Speech margins e book 65 Egner Godie Narrative

130 wa ylɔɔ lä yuoo ŋnö bhää nä 3 P ask:3 S : CP LOP child: GEN name QW SP 1 ‘… when they asked what the name of the child was or: they asked, “What is the child’s name?”, ɔ lä wa - lɔ kplupä 3 S say 3 P bring:3 S tablet he said to bring him a tablet.’ [elisabet 82–85] In Godié, indirect speech seems to be the default format for representing speech that expresses a desire, as in example 131a, or an answer to a request, especially a negative answer, as in examples 131b and 131c. The marked form would be direct speech in those cases. Compare 131 with 127c where the acceptance of a request is expressed with direct speech. Other than this example, such marked examples of direct speech have not been found in the database for this study. 131 a. waa ducifio titi, ɔ lä ɔ kä nyie tɔɔ 3 P : GEN village:chief: DEF self 3 S say 3 S XPOT lagoon cross ‘Their village chief himself, he wanted to cross the lagoon lit. he said he was going to cross the lagoon.’ [grève 50–51] b. wamä gokpütienyʋa, wlä waa nʋ -wʋ lebhe HP : TH boat:lead: AG : PL : DEF 3 P :say 3 P : GEN do CNT 2 work ‘… those same boatmen, they said they are not working …’ [grève 33–34] c. nümnüü -lef ɩɩn, wlä waa ylä - wʋ bird: PL : DEF totality 3 P :say 3 P : XNEG want CNT 2 ‘All the birds, they said they were not willing lit. they said they didn’t want.’ [dacligo 17]

6.2 Speech margins

A speech margin is a linguistic element indicating that represented speech follows. Speech margins are obligatory in Godié and are the same for both direct and indirect speech. 6 Since they always precede the represented speech, they can also be called speech introducers. Whenever a speech margin also indicates who speaks to whom, it is not only a speech introducer but also a speech orienter see Dooley and Levinsohn 2001:50. Godié speech margins may be more or less elaborate. The normal and most simple speech margin is the invariable verb lä ‘say’, spelled nä after the nasal pronouns n ‘1S’ and -n ‘2S’, and amalgamated with the third person plural wä into the form wlä. The speech margin lä may introduce only one represented speech element, such as an exclamation or an uptake element, as in example 132a, or it may be preceded by a verb specifying the verbal expression, as in 132b. 132 a. n nä -aa 1 S say UPT ‘I said, “I see.”’ [greve 71] b. ɔ woo ɔ lä naa yuo 3 S cry 3 S say 1 S : GEN child ‘He screamed saying, “My child…”’ [filsprod 117–119] 6 Marchese pers.comm. claims there is a lot of Godié represented speech without speech margin. However, this is not confirmed by the data for this study. The speech margin lä followed by a clause containing the potential auxiliary kä expresses will or intention, as in example 133. 133 waa ducifio titi, ɔ lä ɔ kä nyie tɔɔ 3 P : GEN village:chief: DEF self 3 S say 3 S XPOT lagoon cross ‘Their village chief himself, he wanted to cross the lagoon lit. he said he was going to cross the lagoon.’ [greve 50–51] The default speech margin lä is a speech introducer but not a speech orienter. Whenever the speaker wants to indicate who speaks to whom, he needs to use the verb soo ‘to speak to’, followed by the spacer nynä ‘SP2’ see §7.2, as in example 134. 134 kä -La agɔzuzuu -sonöɔ lä nynä ASF God:spirit: DEF speak: APL :3 S : CP LOP SP 2 ‘God’s angel said to him, -nn -lä yɩɔ - zɩkä mʋ -sää 2 S : XNEG DP 2 anymore today VPC have_speech “As of today you will no longer be able to speak.”’ [elisabet 39–40] Given that in most contexts it is clear who speaks to whom, a speech margin different from, or in addition to, the default element lä can be considered a means of drawing special attention to and thus highlighting the following speech. Such more complex speech introducers in Godié are therefore considered marked speech margins. The default speech margin lä is the normal link between the turns of the different speakers in a represented conversation, as shown in example 135. 135 a lä -a mʋ Goplë [sese] NH 1 say 1 S : TH Gopleu NUPT ‘He =Gopleu said, “It’s me, Gopleu.” ɔ lä -a nɔɔ -ayiokä [sese] 3 S say UPT my_friend thank_you NUPT He =Sigo said, “Oh, my friend, hello.” a lä nɔɔ [sese] bhlɩ kʋ n bha nä [sese] NH 1 say my_friend NUPT region on 1 S leave: ICP SP 1 NUPT He =Gopleu said, “My friend, I have come a long way …”’ [sigo 52–54]

6.3 Functions of represented speech in narrative