--- title: Having called all his wives together, he told them what the ju-ju ma… — Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria · tree and pragmatics description: Having called all his wives together, he told them what the ju-ju man had advised him to do, and although he was very sorry to part with them, still they would all have to go as he was determined to get a son if possible. Who acts: chief, ju man, wives. A sentence of «Ikom folk stories from Southern --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/9/12/) [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/) / [Xii.--concerning the Okuni Witches and…](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/9/) / 12 # Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria, Xii.--concerning the Okuni Witches and Cannibalism., sentence 12 Having called all his wives together, he told them what the ju-ju man had advised him to do, and although he was very sorry to part with them, still they would all have to go as he was determined to get a son if possible. **Who acts:** chief, ju man, wives · **What happens:** have, call, tell, advise, do, be · **To what, where:** wives, ju man, son · **Speech:** someone speaks here This is a sentence of «Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria» by Elphinstone Dayrell, Xii.--concerning the Okuni Witches and Cannibalism.. The page gives its syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause: who acts (chief, ju man, wives), 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:pg70959:9:12 # text = Having called all his wives together, he told them what the ju-ju man had advised him to do, and although he was very sorry to part with them, still they would all have to go as he was determined to get a son if possible. 1 Having have VERB VBG Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part 9 advcl _ _ 2 called call VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 1 xcomp _ _ 3 all all DET PDT PronType=Tot 5 det:predet _ _ 4 his his PRON PRP$ Case=Gen|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|Poss=Yes|PronType=Prs 5 nmod:poss _ _ 5 wives wife NOUN NNS Number=Plur 2 xcomp _ _ 6 together together ADV RB _ 2 advmod _ SpaceAfter=No 7 , , PUNCT , _ 1 punct _ _ 8 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 9 nsubj _ _ 9 told tell VERB VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 0 root _ _ 10 them they PRON PRP Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 9 iobj _ _ 11 what what PRON WP PronType=Int 18 obj _ _ 12 the the DET DT Definite=Def|PronType=Art 16 det _ _ 13 ju ju NOUN NN Number=Sing 15 compound _ SpaceAfter=No 14 - - PUNCT HYPH _ 13 punct _ SpaceAfter=No 15 ju ju NOUN NN Number=Sing 16 compound _ _ 16 man man NOUN NN Number=Sing 18 nsubj:pass _ _ 17 had have AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 18 aux _ _ 18 advised advise VERB VBN Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass 9 ccomp _ _ 19 him he PRON PRP Case=Acc|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 18 obj _ _ 20 to to PART TO _ 21 mark _ _ 21 do do VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 18 xcomp _ SpaceAfter=No 22 , , PUNCT , _ 28 punct _ _ 23 and and CCONJ CC _ 28 cc _ _ 24 although although SCONJ IN _ 28 mark _ _ 25 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 28 nsubj _ _ 26 was be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 28 cop _ _ 27 very very ADV RB _ 28 advmod _ _ 28 sorry sorry ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 9 conj _ _ 29 to to PART TO _ 30 mark _ _ 30 part part NOUN NN Number=Sing 28 advcl _ _ 31 with with ADP IN _ 32 case _ _ 32 them they PRON PRP Case=Acc|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 30 nmod _ SpaceAfter=No 33 , , PUNCT , _ 38 punct _ _ 34 still still ADV RB _ 38 advmod _ _ 35 they they PRON PRP Case=Nom|Number=Plur|Person=3|PronType=Prs 38 nsubj _ _ 36 would would AUX MD VerbForm=Fin 38 aux _ _ 37 all all ADV RB _ 38 advmod _ _ 38 have have VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 28 parataxis _ _ 39 to to PART TO _ 40 mark _ _ 40 go go VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 38 xcomp _ _ 41 as as SCONJ IN _ 44 mark _ _ 42 he he PRON PRP Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs 44 nsubj _ _ 43 was be AUX VBD Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin 44 cop _ _ 44 determined determined ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 40 advcl _ _ 45 to to PART TO _ 46 mark _ _ 46 get get VERB VB VerbForm=Inf 44 xcomp _ _ 47 a a DET DT Definite=Ind|PronType=Art 48 det _ _ 48 son son NOUN NN Number=Sing 46 obj _ _ 49 if if SCONJ IN _ 50 mark _ _ 50 possible possible ADJ JJ Degree=Pos 46 advcl _ SpaceAfter=No 51 . . PUNCT . _ 9 punct _ _ ``` ## Pragmatics {#pragmatics} | # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | **have** | gerund | chief *not said here* | | | | | | tree rules | | 2 | **call** | participle | chief *not said here* | chief's wives | | | | together *property* | vn initiate\_communication-37.4.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent | | 3 | **tell** *speech: assert* | past | chief | | wives *= wife* | | | | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V NP what S»: agent=Agent they=Recipient clause=Topic | | 4 | **advise** *speech: other* | past · perfect · passive | | the ju man | | | | what *obj*; chief *obj* | tree rules | | 5 | **do** *not said to happen* | to-infinitive | the ju man *not said here* | | | | | | vn act-114-1 «NP V»: agent=Agent | | 6 | **is** | past | chief | | | | | part with wives *advcl*; sorry *property* | tree rules | | 7 | **have** | would | wives *= wife* | | | | still | all *property* | tree rules | | 8 | **go** | to-infinitive | wives *= wife* *not said here* | | | | | | vn disappearance-48.2-1 «NP V»: agent=Theme | | 9 | **is** | past | chief | | | | | determined *property* | tree rules | | 10 | **get** | to-infinitive | chief *not said here* | a son | | | | | vn comprehend-87.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer son=Stimulus | 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 11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/9/11/) - next →: [sentence 13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/9/13/) - ↑ back to [Xii.--concerning the Okuni Witches and Cannibalism.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/9/)