The temporal adverb y

9.1 Moving forward within a narrative phase

The two most important cues showing that the narrative is moving forward are the temporal adverb y ɩ ‘now’ §9.1.1 and the yi clause §9.1.2. In many cases these two cues occur together with the connective n ɩ and sometimes even with each other.

9.1.1 The temporal adverb y

ɩ ‘now’ The temporal adverb y ɩ has the semantic meaning of ‘now’ both in the sense of ‘at this moment’ and in the sense of ‘from now on’, as in examples 193a and 193b. This meaning naturally predisposes it to the function of indicating narrative development, since a narrative reports successive events or states of affairs. 193 a. -n gä yɩ bhlɩ -a 2 S XPOT now sing Q ‘Will you sing now?’ [creation 10] b. a po yɩ nyukwli -yä n kanyɩmɩ yɩ soo 2 P listen now VC ears ADD 2 1 S XPOT :2 PO : NHP now speak ‘… listen now and I shall speak to you about them.’ [radio 19] The adverb y ɩ frequently combines with the particle lä see §4.3.2.1. Losing its vowel in the process, it results in the amalgamated form ylä ‘now:LOP’. It is frequently found in the tail clause of a tail-head linkage construction see §4.2.3, as in example 194. 194 nɩ ɔ yio zizie [sese] ADD 1 3 S XFUT :3 S bury NUPT ‘And she buried him her child. -mä ɔ -zizio ylä naa [sese] ADD 4 3 S bury: CP now: LOP SP 1 NUPT When she had now buried him,…’ [lueuzi 90–91] The function of ylä might appear to be contradictory inasmuch as the y ɩ element in it points forward towards the next event while the lä element backgrounds the event expressed in the current clause. However, this is precisely what happens in a narrative, as the current event becomes part of the background as soon as the next event is presented. In the building up of the narrative plot towards the peak, the adverb y ɩ or the form ylä can be found in each clause leading up to the peak event, as in examples 195a and 195b. 195 a. kɔɔkɔ sɔɔ ɔ nʋ ylä always thus 3 S do now: LOP ‘All the time, that’s how she now acted. ŋnɔɔ - mʋ ylä - zɩkä nä [sese] woman: DEF go: CP now: LOP today SP 1 NUPT When the woman now went one day, nyikpotütë yä kʋ ghlä black_ants:swarm XPER VPC appear a swarm of black ants appeared.’ [siamoi 52–54] b. yuo puu- yɩ - gbɔtʋʋ kʋ ɔ yä ŋɔ [sese] child: DEF lie: CP now bamboo_bed on 3 S XPER sleep NUPT ‘Now the child lay on the bamboo bed, he is asleep lit. has slept. klaa mnö ɔ mʋ ylä bi -kä [sese] field: DEF inside 3 S go now: LOP stroll PUR NUPT She =the mother then goes for a stroll into the rice field. yuo - glɔ ylä nä [sese] child: DEF wake_up: CP now: LOP SP 1 NUPT Now when the child has woken up, kɔ mʋ ylä - mɔɔ klaa mnö ASF :3 S go: ICP now: LOP LOC field inside he then goes into the rice field. säkaa - bɔlɩɩ wa saa wä [sese] rice: DEF path: OBL 3 P take_away: DSTP 2 PST 3 NUPT Formerly they used to make paths into the rice fields. ʋmʋ ɔ bhlü ylä [sese] NH 3: TH 3 S take now: LOP NUPT It was such a path that he =the child then took. Laagɔ nʋ ylä wälɩ nä [sese] God do: ICP now: LOP things SP 1 NUPT Now as God does things, ŋnɔɔ mʋ yɩ wlu ylɩbha -kä nä [sese] woman: DEF go: ICP now head turn PUR SP 1 NUPT as the woman was now turning her head, ɔɔ plɛ nynä mnɛɛ - ɛ yi [sese] 3 S : GEN liver SP 2 animal NH : REL come: ICP NUPT she thought it was an animal that was coming. du ɔ yä yuo bhlä [sese] ɔ lä ID 3 S XPER child: DEF hit NUPT 3 S say She kills lit. has killed her child k ɔ wlo yɩ, -n ni yɩ ɔɔ yu mɔ [sese] ASF :3 S look now 2 S find now 3 S : GEN child ? NUPT As she was now looking, there’s now her child’ [lueuzi 43–55]

9.1.2 The yi clause