--- title: The python said, “Certainly, you can help yourselves, but remember i… — Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria · tree and pragmatics description: The python said, “Certainly, you can help yourselves, but remember if you do, when I am hungry I shall follow you and swallow you up when I catch you.” Who acts: python, you. A sentence of «Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria» by Elphinstone Dayrell, Xxix.--why a Python Never Swallows a Tortoise --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/22/13/) [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/) / [Xxix.--why a Python Never Swallows a T…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/22/) / 13 # Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria, Xxix.--why a Python Never Swallows a Tortoise., sentence 13 The python said, “Certainly, you can help yourselves, but remember if you do, when I am hungry I shall follow you and swallow you up when I catch you.” **Who acts:** python, you · **What happens:** say, help, remember, do, be, follow · **To what, where:** yourselves, you · **Speech:** someone speaks here This is a sentence of «Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria» by Elphinstone Dayrell, Xxix.--why a Python Never Swallows a Tortoise.. The page gives its syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause: who acts (python, you), 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:pg70959:22:13 # text = The python said, “Certainly, you can help yourselves, but remember if you do, when I am hungry I shall follow you and swallow you up when I catch you.” 1 The the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 2 det _ _ 2 python python NOUN NN Number=Sing 3 nsubj _ _ 3 said say VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ SpaceAfter=No 4 , , PUNCT , _ 10 punct _ _ 5 “ " PUNCT `` _ 10 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 6 Certainly certainly ADV RB _ 10 advmod _ SpaceAfter=No 7 , , PUNCT , _ 6 punct _ _ 8 you you PRON PRP Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs 10 nsubj _ _ 9 can can AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 10 aux _ _ 10 help help VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 3 ccomp _ _ 11 yourselves yourselves PRON PRP Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=2|PronType=Prs|Reflex=Yes 10 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 12 , , PUNCT , _ 14 punct _ _ 13 but but CCONJ CC _ 14 cc _ _ 14 remember remember VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 10 conj _ _ 15 if if SCONJ IN _ 17 mark _ _ 16 you you PRON PRP Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs 17 nsubj _ _ 17 do do VERB VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 14 ccomp _ SpaceAfter=No 18 , , PUNCT , _ 25 punct _ _ 19 when when SCONJ WRB _ 22 mark _ _ 20 I I PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs 22 nsubj _ _ 21 am be AUX VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 22 cop _ _ 22 hungry hungry ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 25 advcl _ _ 23 I I PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs 25 nsubj _ _ 24 shall shall AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 25 aux _ _ 25 follow follow VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 14 parataxis _ _ 26 you you PRON PRP Case=Acc|Person=2|PronType=Prs 25 obj _ _ 27 and and CCONJ CC _ 28 cc _ _ 28 swallow swallow VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 25 conj _ _ 29 you you PRON PRP Case=Acc|Person=2|PronType=Prs 28 obj _ _ 30 up up ADP RP _ 28 compound:prt _ _ 31 when when ADV WRB PronType=Int 33 advmod _ _ 32 I I PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs 33 nsubj _ _ 33 catch catch VERB VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 28 advcl _ _ 34 you you PRON PRP Case=Acc|Person=2|PronType=Prs 33 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 35 . . PUNCT . _ 10 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 36 ” " PUNCT '' _ 10 punct _ _ ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | past | the python | | | | | | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic | | 2 | **help** *in a quote* | can | you | yourselves | | | | certainly *property* | vn help-72.1-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent yourselves=Beneficiary | | 3 | **remember** *in a quote* | infinitive | you *not said here* | | | | | | vn characterize-29.2-1-1 «NP V what S»: agent=Agent clause=Theme | | 4 | **do** *a condition, not said to happen, in a quote* | present | you | | | | | | vn act-114-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent | | 5 | **is** *in a quote* | present | the python *= python* | | | | | hungry *property* | tree rules | | 6 | **follow** *in a quote* | shall | the python *= python* | you | | | | | vn chase-51.6 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent you=Theme | | 7 | **swallow up** *in a quote* | infinitive | the python *= python* *not said here* | you | | | | | vn gobble-39.3 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent you=Patient | | 8 | **catch** *in a quote* | present | the python *= python* | you | | | | | vn get-13.5.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent you=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 12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/22/12/) - next →: [sentence 14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/22/14/) - ↑ back to [Xxix.--why a Python Never Swallows a Tortoise.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/22/)