--- title: But the python begged to be allowed until midnight before he returne… — Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria · tree and pragmatics description: But the python begged to be allowed until midnight before he returned the things he had borrowed, saying, “My wife and I have only just arrived, and it would be a shameful thing if I have to join her crawling on my belly.” Who acts: python, play. A sentence of «Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeri --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/24/49/) [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/) / 49 # Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria, Xxxi.--chief Kekong’s Daughter ’ndere Who Married a Python., part 1, sentence 49 But the python begged to be allowed until midnight before he returned the things he had borrowed, saying, “My wife and I have only just arrived, and it would be a shameful thing if I have to join her crawling on my belly.” **Who acts:** python, play · **What happens:** beg, allow, return, borrow, say, have · **To what, where:** things, shameful thing, wife, belly · **Speech:** someone speaks here 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, play), 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:pg70959:24:49 # text = But the python begged to be allowed until midnight before he returned the things he had borrowed, saying, “My wife and I have only just arrived, and it would be a shameful thing if I have to join her crawling on my belly.” 1 But but CCONJ CC _ 4 cc _ _ 2 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 3 det _ _ 3 python python NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 nsubj _ _ 4 begged beg VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 5 to to PART TO _ 7 mark _ _ 6 be be AUX VB VerbForm=Inf 7 aux:pass _ _ 7 allowed allow VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 4 ccomp _ _ 8 until until ADP IN _ 9 case _ _ 9 midnight midnight NOUN NN Number=Sing 7 obl _ _ 10 before before SCONJ IN _ 12 mark _ _ 11 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 12 nsubj _ _ 12 returned return VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 7 advcl _ _ 13 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 14 det _ _ 14 things thing NOUN NNS Number=Plur 12 obj _ _ 15 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 17 nsubj _ _ 16 had have AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 17 aux _ _ 17 borrowed borrow VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part 14 acl:relcl _ SpaceAfter=No 18 , , PUNCT , _ 19 punct _ _ 19 saying say VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 4 advcl _ SpaceAfter=No 20 , , PUNCT , _ 23 punct _ _ 21 “ " PUNCT `` _ 23 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 22 My my PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Number=Sing|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 23 nmod:poss _ _ 23 wife wife NOUN NN Number=Sing 19 ccomp _ _ 24 and and CCONJ CC _ 26 cc _ _ 25 I I PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs 26 nsubj _ _ 26 have have VERB VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 4 conj _ _ 27 only only ADV RB _ 29 advmod _ _ 28 just just ADV RB _ 29 advmod _ _ 29 arrived arrive VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 26 ccomp _ SpaceAfter=No 30 , , PUNCT , _ 37 punct _ _ 31 and and CCONJ CC _ 37 cc _ _ 32 it it PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 37 nsubj _ _ 33 would would AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 37 aux _ _ 34 be be AUX VB VerbForm=Inf 37 cop _ _ 35 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 37 det _ _ 36 shameful shameful ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 37 amod _ _ 37 thing thing NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 parataxis _ _ 38 if if SCONJ IN _ 40 mark _ _ 39 I I PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs 40 nsubj _ _ 40 have have VERB VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=1|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 37 advcl _ _ 41 to to PART TO _ 42 mark _ _ 42 join join VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 40 xcomp _ _ 43 her she PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 42 obj _ _ 44 crawling crawl VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 42 advcl _ _ 45 on on ADP IN _ 47 case _ _ 46 my my PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Number=Sing|Person=1|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 47 nmod:poss _ _ 47 belly belly NOUN NN Number=Sing 44 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 48 . . PUNCT . _ 37 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 49 ” " PUNCT '' _ 37 punct _ _ ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **beg** *speech: request* | past | the python | | | | | | vn beg-58.2-1-1 «NP V S\_INF»: agent=Agent clause=Topic | | 2 | **allow** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive · passive | | | | | midnight | | vn allow-64.1-1 «NP V S\_ING» | | 3 | **return** | past | python | the things | | | | | vn send-11.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent thing=Theme | | 4 | **borrow** | past · perfect | python | the things *not said here* | | | | | vn obtain-13.5.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent thing=Theme | | 5 | **say** *speech: assert* | gerund | the python *not said here* | | | | | My wife *ccomp* | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent | | 6 | **have** *in a quote* | present | the python *= python* | | | | | | tree rules | | 7 | **arrive** *in a quote* | past | the python *= python* *not said here* | | | | | | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme | | 8 | **is a** *in a quote* | would | play | a shameful thing | | | | | tree rules | | 9 | **have** *a condition, not said to happen, in a quote* | present | the python *= python* | | | | | | tree rules | | 10 | **join** *in a quote* | to-infinitive | the python *= python* *not said here* | wife | | | | | vn mix-22.1-2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent she=Patient | | 11 | **crawl** *in a quote* | gerund | the python *= python* *not said here* | | | my belly | | | vn run-51.3.2 «NP V PP.location»: agent=Theme on belly=Trajectory | 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 48](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/24/48/) - next →: [sentence 50](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/24/50/) - ↑ 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/)