | 2 | **not** **go** | past · do-support | the head slave *not said here* | | | | | near the ju man | vn occur-48.3-2 «NP V PP»: agent=Theme near man=Location | | 3 | **go** | past | Chief | | | Chief's master | day | | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V PP.initial\_location»: agent=Theme to master=Initial\_Location | | 4 | **say** *speech: assert* | past | Chief *not said here* | | | | | | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic | | 5 | **consult** | past · perfect | Chief | the ju man | | | | | vn assessment-34.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent man=Theme | | 6 | **say** *speech: assert* | past · perfect | the ju man | | | | | | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent | | 7 | **is** | past | the chief's life | | | danger | | | tree rules | | 8 | **poison** | past · perfect · passive | Chief's Okuni wife | Chief | | | | | vn poison-42.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent subject=Patient | | 9 | **want** | past | Chief's Okuni wife | poisoner's son | | | | | tree rules | | 10 | **inherit** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | poisoner's son *not said here* | poisoner's husband's property | | | | | vn obtain-13.5.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent property=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 32](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/20/32/) - next →: [sentence 34](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/20/34/) - ↑ back to [Xxv.--how Two Bendega Young Men Changed Their Skins., part 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/20/)