1 Constituents of a narrative text
A Fuliiru narrative discourse is typically divided into major sections, including an introduction, inciting episode, developmental episodes, peak episode,
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denouement, and conclusion. These elements are presented in Table 2. The functions of each section are presented, as well as the typical linguistic
features for that section. Table 2. Sections of a typical narrative text
Section Function
Typical linguistic features
Introduction stage
• Introduces major participant MP
• Provides a timeplace setting for the story
• Foreshadows story purpose • Presentational formula for major participant
• Provision of time and place background • Background tenses
• Foreshadowing of story theme
Inciting episode • Gets the story moving
• Use of point of departure PoD, for example the phrase ‘one day’ or equivalent
• Often a verb of movement Developmental
episodes • Develops the conflict
• Episodes paragraphs that develop a conflict needing to be resolved.
• Often multiple paragraphs • Use of a narrative tense
Peak episode • Maximizes tension, brings
story to a climax • Heightened vividnessdetail
• Use of ideophones • Shift of tense
• Suppression of transitional markers
Denouement • Resolves tension
• Inclusion of predictable elements, resulting from what happened at peak
Conclusion • Explains moral
• Moral stated directly or by a proverb
1.1 Text charted by story constituents
Table 3. Sections of Ingware nomujoka ‘The quail and the snake’ T3
Section Text
Linguistic features
Introduction Hâli riiri
ingware ,
iyâli kizi genda igaloooza byegalya mu kishuka
.
There was a quail, which was going looking in the bush for something to eat.
• Presentation formula for major participant MP: Hâli riiri
ingware ‘There was a quail’ • Use of the background tense âli:
Hâli, riiri ‘there was’, iyâli kizi genda ‘it was going’
• Relative clause to mark the theme of the story: íyâli kizi
genda igaloooza byegalya ‘which was going looking for what it
would eat’
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For the purposes of this study, the term peak includes ‘pre-peak’ and ‘post-peak’.
Section Text
Linguistic features • Introduction of the general place
mu kishuka ‘in the bush’ Inciting episode
Lusiku luguma, yanagwanana umujoka gukola mu kita-kita, mukuba ikishuka
gwo âli riiri mwo kyâli kola mu hiira.
One day, it encountered snake, slithering back and forth, because the bush they were in was burning.
• Use of the temporal PoD lusiku luguma ‘one day’ to begin event
line • Use of the narrative tense ana-
‘and’ in the verb yanagwanana ‘it encountered’
• Presentation of the problem or conflict: mujoka gukola mu kukita-
kita ‘the snake is slithering back and forth’
Developmental episodes
Yugwo mujoka gwanabwira
iyo ngware kwokuno,
“E mwira wani Ungize na yugu muliro.”
Ingware yanashuvya , “Nangakukiziizi,
haliko ndaakwo ngakutelula.”
That snake told that quail like this, “O my friend Save me from this fire.” The quail answered, “I
would save you, but there is no way to lift you.”
Yugwo mujoka gwanabwira
iyo ngware ,
“ Ngakuyizingira mwigosi, unambalalane halinde
ikajabo kolwiji.” Iyo ngware
, iri akayuvwa
kwokwo, yanayemeera, yanagoola igosi.
That serpent said to that quail, “I am going to wrap myself around the neck, and you fly with me
to the other side of the river.” That quail, when he heard that, he agreed, and stretched out his neck.
Yugwo mujoka gwanayizongeza mwo,
yanagubalalana, yanatwa ikajabo kolwiji, yanabwira
yugwo mujoka “Tuluukaga”
That snake wrapped himself around it, and it flew with it, and landed on the other side of the river.
And it told that snake “Get down now”
Yugwo mujoka gwanadeta kwo
keera gwashalika bweneene.
Iyo ngware yanagubwira kwo
gutuluuke, gira gugende gugalooza ibyo gugaalya
.
That snake said that it was already very hungry. The quail told it to get down, in order to go look
for what it would eat.
• Episodes paragraphs that develop the conflict
• Direct speech reporting: “E mwira wani, ungize na yugu muliro.” “O
my friend Save me from this fire”
• An emphatic speech marker kwokuno ‘like this’
• Use of demonstratives as development markers: iyo ‘that’,
yugwo ‘that’, etc. • Use of the ana- narrative past
throughout: gwanabwira ‘and it told’, yanashuvya ‘and it
answered’, etc. • Use of the -ag ‘emphatic marker
EM’ suffix on verb Tuluuk ag
a ‘Get down now’
Peak episode Gwanabwira
iyo ngware kwokuno,
“Ndakihiiti imisi yokugenda ngalooza ibindi byokulya, wehe
we ngola ngaalya.”
It told that quail like this, “I have no strength to go looking for other food. You are the one I am about
to eat.”
• Use of the demonstrative as development marker: iyo ngware
‘that quail’ • Use of identificational
articulation: wehe we ngola ngaalya ‘You are the one that I
am going to eat.’ • Direct speech
Section Text
Linguistic features
Denouement Yugwo mujoka
gwanamira iyo ngware
, gutanakitona kwo
iyo ngware yo yatuma
gutasingooka na yugwo
muliro.
That snake swallowed that quail, and it did not know that that quail is what saved it from being
burned by that fire.
• Predictable elements: Yugwo mujoka gwanamira iyo ngware
‘That snake swallowed that quail’ • Use of demonstrative marker as
development marker: Yugwo mujoka ‘That snake’, iyo ngware
‘that quail’, and yugwo muliro ‘that fire’
Conclusion IHANO: Utagwate ubwira nendyalya, mukuba
yangakuyita utanamenya.
Advice: Do not be friends with a devious person, because it might eat you, and you aren’t even
aware.
• Proverb summarizing moral: Utagwate ubwira nendyalya ‘Don’t
make friends with a devious person.’
1.2 General conclusions