--- title: They therefore went to the chief and asked him to tell them what the… — Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria · tree and pragmatics description: They therefore went to the chief and asked him to tell them what the bird was saying, but even the chief himself was unable to explain, and told the men not to trouble about what the bird said, but to continue with their hunting, and that when they returned to the town he would call upon the lot cas --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/25/50/) [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/pg70959/25/) / 50 # Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria, Xxxi.--chief Kekong’s Daughter ’ndere Who Married a Python., part 2, sentence 50 They therefore went to the chief and asked him to tell them what the bird was saying, but even the chief himself was unable to explain, and told the men not to trouble about what the bird said, but to continue with their hunting, and that when they returned to the town he would call upon the lot caster for an explanation. **Who acts:** men, bird, chief · **What happens:** go, ask, tell, say, be, explain · **To what, where:** chief, men · **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 2. The page gives its syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause: who acts (men, bird, chief), 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:pg70959:25:50 # text = They therefore went to the chief and asked him to tell them what the bird was saying, but even the chief himself was unable to explain, and told the men not to trouble about what the bird said, but to continue with their hunting, and that when they returned to the town he would call upon the lot caster for an explanation. 1 They they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 3 nsubj _ _ 2 therefore therefore ADV RB _ 3 advmod _ _ 3 went go VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 4 to to ADP IN _ 6 case _ _ 5 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 6 det _ _ 6 chief chief NOUN NN Number=Sing 3 obl _ _ 7 and and CCONJ CC _ 8 cc _ _ 8 asked ask VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 3 conj _ _ 9 him he PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 8 iobj _ _ 10 to to PART TO _ 11 mark _ _ 11 tell tell VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 8 xcomp _ _ 12 them they PRON PRP Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 11 iobj _ _ 13 what what PRON WP PronType=Int 17 obj _ _ 14 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 15 det _ _ 15 bird bird NOUN NN Number=Sing 17 nsubj _ _ 16 was be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 17 aux _ _ 17 saying say VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 11 ccomp _ SpaceAfter=No 18 , , PUNCT , _ 25 punct _ _ 19 but but CCONJ CC _ 25 cc _ _ 20 even even ADV RB _ 22 advmod _ _ 21 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 22 det _ _ 22 chief chief NOUN NN Number=Sing 25 nsubj _ _ 23 himself himself PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs|Reflex=Yes 22 nmod _ _ 24 was be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 25 cop _ _ 25 unable unable ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 3 conj _ _ 26 to to PART TO _ 27 mark _ _ 27 explain explain VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 25 xcomp _ SpaceAfter=No 28 , , PUNCT , _ 30 punct _ _ 29 and and CCONJ CC _ 30 cc _ _ 30 told tell VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 3 parataxis _ _ 31 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 32 det _ _ 32 men man NOUN NNS Number=Plur 30 obj _ _ 33 not not PART RB Polarity=Neg 35 advmod _ _ 34 to to PART TO _ 35 mark _ _ 35 trouble trouble NOUN NN Number=Sing 30 ccomp _ _ 36 about about ADP IN _ 37 case _ _ 37 what what PRON WP PronType=Rel 35 nmod _ _ 38 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 39 det _ _ 39 bird bird NOUN NN Number=Sing 40 nsubj _ _ 40 said say VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 37 acl:relcl _ SpaceAfter=No 41 , , PUNCT , _ 44 punct _ _ 42 but but CCONJ CC _ 44 cc _ _ 43 to to PART TO _ 44 mark _ _ 44 continue continue VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 30 conj _ _ 45 with with ADP IN _ 47 case _ _ 46 their their PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Number=Plur|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 47 nmod:poss _ _ 47 hunting hunting NOUN NN Number=Sing 44 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 48 , , PUNCT , _ 59 punct _ _ 49 and and CCONJ CC _ 59 cc _ _ 50 that that SCONJ IN _ 53 mark _ _ 51 when when ADV WRB PronType=Int 53 advmod _ _ 52 they they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 53 nsubj _ _ 53 returned return VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 59 advcl _ _ 54 to to ADP IN _ 56 case _ _ 55 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 56 det _ _ 56 town town NOUN NN Number=Sing 53 obl _ _ 57 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 59 nsubj _ _ 58 would would AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 59 aux _ _ 59 call call VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 3 parataxis _ _ 60 upon upon ADP IN _ 63 case _ _ 61 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 63 det _ _ 62 lot lot NOUN NN Number=Sing 63 compound _ _ 63 caster caster NOUN NN Number=Sing 59 obl _ _ 64 for for ADP IN _ 66 case _ _ 65 an a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 66 det _ _ 66 explanation explanation NOUN NN Number=Sing 63 nmod _ SpaceAfter=No 67 . . PUNCT . _ 3 punct _ _ ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **go** | past | men *= man* | | | the chief | | therefore *property* | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V PP.initial\_location»: agent=Theme to chief=Initial\_Location | | 2 | **ask** *speech: ask* | past | men *= man* *not said here* | | Chief | | | | vn inquire-37.1.2 «NP V NP whether S\_INF»: agent=Agent he=Recipient clause=Topic | | 3 | **tell** *speech: assert* *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | men *= man* *not said here* | | men *= man* | | | | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP what S»: agent=Agent they=Recipient clause=Topic | | 4 | **say** *speech: assert* | past · progressive | the bird | | | | | what *obj* | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: agent=Agent what=Topic | | 5 | **is** | past | the chief bird | | | | | unable *property* | tree rules | | 6 | **explain** *speech: assert* | to-infinitive | the chief bird *not said here* | | | | | | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1 «NP V»: agent=Agent | | 7 | **tell** *speech: assert* | past | | | the men | | | trouble *ccomp* | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent man=Recipient | | 8 | **say** *speech: assert* | past | the bird | | | | | | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent | | 9 | **continue** | to-infinitive | | | | | | with men's hunting | vn continue-55.3 «NP.eventuality V PP.subeventuality»: agent=Eventuality with hunting=Subeventuality | | 10 | **return** | past | men *= man* | | | | | to the town *result* | vn convert-26.6.2-1 «NP V S\_ING»: agent=Patient to town=Result | | 11 | **call** | would | bird | | | | | upon the lot caster for a explanation | vn initiate\_communication-37.4.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent | | 12 | **hunt** | | men *= man* | | | | | | nom hunting «act transitive»: 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 49](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/25/49/) - next →: [sentence 51](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/25/51/) - ↑ back to [Xxxi.--chief Kekong’s Daughter ’ndere Who Married a Python., part 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/25/)