--- title: The python then sent the small boy who had come with him to Chief Ka… — Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria · tree and pragmatics description: The python then sent the small boy who had come with him to Chief Kaku, asking him to send the dowry, and after a few days the boy returned, bringing with him rods, cloth, camwood, and palm-oil. Who acts: python, small boy, boy. A sentence of «Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria» by Elphinstone --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/24/41/) [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/) / 41 # Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria, Xxxi.--chief Kekong’s Daughter ’ndere Who Married a Python., part 1, sentence 41 The python then sent the small boy who had come with him to Chief Kaku, asking him to send the dowry, and after a few days the boy returned, bringing with him rods, cloth, camwood, and palm-oil. **Who acts:** python, small boy, boy · **What happens:** send, come, ask, return, bring · **To what, where:** small boy, Chief, dowry, rods 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 (python, small boy, boy), 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:pg70959:24:41 # text = The python then sent the small boy who had come with him to Chief Kaku, asking him to send the dowry, and after a few days the boy returned, bringing with him rods, cloth, camwood, and palm-oil. 1 The the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 2 det _ _ 2 python python NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 nsubj _ _ 3 then then ADV RB PronType=Dem 4 advmod _ _ 4 sent send VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 5 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 7 det _ _ 6 small small ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 7 amod _ _ 7 boy boy NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 obj _ _ 8 who who PRON WP PronType=Rel 10 nsubj _ _ 9 had have AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 10 aux _ _ 10 come come VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part 7 acl:relcl _ _ 11 with with ADP IN _ 12 case _ _ 12 him he PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 10 obl _ _ 13 to to ADP IN _ 14 case _ _ 14 Chief Chief PROPN NNP Number=Sing 10 obl _ _ 15 Kaku Kaku PROPN NNP Number=Sing 14 flat _ SpaceAfter=No 16 , , PUNCT , _ 17 punct _ _ 17 asking ask VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 4 advcl _ _ 18 him he PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 17 obj _ _ 19 to to PART TO _ 20 mark _ _ 20 send send VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 17 xcomp _ _ 21 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 22 det _ _ 22 dowry dowry NOUN NN Number=Sing 20 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 23 , , PUNCT , _ 31 punct _ _ 24 and and CCONJ CC _ 31 cc _ _ 25 after after ADP IN _ 28 case _ _ 26 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 28 det _ _ 27 few few ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 28 amod _ _ 28 days day NOUN NNS Number=Plur 31 obl _ _ 29 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 30 det _ _ 30 boy boy NOUN NN Number=Sing 31 nsubj _ _ 31 returned return VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 4 conj _ SpaceAfter=No 32 , , PUNCT , _ 33 punct _ _ 33 bringing bring VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 31 advcl _ _ 34 with with ADP IN _ 35 case _ _ 35 him he PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 33 obl _ _ 36 rods rod NOUN NNS Number=Plur 33 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 37 , , PUNCT , _ 38 punct _ _ 38 cloth cloth NOUN NN Number=Sing 36 conj _ SpaceAfter=No 39 , , PUNCT , _ 40 punct _ _ 40 camwood camwood NOUN NN Number=Sing 36 conj _ SpaceAfter=No 41 , , PUNCT , _ 45 punct _ _ 42 and and CCONJ CC _ 45 cc _ _ 43 palm palm NOUN NN Number=Sing 45 compound _ SpaceAfter=No 44 - - PUNCT HYPH _ 43 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 45 oil oil NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 46 . . PUNCT . _ 4 punct _ _ ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **send** | past | the python | the small boy | | | then | palm oil *obl* | vn confine-92-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent boy=Theme | | 2 | **come** | past · perfect | the small boy | | | Chief | | with python | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V PP.initial\_location»: agent=Theme to chief=Initial\_Location | | 3 | **ask** *speech: ask* | gerund | the python *not said here* | | Chief | | | | vn inquire-37.1.2 «NP V NP whether S\_INF»: agent=Agent he=Recipient clause=Topic | | 4 | **send** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | the python *not said here* | the dowry | | | | | vn confine-92-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent dowry=Theme | | 5 | **return** | past | the boy | | | | day | | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme | | 6 | **bring** | gerund | the boy *not said here* | rods and cloth and camwood | | | | with Chief | vn bring-11.3-1 «NP V NP together»: agent=Agent rod=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 40](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/24/40/) - next →: [sentence 42](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/24/42/) - ↑ 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/)