--- title: When he saw the python the tortoise said, “I want to eat the fruit a… — Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria · tree and pragmatics description: When he saw the python the tortoise said, “I want to eat the fruit as I am hungry, but, if you swallow me, my body is small and mostly shell so that your hunger will not be satisfied. Who acts: python, tortoise, you, body. A sentence of «Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria» by Elphinstone Dayrel --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/22/19/) [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/) / 19 # Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria, Xxix.--why a Python Never Swallows a Tortoise., sentence 19 When he saw the python the tortoise said, “I want to eat the fruit as I am hungry, but, if you swallow me, my body is small and mostly shell so that your hunger will not be satisfied. **Who acts:** python, tortoise, you, body, hunger, your · **What happens:** see, say, want, eat, be, swallow · **To what, where:** python, fruit, tortoise · **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, tortoise, you, body), 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:pg70959:22:19 # text = When he saw the python the tortoise said, “I want to eat the fruit as I am hungry, but, if you swallow me, my body is small and mostly shell so that your hunger will not be satisfied. 1 When when ADV WRB PronType=Int 3 advmod _ _ 2 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 3 nsubj _ _ 3 saw see VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 8 advcl _ _ 4 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 5 det _ _ 5 python python NOUN NN Number=Sing 3 obj _ _ 6 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 7 det _ _ 7 tortoise tortoise NOUN NN Number=Sing 8 nsubj _ _ 8 said say VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ SpaceAfter=No 9 , , PUNCT , _ 12 punct _ _ 10 “ " PUNCT `` _ 12 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 11 I I PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs 12 nsubj _ _ 12 want want VERB VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 8 ccomp _ _ 13 to to PART TO _ 14 mark _ _ 14 eat eat VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 12 xcomp _ _ 15 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 16 det _ _ 16 fruit fruit NOUN NN Number=Sing 14 obj _ _ 17 as as SCONJ IN _ 20 mark _ _ 18 I I PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs 20 nsubj _ _ 19 am be AUX VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 20 cop _ _ 20 hungry hungry ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 14 advcl _ SpaceAfter=No 21 , , PUNCT , _ 26 punct _ _ 22 but but CCONJ CC _ 26 cc _ SpaceAfter=No 23 , , PUNCT , _ 22 punct _ _ 24 if if SCONJ IN _ 26 mark _ _ 25 you you PRON PRP Case=Nom|Person=2|PronType=Prs 26 nsubj _ _ 26 swallow swallow VERB VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=2|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 8 conj _ _ 27 me I PRON PRP Case=Acc|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs 26 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 28 , , PUNCT , _ 32 punct _ _ 29 my my PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Number=Sing|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 30 nmod:poss _ _ 30 body body NOUN NN Number=Sing 32 nsubj _ _ 31 is be AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 32 cop _ _ 32 small small ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 26 conj _ _ 33 and and CCONJ CC _ 35 cc _ _ 34 mostly mostly ADV RB _ 35 advmod _ _ 35 shell shell NOUN NN Number=Sing 32 conj _ _ 36 so so SCONJ IN ExtPos=SCONJ 43 mark _ _ 37 that that SCONJ IN _ 36 fixed _ _ 38 your your PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Person=2|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 39 nmod:poss _ _ 39 hunger hunger NOUN NN Number=Sing 43 nsubj _ _ 40 will will AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 43 aux _ _ 41 not not PART RB Polarity=Neg 43 advmod _ _ 42 be be AUX VB VerbForm=Inf 43 cop _ _ 43 satisfied satisfied ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 26 advcl _ SpaceAfter=No 44 . . PUNCT . _ 8 punct _ _ ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **see** | past | python | the python | | | | | vn comprehend-87.2-1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer python=Stimulus | | 2 | **say** *speech: assert* | past | the tortoise | | | | | | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic | | 3 | **want** *in a quote* | present | the tortoise *= tortoise* | | | | | | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP S\_INF»: agent=Pivot clause=Theme | | 4 | **eat** *not said to happen, in a quote* | to-infinitive | the tortoise *= tortoise* *not said here* | the fruit | | | | | vn eat-39.1-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent fruit=Patient | | 5 | **is** *in a quote* | present | the tortoise *= tortoise* | | | | | hungry *property* | tree rules | | 6 | **swallow** *a condition, not said to happen, in a quote* | present | you | the tortoise *= tortoise* | | | | | vn gobble-39.3 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent i=Patient | | 7 | **is** *in a quote* | present | my body | | | | | shell *conj*; small *property* | tree rules | | 8 | **not** **is** *in a quote* | future | your hunger | | | | | satisfied *property* | tree rules | | 9 | **hunger** *in a quote* | | your | | | | | | nom hunger «state 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 18](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/22/18/) - next →: [sentence 20](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/22/20/) - ↑ back to [Xxix.--why a Python Never Swallows a Tortoise.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/22/)