Thematic development markers sillcdd 31.

26 Buffalo 2 Omoghaaka uyö Bhiraghë m=möntö uwa Amaghuru ya-a-rë na 1.elderly person 1. DEM _ REF Birage COP =1.person 1. ASS Amaguru 3 SG - PST -be and ya-a-re-nga na abhamura 3 S S- PST -be- HAB with 2.young_men ‘That elderly man Birage was from Maguru and had teenaged sons.’ The connective emare ‘then’ is only found once in “Buffalo” to introduce a mainline event following a temporal relative clause, as shown in example 27. 27 Buffalo 4 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 ‘When he was shepherding, a bull died in the pasture.’ In the story “Mgendi” the additive ghwiki ‘again’ is used to show that the action of swimming down is repeated a second time. 28 Mgendi 12 Ghwiki abhëërëmi bhayö bha-ka-shuk-a uku-ghy-a uku-tun-a ekegheso again 2.swimmers 2. DEM _ REF 3 PL - NARR -descend- FV INF -go- FV INF -look_for- FV 7.knife keera bha-ka-ki-nyoor-a 7. DEM _ DIST 3 PL - NARR -7-get- FV ‘Again, those swimmers they swam down to go look for that knife, and they found it.’

3.4 Thematic development markers

Thematic development markers indicate important steps in reaching the story’s objective. They do not signal discontinuities of time, place, action or participants, and can therefore be found at various places within a paragraph not just at the beginning or end. They do not occur in the orientation section of a narrative, because the objective of the story has not been established at this point. In Suba-Simbiti there appears to be two thematic development markers: bhoono ‘now’ and mbe ‘then’. These two markers serve to highlight the main events in the storyline. Mbe, in particular, usually seems to appear in the peak episode, highlighting the most important events in the narrative. The story “Buffalo” provides a good example of bhoono and mbe as thematic development markers. Table 9 includes a summary of the story which shows the use of these thematic development markers. Table 9. Example of bhoono and mbe as thematic development markers in “Buffalo” Summary Location Omoghaaka uyö Bhiragë m-möntö uwa amaghuru yaarë na yaarenga na abhamura. Umumura ömwë ono yaarëësyanga situgho wonswe yaarë na singuru sinsharu. Old Birage was from Magufu and he had teenaged sons. One son who looked after his herds was very strong. Orientation episode Hano yaarëësyanga emare engʼombe eghaini handë entangʼana ikwere mö-kërëësyö. Yaaghesambekanga ku-rireko kya ono asambëkirë akatööshö. When he was shepherding, a bull died in the pasture. He carried it on his shoulders like a hare. This is not a development in the story. Rather, it illustrates the son’s strength. Bhoono hano yaarëësyanga urusikö urwöndë engʼera ekaasha mu-rihisho irya waabh o riyo. Engʼera iyö ekakiinania eghaini iyaabho ekaghiita. Now, while he was looking after the herd, a buffalo came among the cattle and killed a bull. Inciting episode Umumura uyö akaghya atëëbhya suwaabho igha, “Taata engʼera nayo yiitirë engʼombe iyëëtö.” The youth went and told his father, “Father, a buffalo came and killed our cow.” Omoghaaka uyö akamohonshora igha, “Kana kano n-kaana kë kano naibhora ëkëmööri kiyö këkökërrë ukwita?” His father scolded him saying, “What kind of son have I raised that a buffalo could defeat him?” A problem is presented as the son feels ashamed. Mbe umumura uyö akaighwa obhoghogho mo-nkoro. Urusikö urwöndë akaghoorra, akaghya ökörëësya. Eno araghwema engʼera eera akakamba akaghemaaha eranywa amanshë ko-rotare. Akaghishobhera igho, akaghya, akagheghoota sentera. Akaghishukya umunywa na amanyëërö mo- manshë, akaghebhandëërya engʼera iyö, ekakwa. That youth felt bad. One day he went hunting for the buffalo and found it drinking. He grabbed the buffalo’s horns and drowned it in the water. Peak episode Akaherra suwaabho amangʼana igha, “Taata, engʼera eno öröndë yiitirë engʼombe iyëëtö, ngiitirë.” He told his father, “Father, that buffalo that killed our cow, I have killed him.” Hano yaaghëëyë akahika, akanyoora igha m-maheene nëbhömbirë hansë hayö emarrë ukukwa. He went and found that what his son said was true. The story is resolved as the son’s shame is removed. Ho yaatëmirë eketomwa akaraareka abhantö, akatereka, akakora inyangi, akaibhaaka igha yaibhora umumura eghaini eno ekotoora hansë kora engʼera. Eghaini yabhora eghaini iyëndë. The father called everyone to a feast in honour of his son. 4 Participant reference Participants in a narrative that is, the characters in a story need to be introduced in some way, and then referred to subsequently or ‘tracked’ as the narrative develops. The way in which a participant is referred to depends partly on where it occurs in the text, and partly on whether it is a major or minor participant. Often the way a participant in the subject position is referred to depends on whether it was the subject in the previous clause or whether there has been a change of subject. Differences in the way a participant is referred to may also occur at the beginning of new paragraphs or in the various episodes of the narrative orientation, inciting episode, developmental episodes, peak episode, denouement and conclusion. In Suba-Simbiti major and minor participants are referred to in different ways. A major participant usually receives a specific introduction and then remains present and active throughout most of the narrative. Major participants can be assigned the roles of the protagonist the character that initiates most of the action or the antagonist the character that reacts to the events initiated by the protagonist. A minor participant, on the other hand, does not usually receive a specific introduction. Often a minor participant’s first appearance is as the object of a verb, and he or she subsequently only plays a short role in the narrative.

4.1 Nominal forms in Suba-Simbiti