Denouement Episodes in eastern Bantu narrative texts

2.1.5 Denouement

The denouement often takes the form of a summary of the main events of the story or describes subsequent events which are generally of a fairly predictable nature. No particular linguistic features were found to distinguish the denouement from the developmental episodes in almost all of the languages investigated. The exceptions were in Digo and Makonde. In some Digo texts, major participants are referred to ‘using referential demonstratives’, as they often are in the orientation section but not elsewhere Nicolle 2015:6. In Makonde, denouements in 6 out of 8 texts contain a high frequency of relative clauses relating to thematic material. Makonde Leach 2015:15 9 kwamwaa nae andyúka ndatimbanga ashilá shikukulu shikashimushu nae. because he went and spoiled that feast which not belong him ‘because he went and spoiled the party which he had no right to come to.’ 2.1.6 Conclusion coda In most of the languages surveyed, the conclusion or ‘coda’ may either summarize the outcome of the story or present the narrator’s perspective on the events. In Fuliiru, Rangi, and Bena most stories conclude with a moral or proverb, whereas in Makonde, “in the majority of cases, the moral or the teaching point is left implicit at the end of the narrative, or even if partially expressed, there is a good deal still left for the audience to think about.” Leach 2015:15 In Bena and Malila, the narrator sometimes addresses the audience in the conclusion, either directly as in Bena Na yuuhwe, vadzeela vangu, poodzili ing’ani dze twatwibedalila ‘And we, my dear friends, there are things which we ignore’ or indirectly as in Malila, when the moral of a story is introduced with the phrase Akhapango ɨkha khak ʉtʉmanyɨzya kʉtɨkutiishi… ‘This story teaches us that…’: Malila Eaton 2015b:9 10 Akhapango ɨkha khakʉtʉmanyɨzya kutiishi abhamwɨtʉ anga pe bhalɨ nu muzigo tʉbhavwaje. ‘This story teaches us that if our companions have burdens, we should help them.’ Longacre 1996:38 divides the conclusion into ‘closure’ or the conclusion proper, which may include a moral, and ‘finis’ which is a formulaic ending which is not considered part of the structure of the narrative. In most of the languages studied, such a finis was optional, however, all of the Digo fictional texts contained a formulaic ending identical or very similar to Hadisi na ngano ichisira na hipho ‘The story and fableriddle ends here’ Nicolle 2015:6. In contrast, none of the Suba-Simbiti texts contained a formulaic ending Masatu 2015:9.

2.2 The role of songs in eastern Bantu narrative texts