Speaker’s call for attention

10.88 jak ŋa ɖo gø ɕar-soŋ aa. SAP 1SG go need.to become-PST.VIS SCAP ‘I accept that I have to leave but it breaks my heart.’ Speaker is submitting to the idea that he has to die. No more hope is left to survive and he also expresses his emotional pain to depart from his loved ones with aa.

10.2.13 Speaker’s call for attention

Speaker uses the particle we SCA speaker’s call for attention in oral communication to call for the attention of the hearer to what he is going to say. Normally there is also considerable physical distance involved. In a hilly country the human voice carries far. Lhomis say that the longer the distance is to the hearer the longer is the vowel of this particle. This particle may be used only among equals or family members. It would never combine with honorific address terms. The particle begins the utterance. It may occasionally occur at the end of the utterance but its grammatical meaning is still the same, calling for attention. The English meaning for this particle typically is: ‘Oh’, ‘pay attention’, ‘hi there’, ‘hello’, or ‘listen to me’. 10.89 we aku ajekpa ŋa-la aŋtam tɕik ɕøt-let=te tɕhi-pa bet. TE67 SCA uncle ajekpa 1SG-DAT story INDF tell-SCI=EMPH say-NMLZ;Q AUX ‘“OhHi uncle Ayekpa, do tell me a story of cheating,” he said.’ Someone meets on trail this strange character who cheats everybody. The person calls right away for his attention and wants to hear a story from him. 10.90 u-ni u-la we dzutta mat-khøm-pa that-ABL that-DAT SCA shoes NEG-wear-NMLZ;Q mø møk-kuk na wa … TE67 ploughing plough-PROG;VIS RSPNS MIR ‘Then he said, “Hello there, to my surprise I see you ploughing without wearing shoes.”’ Ayekpa is shouting to a man who is ploughing. He simply calls his attention to what he is going to say. In fact he sets a trap for the hearer by this statement. 9.91 we phaa-na ɕiŋka-la pha ɕuu-tuk wa. SCA there-IN field-DAT cow enter-PRF.VIS MIR ‘Attention everybody, a cow has gone to the field over there.’ Speaker has seen a cow eating grain in a field and he calls for attention of every villager. Someone needs to chase it away. Speaker does not address his call to anybody in particular but to everybody. 10.92 we t ɕhøt-tɕaŋ-ki si-na khur-tuk. TE4 SCA drink[HON]-beer-INS become.drunk-NFNT1 carry-PRF.VIS ‘Hi everybody, some have already become drunk from beer.’ Speaker, the host of a party, calls for everybody’s attention to the fact that some men in the party are drunk. The purpose of this statement may be to hint that the guests should not drink a lot anymore. Note that he uses an honorific word for ‘beer’. 10.93 lawu we sera d ʑap-ni naŋkaŋ-ki ŋin di bet. TE8 HAP SCA earth.quake VBZR-NFNT2 new.moon-GEN day DEF COP ‘Listen all to my story, when the earthquake took place it was the new moon day.’ Speaker starts his report of the great earthquake and calls for the attention of all those who are listening.

10.2.14 Speaker’s emphatic call for attention