has unwittingly brought home is a demon. The non-verbal cl. 3 muzimu ‘demon’ is followed by the demonstrative yugwo ‘that’. In other words, ‘That thing he has brought home, is a demon.’ Besides
functioning as the non-verbal predicate, yugwo functions as the relativizer for the relative phrase yugwo aleeta ‘that thing which he has brought’.
71 Muzimu
yugwo aleeta.
A demon that one he has brought.
‘It’s a demon, that one which he’s brought.’ 09
4.6.3 Negative focus copula
With the negative focus copula, the expectation is that one element of the proposition will be identified, but in fact that element does not exist. It should be noted that in Fuliiru, the verbs used in the positive
and negative forms of identificational articulation are similar. For example, for cl. 2, the positive form would be bo ‘he’s the one’, while the negative form would be ndaabo ‘they do not exist’.
In 72 when the man gets home, the wife is expecting him to bring a caregiver for the children. The husband answers by quoting her people, who said ndaaye mulezi ‘there is no caregiver’. In other
words, there is none that he can identify. 72
Uyo mushosi, anagendaga imwage, mukaage anamúbuuza:
“Hayi ho wasigaga umulezi?”
That man went
home. His wife asked him
Where did you leave the caregiver?
Yiba anamushuvya:
“Nanga bemwinyu banyima umulezi, badeta
kwo
The husband answered her No your people failed to give caregiver they said that
ndaaye mulezi.”
there is no caregiver.
‘That man went home. His wife asked him, “Where did you leave the caregiver?” Her husband answered her, “No Your people failed to give me a caregiver. They said that there is no
caregiver.” ’
4.6.4 Identificational articulation in question form
As previously alluded to, in question forms, an element is assumed to be known. The question is what or who, etc. is that element? For example, assuming that ‘something was given to me’, the question would
be ‘What did he give me?’ A fuller version of former with the relative clause marked by ‘that’ is also possible: ‘What is it that he gave me?’ In 73 there is a person standing there. The question is ‘Is this
the one who is the wife of the doctor?’
73 Iri
akahika hambere abandu banamúyimangika, banadeta:
“Ka muka Muganga
uyu?”
When he arrived ahead people stopped him
and said Question wife of doctor this one?
‘When he arrived on ahead, they stopped him, and said, “Is this the one who is the wife of the doctor?” ’
4.6.5 Text displaying identification articulation
Identificational articulation is used at prominent points relative to the theme of the story. It is not used excessively, rather just a few times per story. In the following text it is used three times, twice at the
beginning and once in the denouement. Each time identificational articulation serves to set up the principle on which the story hinges.
Identificational articulation is found in two adjoining sentences that set up the issue of following leaders blindly. Ngiisi kwo ngaagira, kwo na niinyu mugaagira ‘Just as I do, that is how you also, you will
do’. Towards the end of the story, they say, Si we watubwira kwo tukizi gira ngiisi kwo ugakizi gira. ‘You are the one who told us to do just what you will do’. These key thematic points in the text are the only
places where identificational articulation is used.
Table 14. Identificational articulation in Ubugeni bwamushosi muguma ‘wedding feast of one man’ T5
Text Explanation
Mushosi muguma akagira lusiku lukulu hamwage. Analaalika abatuulani, kuguma nabagingi, nabaami,
nabagunda ikumi, gira bamútabaale mu kuyegereza
nokuzimaana yabo booshi ábakalaalikwa
.
One man had a feast at his house. And he invited his neighbors, and king’s officials, and the king, together
with common people, so that they could help him in welcoming and serving food to all the invited guests.
Anabwira yabo bagunda
kwokuno, “Ndaloziizi mundeeze ishoni imbere lya
yabo bandu booshi . Ku
yaho, niehe nie
mugakizi lolera kwo ikyanya
mugabayegereza. Ngiisi kwo ngaagira,
kwo na niinyu
mugaagira.”
And he told those common people thus, “I don’t want you to shame me before all of those people. Therefore
me, I’m the one
you should be looking at when you welcome them. Whatever I will do,
that is what you also
will do.”
Ikyanya kyokugendi yegereza abageni, anayiteera
hambere. Yabo bagunda booshi
banamúkulikira. Analamusa
yabo bageni , iri anahuniza itwe.
Yabo bagunda
, nabo banagira kwokwo ikyanya
bakabalamusa.
When it was time to welcome the guests, he went ahead of them. Those common people followed him. He
greeted the guests, bowing the head. Those common people did the same thing when they greeted them.
Ikyanya kyokuzimaana, yabo bageni
kyanahika. Uyo
mushosi, analengeza indaala yobundu. Abagunda
nabo, banalengeza inyibo zagandi mandu, banamúkulikra.
When it was time to serve the guest food, those commoners arrived. That man picked up the plate of stiff
porridge. The commoners picked up other plates of stiff porridge, and followed him.
Uyo mwene ubugeni ,
iri akahika imbere lya yabo
ábagazimaanwa ,
anasiitara, anayibumbulika haashi, ibyokulya byo âli hiiti byanayoneka.
Yabo bagunda booshi
, banayigwisa nabo, ibyokulya byo bâli hiiti
byoshi byanayoneka.
The one giving the feast, when he arrived just in front of the guests, he stumbled, and went crashing down. The
food which he had spilled all over. Those commoners all of them, they also fell down, and the food which they
had spilled as well.
Iri akavyuka yaho , anababwira,
“Si keera mwanjereegeza ibyokulya byabageni
. ”
When he got up, he said to them, “Look, you have spoiled all my guest food.”
Yabo bagunda banamubwira, “ Si
we watubwira kwo
tukizi gira ngiisi kwo ugakizi gira .”
Those commoners said to him, “ You are the one
who told us to do just as you do.”
Haaho banatondeeza ukuhambanwa. Yabo bageni
, banashiiba nishali.
Uyo mwene ubugeni , anagwatwa
neshoni.
Then they began to argue. Those guests remained hungry. The one who gave the feast was shamed.
Ihano: Áhali ikyoba, hatagendwa bwija.
Advice: Where there is fear, things don’t go well.
4.6.6 Identificational articulation marking thematic salience
