Reactivation of participants after an absence Further reference to active participants

30 Water 1 Ya-a-re-nga-ho umushaasha uwöndë ono ya-a-re-nga na bhakaaye abhabhërë 3 SG - PST -be- HAB -16. LOC 1.man 1.certain 1. REL 3 SG - PST -be- HAB with 2.wife 2.two ‘There was a certain man who had two wives.’ In both of these methods for introducing participants, the word uwöndë or abhandë ‘certain’ frequently appears in the introduction, as in example 30. Minor participants are usually introduced into an existing mental representation and often post- verbally, as illustrated in example 31, where the children are introduced as the objects of the verb. 31 Birds 2a Bha-ka-tom-a abhaana igha, ‘Abhaana bhano mo-keny-e bhöngö~bhöngö... 3 PL - NARR -send- FV 2.children COMP 2.children 2. DEM _ PROX 2 PL -run- SBJ fast~fast ‘They elderly men told the children, “You children, run fast...” ’

4.3 Reactivation of participants after an absence

The most common way of reactivating a major participant after an absence is by the use of a noun phrase that includes a distal demonstrative following the noun. In example 32 the elderly man is reactivated in this way. 32 Inheritance 11 Omoghaaka oora a-ka-tween-a umwandö 1.elderly_person 1. DEM _ DIST 3 SG - NARR -divide- FV 3.inheritance ‘That elderly man divided his possessions.’ The text corpus does not show any instances of minor characters being activated after an absence.

4.4 Further reference to active participants

The default way of continuing to refer to active participants is by means of verbal affixes, as in example 33. 33 Buffalo 4–5 Hano ya-a-rëësy-anga emare engʼombe eghaini handë entangʼana 16. DEM _ PROX 3 SG - PST -shepherd- HAB then 9.cow 9.bull or 9.castrated_bull i-kwere mö-kërëësyö 9-die: ANT 18. LOC -7.pasture Ya-a-ghe-sambek-anga ku-rireko kya ono a-sambëk-irë akatööshö 3 SG - PST -9-put- HAB 17. LOC -5.shoulder like 1. REL 3 SG -put- ANT 12.rabbit ‘When he was shepherding, a bull died in the pasture. He put it on his shoulders like one who carries a small rabbit.’ In the example above, the young man is an active participant and continues to be referred to using a subject morpheme on the verbs. Since this participant is already activated in the mind of the listener, there is no need to use a noun phrase to reintroduce him. The text corpus also shows that an active participant may be referred to by using a verb-internal object marker as well, as in example 34. 34 Simbiti People 12 Hano ya-a-hik-irë wa Iryënyi Iryënyi a-ka-mo-kom-a 16. DEM _ PROX 3 SG - PST -arrive- PROX 16. ASS Iryenyi Iryenyi 3 SG - NARR -3 S -gather- FV a-ka-mö-tët-y-a umwisëkë uwaaye 3 SG - NARR -3 SG -marry- CAUS - FV 1.daughter 1.3 SG . POSS ‘When he Msimbiti arrived at Iryenyi’s, Iryenyi received him and married him off to his daughter.’ Here, Msimbiti is referred to by a subject marker in the first verb and then continues to be referred to by object markers in the final two verbs of the sentence.

4.5 Pronouns