Pan, pe tagbalo. Motion verbs Ex. 5 –13

216 Retelling Detailed Accounts Example Speaker 1 and Speaker 2 are talking from a distance and a person approaches Speaker 2.

1. Carlos peje ne.

‗Charles is going to you.‘

2. Eye, anche tani.

‗Yes, he is coming to me.‘ If, on the other hand, the person is approaching the location where Speaker 1 and Speaker 2 are standing, both Speaker 1 and Speaker 2 use a form of the verb ―to come‖. This is similar to the English construction. Example Speaker 1 and Speaker 2 are talking and a person approaches the general location where Speaker 1 and Speaker 2 are standing.

1. Carlos anmalzhe tani.

‗Charles is coming toward us.‘

2. Eye, anmalzhe tani.

‗Yes, he is coming toward us.‘ 2 Reference point in narrative The perception of reference point of motion in the case of a narrative is somewhat different from the reference point in conversation. The material presented in the narrative may involve relating a tale from the past or predicting an event in the future. For purposes of this discussion, a narrative may be considered to be composed of various parts, much like the scenes of a play. There is an introduction, then various scenes, and finally, a conclusion. In discussing the view of reference point of motion in narrative, it is important to consider both third and first person narrative. a Reference point in first person narrative In the case of a first person narrative, as with English and Spanish, the reference point of the introduction and conclusion are always the present location of the speaker. However, as in EnglishSpanish, but differing from the situation of a Kuna conversation in which the reference point is fixed, the reference point of the various scenes in the play vary according to the speaker ‘s choice. They are not necessarily influenced by the speaker ‘s present position. He may choose a reference point of the intermediate scenes according to the scene he wishes to highlight. Following are some situational examples: Example Speaker 1 is in the city, telling of his trip from the village. While narrating the story of his trip, Speaker 1 views the introduction and conclusion of the narration in light of his present location and, therefore, refers to having left from the village and come to the city his present location. The reference point of the motion verbs in the other scenes reflects the speaker ‘s interpretation of events which happened along the way. He may, for example, choose as a reference point Dog River. Speaker 1 may talk about leaving or approaching Dog River. The reference point within the scenes of the story are not related to the speaker ‘s present position, but vary according to his choice of reference point. Example Speaker 1 is back in the village telling of a trip he made to the city. Again, as with English and Spanish, the reference point of motion of the introduction and conclusion is related to the present location of the speaker. The reference points of the intermediate scenes are determined by the choice of the speaker. b Reference point of third person narrative In the case of third person narrative the speaker is not involved in the motion, the reference point for the introduction, conclusion and intermediate scenes of the narrative may be the present location of the third party or it may be another location which the speaker considers to be the reference point of the scene.