--- title: Chief Kaku thought the matter over, and as he was very anxious to ob… — Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria · tree and pragmatics description: Chief Kaku thought the matter over, and as he was very anxious to obtain ’Ndere as a wife for himself, he decided to do as the python asked, having determined that when the python returned the borrowed limbs he would have him killed and take ’Ndere as his wife, whether she liked it or not. Who acts: --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/24/16/) [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/) / [Xxxi.--chief Kekong’s Daughter ’ndere…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/24/) / 16 # Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria, Xxxi.--chief Kekong’s Daughter ’ndere Who Married a Python., part 1, sentence 16 Chief Kaku thought the matter over, and as he was very anxious to obtain ’Ndere as a wife for himself, he decided to do as the python asked, having determined that when the python returned the borrowed limbs he would have him killed and take ’Ndere as his wife, whether she liked it or not. **Who acts:** Chief, python, Ndere · **What happens:** think, be, obtain, decide, do, ask · **To what, where:** Ndere, borrowed limbs, Chief, matter This is a sentence of «Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria» by Elphinstone Dayrell, Xxxi.--chief Kekong’s Daughter ’ndere Who Married a Python., part 1. The page gives its syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause: who acts (Chief, python, Ndere), 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:pg70959:24:16 # text = Chief Kaku thought the matter over, and as he was very anxious to obtain ’Ndere as a wife for himself, he decided to do as the python asked, having determined that when the python returned the borrowed limbs he would have him killed and take ’Ndere as his wife, whether she liked it or not. 1 Chief Chief PROPN NNP Number=Sing 3 nsubj _ _ 2 Kaku Kaku PROPN NNP Number=Sing 1 flat _ _ 3 thought think VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 4 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 5 det _ _ 5 matter matter NOUN NN Number=Sing 6 obl:unmarked _ _ 6 over over ADV RB _ 3 ccomp _ SpaceAfter=No 7 , , PUNCT , _ 15 punct _ _ 8 and and CCONJ CC _ 15 cc _ _ 9 as as SCONJ IN _ 13 mark _ _ 10 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 13 nsubj _ _ 11 was be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 13 cop _ _ 12 very very ADV RB _ 13 advmod _ _ 13 anxious anxious ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 15 advcl _ _ 14 to to PART TO _ 15 mark _ _ 15 obtain obtain VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 3 conj _ _ 16 ’ ' PUNCT `` _ 17 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 17 Ndere Ndere PROPN NNP Number=Sing 15 obj _ _ 18 as as ADP IN _ 20 case _ _ 19 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 20 det _ _ 20 wife wife NOUN NN Number=Sing 15 obl _ _ 21 for for ADP IN _ 22 case _ _ 22 himself himself PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs|Reflex=Yes 20 nmod _ SpaceAfter=No 23 , , PUNCT , _ 25 punct _ _ 24 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 25 nsubj _ _ 25 decided decide VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 3 parataxis _ _ 26 to to PART TO _ 27 mark _ _ 27 do do VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 25 xcomp _ _ 28 as as SCONJ IN _ 31 mark _ _ 29 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 30 det _ _ 30 python python NOUN NN Number=Sing 31 nsubj _ _ 31 asked ask VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 27 advcl _ SpaceAfter=No 32 , , PUNCT , _ 34 punct _ _ 33 having have AUX VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 34 aux _ _ 34 determined determine VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part 25 conj _ _ 35 that that SCONJ IN _ 45 mark _ _ 36 when when ADV WRB PronType=Int 39 advmod _ _ 37 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 38 det _ _ 38 python python NOUN NN Number=Sing 39 nsubj _ _ 39 returned return VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 45 advcl _ _ 40 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 42 det _ _ 41 borrowed borrow VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 42 amod _ _ 42 limbs limb NOUN NNS Number=Plur 39 obj _ _ 43 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 45 nsubj _ _ 44 would would AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 45 aux _ _ 45 have have VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 34 ccomp _ _ 46 him he PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 45 obj _ _ 47 killed kill VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 45 xcomp _ _ 48 and and CCONJ CC _ 49 cc _ _ 49 take take VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 45 conj _ _ 50 ’ ' PUNCT `` _ 51 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 51 Ndere Ndere PROPN NNP Number=Sing 49 obj _ _ 52 as as ADP IN _ 54 case _ _ 53 his his PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 54 nmod:poss _ _ 54 wife wife NOUN NN Number=Sing 49 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 55 , , PUNCT , _ 58 punct _ _ 56 whether whether SCONJ IN _ 58 mark _ _ 57 she she PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 58 nsubj _ _ 58 liked like VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 49 advcl _ _ 59 it it PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 58 obj _ _ 60 or or CCONJ CC _ 61 cc _ _ 61 not not PART RB Polarity=Neg 58 conj _ SpaceAfter=No 62 . . PUNCT . _ 3 punct _ _ ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **think** *speech: other* | past | Chief | | | | | | vn focus-87.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent | | 2 | **is** | past | Chief | | | | | anxious *property* | tree rules | | 3 | **obtain** | to-infinitive | Chief *not said here* | Ndere | | | | as a wife for Chief | vn obtain-13.5.2-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset ndere=Theme | | 4 | **decide** | past | Chief | | | | | | vn correspond-36.1-1 «NP V what S\_INF»: agent=Agent clause=Topic | | 5 | **do** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | Chief *not said here* | | | | | | vn act-114-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent | | 6 | **ask** *speech: ask* | past | the python | | | | | | vn inquire-37.1.2 «NP V»: agent=Agent | | 7 | **determine** | gerund · perfect | Chief *not said here* | | | | | | vn conjecture-29.5 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Theme | | 8 | **return** | past | the python | the borrowed limbs | | | | | vn send-11.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent limb=Theme | | 9 | **borrow** | participle | | | | | | | vn obtain-13.5.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent | | 10 | **have** | would | python | Chief | | | | | tree rules | | 11 | **kill** | participle | Chief *not said here* | | | | | | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Experiencer | | 12 | **take** | infinitive | python *not said here* | Ndere | | | | as python's wife | vn characterize-29.2 «NP V NP S\_ING»: agent=Agent ndere=Theme as wife=Attribute | | 13 | **like** | past | Ndere | matter | | | | | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: agent=Pivot it=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 15](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/24/15/) - next →: [sentence 17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/24/17/) - ↑ back to [Xxxi.--chief Kekong’s Daughter ’ndere Who Married a Python., part 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/24/)