--- title: The chief then ordered food to be placed before them, but the spider… — Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria · tree and pragmatics description: The chief then ordered food to be placed before them, but the spider, whilst thanking the chief for his kindness, said: “Surely the custom of the country is, when a stranger arrives in a town, to first of all offer him ‘the peace dish,’ consisting of dried meat and kola nuts, to show that he is welc --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/6/9/) [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/) / [Vii.--how Two Friends Fell Out: the Sp…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/6/) / 9 # Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria, Vii.--how Two Friends Fell Out: the Spider and the Grasshopper., sentence 9 The chief then ordered food to be placed before them, but the spider, whilst thanking the chief for his kindness, said: “Surely the custom of the country is, when a stranger arrives in a town, to first of all offer him ‘the peace dish,’ consisting of dried meat and kola nuts, to show that he is welcome, and that there is peace between them.” **Who acts:** chief, stranger, custom · **What happens:** order, place, thank, say, arrive, be · **To what, where:** food, chief, town, peace · **Speech:** someone speaks here This is a sentence of «Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria» by Elphinstone Dayrell, Vii.--how Two Friends Fell Out: the Spider and the Grasshopper.. The page gives its syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause: who acts (chief, stranger, custom), 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:pg70959:6:9 # text = The chief then ordered food to be placed before them, but the spider, whilst thanking the chief for his kindness, said: “Surely the custom of the country is, when a stranger arrives in a town, to first of all offer him ‘the peace dish,’ consisting of dried meat and kola nuts, to show that he is welcome, and that there is peace between them.” 1 The the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 2 det _ _ 2 chief chief NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 nsubj _ _ 3 then then ADV RB PronType=Dem 4 advmod _ _ 4 ordered order VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 5 food food NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 obj _ _ 6 to to PART TO _ 8 mark _ _ 7 be be AUX VB VerbForm=Inf 8 aux:pass _ _ 8 placed place VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 5 acl _ _ 9 before before ADP IN _ 10 case _ _ 10 them they PRON PRP Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 8 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 11 , , PUNCT , _ 14 punct _ _ 12 but but CCONJ CC _ 14 cc _ _ 13 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 14 det _ _ 14 spider spider NOUN NN Number=Sing 4 parataxis _ SpaceAfter=No 15 , , PUNCT , _ 17 punct _ _ 16 whilst whilst SCONJ IN _ 17 mark _ _ 17 thanking thank VERB VBG VerbForm=Ger 4 advcl _ _ 18 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 19 det _ _ 19 chief chief NOUN NN Number=Sing 17 obj _ _ 20 for for ADP IN _ 22 case _ _ 21 his his PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 22 nmod:poss _ _ 22 kindness kindness NOUN NN Number=Sing 19 nmod _ SpaceAfter=No 23 , , PUNCT , _ 24 punct _ _ 24 said say VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 4 conj _ SpaceAfter=No 25 : : PUNCT : _ 29 punct _ _ 26 “ " PUNCT `` _ 29 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 27 Surely surely ADV RB _ 29 advmod _ _ 28 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 29 det _ _ 29 custom custom NOUN NN Number=Sing 47 nsubj _ _ 30 of of ADP IN _ 32 case _ _ 31 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 32 det _ _ 32 country country NOUN NN Number=Sing 29 nmod _ _ 33 is be AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 47 cop _ SpaceAfter=No 34 , , PUNCT , _ 33 punct _ _ 35 when when SCONJ WRB _ 38 mark _ _ 36 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 37 det _ _ 37 stranger stranger NOUN NN Number=Sing 38 nsubj _ _ 38 arrives arrive VERB VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 47 advcl _ _ 39 in in ADP IN _ 41 case _ _ 40 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 41 det _ _ 41 town town NOUN NN Number=Sing 38 obl _ SpaceAfter=No 42 , , PUNCT , _ 47 punct _ _ 43 to to ADP IN _ 44 case _ _ 44 first first ADV RB NumForm=Word|NumType=Ord 47 obl _ _ 45 of of ADP IN _ 46 case _ _ 46 all all DET DT PronType=Tot 47 advmod _ _ 47 offer offer VERB VBP Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 24 ccomp _ _ 48 him he PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 47 obj _ _ 49 ‘ ' PUNCT `` _ 52 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 50 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 52 det _ _ 51 peace peace NOUN NN Number=Sing 52 compound _ _ 52 dish dish NOUN NN Number=Sing 24 ccomp _ SpaceAfter=No 53 , , PUNCT , _ 55 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 54 ’ ' PUNCT '' _ 55 punct _ _ 55 consisting consist VERB VBG VerbForm=Ger 52 nmod _ _ 56 of of ADP IN _ 58 case _ _ 57 dried dry VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 58 amod _ _ 58 meat meat NOUN NN Number=Sing 55 obl _ _ 59 and and CCONJ CC _ 61 cc _ _ 60 kola kola NOUN NN Number=Sing 61 compound _ _ 61 nuts nut NOUN NNS Number=Plur 58 conj _ SpaceAfter=No 62 , , PUNCT , _ 64 punct _ _ 63 to to PART TO _ 64 mark _ _ 64 show show VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 55 advcl _ _ 65 that that SCONJ IN _ 68 mark _ _ 66 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 68 nsubj _ _ 67 is be AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 68 cop _ _ 68 welcome welcome ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 64 ccomp _ SpaceAfter=No 69 , , PUNCT , _ 74 punct _ _ 70 and and CCONJ CC _ 74 cc _ _ 71 that that SCONJ IN _ 73 mark _ _ 72 there there PRON EX PronType=Dem 73 expl _ _ 73 is be AUX VBZ Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin 74 cop _ _ 74 peace peace NOUN NN Number=Sing 68 obl _ _ 75 between between ADP IN _ 76 case _ _ 76 them they PRON PRP Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 74 nmod _ SpaceAfter=No 77 . . PUNCT . _ 52 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 78 ” " PUNCT '' _ 52 punct _ _ ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **order** | past | the chief | food | | | then | the spider *parataxis* | vn get-13.5.1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent food=Theme | | 2 | **place** | to-infinitive · passive | the chief *not said here* | food *not said here* | | | before spider | | vn put-9.1-2 «NP V NP PP.destination»: before they=Destination | | 3 | **thank** *speech: thank* | gerund | the chief *not said here* | the chief | | | | for chief's kindness | vn judgment-33.1-1 «NP V NP PP.attribute»: agent=Agent chief=Theme for kindness=Attribute | | 4 | **say** *speech: assert* | past | the chief *not said here* | | | | | the peace dish *ccomp* | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic | | 5 | **arrive** *in a quote* | present | a stranger | | | a town | | | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme | | 6 | **is** *in a quote* | present | the custom of the country | | | | | Stranger *obj*; offer *property* | tree rules | | 7 | **consist** *in a quote* | gerund | | | | | | of dried meat and kola nuts | tree rules | | 8 | **dry** *in a quote* | participle | | | | | | | vn other\_cos-45.4-1 «NP.patient V»: agent=Patient | | 9 | **show** *in a quote* | to-infinitive | | | | | | | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent | | 10 | **is** *in a quote* | present | Stranger | | | | | welcome *property* | tree rules | | 11 | **is a** *in a quote* | present | | peace | | | | between spider | tree rules | 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 8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/6/8/) - next →: [sentence 10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/6/10/) - ↑ back to [Vii.--how Two Friends Fell Out: the Spider and the Grasshopper.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/6/)