--- title: This is the reason why hawks always take chickens wherever they find… — Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria · tree and pragmatics description: This is the reason why hawks always take chickens wherever they find them, and in those days the people never thought of making any trouble with the hawk, as he had a right to the chickens, but nowadays when a hawk swoops down and seizes a chicken, the people shout out and try to kill him, as they h --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/3/52/) [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/) / [E. Dayrell.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/3/) / 52 # Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria, E. Dayrell., sentence 52 This is the reason why hawks always take chickens wherever they find them, and in those days the people never thought of making any trouble with the hawk, as he had a right to the chickens, but nowadays when a hawk swoops down and seizes a chicken, the people shout out and try to kill him, as they have forgotten the story of how the twin child Agbor was redeemed by a basket of eggs. **Who acts:** This, hawks, chickens, people, HAWK · **What happens:** be, take, find, not think, make, have · **To what, where:** reason, chickens, compounds, trouble, right, chicken This is a sentence of «Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria» by Elphinstone Dayrell, E. Dayrell.. The page gives its syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause: who acts (This, hawks, chickens, people), 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:pg70959:3:52 # text = This is the reason why hawks always take chickens wherever they find them, and in those days the people never thought of making any trouble with the hawk, as he had a right to the chickens, but nowadays when a hawk swoops down and seizes a chicken, the people shout out and try to kill him, as they have forgotten the story of how the twin child Agbor was redeemed by a basket of eggs. 1 This this PRON DT Number=Sing|PronType=Dem 4 nsubj _ _ 2 is be AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 4 cop _ _ 3 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 4 det _ _ 4 reason reason NOUN NN Number=Sing 0 root _ _ 5 why why ADV WRB PronType=Int 8 advmod _ _ 6 hawks hawk NOUN NNS Number=Plur 8 nsubj _ _ 7 always always ADV RB PronType=Tot 8 advmod _ _ 8 take take VERB VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 4 acl:relcl _ _ 9 chickens chicken NOUN NNS Number=Plur 8 obj _ _ 10 wherever wherever ADV WRB PronType=Int 12 advmod _ _ 11 they they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 12 nsubj _ _ 12 find find VERB VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 8 advcl _ _ 13 them they PRON PRP Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 12 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 14 , , PUNCT , _ 22 punct _ _ 15 and and CCONJ CC _ 22 cc _ _ 16 in in ADP IN _ 18 case _ _ 17 those that DET DT Number=Plur|PronType=Dem 18 det _ _ 18 days day NOUN NNS Number=Plur 22 obl _ _ 19 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 20 det _ _ 20 people people NOUN NNS Number=Plur 22 nsubj _ _ 21 never never ADV RB PronType=Neg 22 advmod _ _ 22 thought think VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 4 parataxis _ _ 23 of of SCONJ IN _ 24 mark _ _ 24 making make VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 22 advcl _ _ 25 any any DET DT PronType=Ind 26 det _ _ 26 trouble trouble NOUN NN Number=Sing 24 obj _ _ 27 with with ADP IN _ 29 case _ _ 28 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 29 det _ _ 29 hawk hawk NOUN NN Number=Sing 26 nmod _ SpaceAfter=No 30 , , PUNCT , _ 33 punct _ _ 31 as as SCONJ IN _ 33 mark _ _ 32 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 33 nsubj _ _ 33 had have VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 22 conj _ _ 34 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 35 det _ _ 35 right right NOUN NN Number=Sing 33 obj _ _ 36 to to ADP IN _ 38 case _ _ 37 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 38 det _ _ 38 chickens chicken NOUN NNS Number=Plur 35 nmod _ SpaceAfter=No 39 , , PUNCT , _ 45 punct _ _ 40 but but CCONJ CC _ 45 cc _ _ 41 nowadays nowadays ADV RB _ 45 advmod _ _ 42 when when SCONJ WRB _ 45 mark _ _ 43 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 44 det _ _ 44 hawk hawk NOUN NN Number=Sing 45 nsubj _ _ 45 swoops swoop VERB VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 22 parataxis _ _ 46 down down ADV RB _ 45 advmod _ _ 47 and and CCONJ CC _ 48 cc _ _ 48 seizes seize VERB VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 45 conj _ _ 49 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 50 det _ _ 50 chicken chicken NOUN NN Number=Sing 48 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 51 , , PUNCT , _ 54 punct _ _ 52 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 53 det _ _ 53 people people NOUN NNS Number=Plur 54 nsubj _ _ 54 shout shout VERB VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 45 parataxis _ _ 55 out out ADP RP _ 54 compound:prt _ _ 56 and and CCONJ CC _ 57 cc _ _ 57 try try VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 54 conj _ _ 58 to to PART TO _ 59 mark _ _ 59 kill kill VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 57 xcomp _ _ 60 him he PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 59 obj _ SpaceAfter=No 61 , , PUNCT , _ 65 punct _ _ 62 as as SCONJ IN _ 65 mark _ _ 63 they they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 65 nsubj _ _ 64 have have AUX VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 65 aux _ _ 65 forgotten forget VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part 57 advcl _ _ 66 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 67 det _ _ 67 story story NOUN NN Number=Sing 65 obj _ _ 68 of of SCONJ IN _ 75 mark _ _ 69 how how ADV WRB PronType=Int 75 advmod _ _ 70 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 72 det _ _ 71 twin twin NOUN NN Number=Sing 72 compound _ _ 72 child child NOUN NN Number=Sing 75 nsubj:pass _ _ 73 Agbor Agbor PROPN NNP Number=Sing 72 appos _ _ 74 was be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 75 aux:pass _ _ 75 redeemed redeem VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 67 acl _ _ 76 by by ADP IN _ 78 case _ _ 77 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 78 det _ _ 78 basket basket NOUN NN Number=Sing 75 obl _ _ 79 of of ADP IN _ 80 case _ _ 80 eggs egg NOUN NNS Number=Plur 78 nmod _ SpaceAfter=No 81 . . PUNCT . _ 4 punct _ _ ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **is a** | present | This | the reason | | | | | tree rules | | 2 | **take** | present | hawks | | chickens | | | always *property* | vn bring-11.3 «NP V NP ADVP»: agent=Instrument chicken=Destination | | 3 | **find** | present | chickens *= chicken* | compounds *= compound* | | | | wherever *property* | vn discover-84 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent they=Topic | | 4 | **not** **think** *speech: other* | past | the people | | | | day | | vn focus-87.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent | | 5 | **make** | gerund | the people *not said here* | any trouble | | | | with the hawk | vn build-26.1-1 «NP.asset V NP»: agent=Asset trouble=Product | | 6 | **have** | past | HAWK | a right | | | | to the chickens | vn birth-28.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent right=Patient | | 7 | **swoop down** | present | a hawk | | | | | down, nowadays *property* | tree rules | | 8 | **seize** | present | a hawk *not said here* | a chicken | | | | | vn obtain-13.5.2 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent chicken=Theme | | 9 | **shout out** *speech: express* | present | the people | | | | | | vn manner\_speaking-37.3 «NP V»: agent=Agent | | 10 | **try** | infinitive | the people *not said here* | | | | | | vn try-61.1 «NP V S\_INF»: agent=Agent clause=Eventuality | | 11 | **kill** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | the people *not said here* | HAWK | | | | | vn remove-10.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent he=Theme | | 12 | **forget** | present · perfect | people | the story | | | | | tree rules | | 13 | **redeem** | past · passive | | the twin child | | | | by a basket of eggs | vn steal-10.5 «NP V NP»: subject=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 51](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/3/51/) - next →: [sentence 53](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/3/53/) - ↑ back to [E. Dayrell.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/3/)