Movers which are directed

3.4 The ri+LM PP and the verb ‘be’ The verb ‘be’ in Mpyemo can be expressed by bɛ as in 28. 28 ‘Another day, there was a certain king AT that village.’ Ntang 2.11 In 29 the verb ‘be’ is expressed by zero, and the preceding is “So that’s why it is, a long time ago he warthog entered into the forest….” There is a warthog who is looking for something on the ground, and he is walking around with his head down, and his nose almost touching the ground. Hence, the description in the data has the PP: ri mɛtɛgɔ ‘on the ground’ or perhaps ‘about the ground’, where the preposition ri here expresses the relationship of closeness to the boundary, i.e., the ground or earth. 29 ‘His warthog’s nose also is there ON the ground “Nyeee” [ideophone], so that he seeks Tortoise’s stone.’ Nkoe 4.24 3.5 The ri+LM PP and verb n ɛ ‘have’ The ‘have’ relationship in Mpyemo is expressed by use of the particle nɛ ‘have’, functioning in a verbal slot in the clause. Example 30 has a clause with the main verb ‘have’ and with a ri+LM PP slot in it. The arm or hand here is the LM, and this presumably is a surface with which the machete has close contact, because in the story the subsequent context tells us that the narrator finished up with his hand badly cut by the sharp machete. 30 ‘I have my sharp machete IN my hand.’ Kubi 1.6 . mbɔ m- bɔ NC9 arm ri ri IN yam yam 1sg POSS bunɔ 0- bunɔ NC7 machete wolaa wolaa sharp nɛ nɛ have mɛ̄ mɛ̄ 1sg PRES . kuli 0- kuli NC1a tortoise mi mi of akɔgi a- kɔgi NC5 stone wɛgaa wɛgaa look for naa naa look nɛ nɛ thattowith bɛ bɛ be kolɔ kolɔ for … NYEEE mɛtɛgɔ mɛ- tɛgɔ NC6 earth ri ri ON da da thus ndi ndi again, too i i it rɛ r- NC5- POSS do 0- do NC7 nose dali d- ali NC5 village ri ri AT ngogo 0- ngogo NC7 king nu nu certain nɛ nɛ COMP bɛ bɛ be ì ì 3sg INAN PST , gɔ gɔ SUB alung a- lung NC5 day Nu nu certain 3.6 The relational-word+ri+LM construction Up to now, we have been dealing with clauses which are headed by verbs with a ri+LM PP as a complement or adjunct. However, occasionally, we come across an instance of a construction which can be represented by a relational- word+ri+LM, in which there is a relational word that is not a verb, but rather either a relational noun like te ‘middle’ or an adverb like si ‘down’.

3.6.1 With a relational

noun like te ‘middle’ Note that the relational noun te ‘middle’ is a dependent word which introduces a part- whole relationship, and asks the question: “What is the whole?” or “What am I part of or middle of?” In other words, it needs a complement. And the answer is given by the LM of the preposition ri, as in the following phrases: te ri nkye ‘middle PREP path’ ‘the middle of the path’, and te ri bulo ‘middle PREP night’ ‘the middle of the night’. In example 31 the phrase shown underlined is in the spatial domain as a spatial adjunct. 31 ‘He went until...he arrived IN the middle of the path, unexpectedly he has come across a divide in the path.’ Nkyambe 1.7 In example 32 the phrase shown underlined is in the time domain as a temporal adjunct. 32 ‘The middle of the night came, his brother in law took a knife, he went to cut his neck.’ Nkyambe 1.15

3.6.2 With an adverb like si ‘down’.

First, an example showing the use of si ‘down’ as an adverb, modifying a verb. 33 ‘Go and lie down.’ abagi a- bagi NC5 divide kwa kwa uproot áá áá 3sg. PERF . si si down gya gya lie kɛ kɛ go yɛ yɛ 3sg. INAN . OBJ kying 0- kying NC7 neck kyɛgɔ kyɛgɔ cut kɛ kɛ go áá áá 3sg PERF , kyɛɔng 0- kyɛɔng NC7 knife nɔ nɔ take áá áá 3sg. PERF , wɛ wɛ 3sg. POSS mpoe mpoe brother-in-law , bulɔ 0- bulɔ NC7 nighttime ri ri PREPI te te middle Gyɔ gyɔ arrive , gɔ gɔ SUB nkye nkye path ri ri PREP te te middle gyɔ gyɔ arrive à à 3sg PST … tee tee so much kɛ kɛ go À à 3sg. PST