Eye. Natab. Motion verbs Ex. 5 –13

16.4 Grammar 215 In the light of his own Speaker 1 location, he sees the motion as approaching his reference point Speaker 1 ‘s location. He, therefore, uses a form of the motion verb tag ‗to come‘. Speaker 2, on the other hand, perceives the motion in light of his own reference point location, and sees the motion as leaving or going from the reference point. Speaker 2, therefore, responds with a form of the verb ne ‗to go‘. Example Speaker 1 wants to go to Speaker 2.

1. Apta. An peje natab.

‗Wait. I‘m going to you.‘

2. Tago, tegil.

‗Come then.‘ In this situation, Speaker 1 views the motion as leaving his reference point and uses a form of the verb ne ‗to go ‘. Speaker 2, on the other hand, views the motion as approaching his reference point and uses a form of the verb tag ‗to come‘. Example Speaker 1 wants Speaker 2 to go to Location X.

1. Pe nao.

‗Go away.‘

2. Eye, an natab.

‗Okay, I am going.‘ In this situation, both Speaker 1 and Speaker 2 view the direction of motion as being away from their own reference point. In this case, both Speaker 1 and Speaker 2 use a form of the motion verb ne ‗to go‘. Following are some examples of future situations: Example In his own house, Speaker 1 asks Speaker 2 to come again the next day.

1. Pan, pe tagbalo.

‗Tomorrow, come again.‘

2. An tanibal.

‗I‘ll come again.‘ In this situation, Speaker 1 and Speaker 2 both view the future motion as approaching his present location and both speakers use a form of the motion verb tagtani ‗to come‘. Example At Speaker 2 ‘s house, Speaker 1 asks Speaker 2 to come to his Speaker 1 house the following day.

1. Pe pan anche nao.

‗Tomorrow go to me.‘

2. Eye, peje ne tegil.

‗Yes, I will go to you then.‘ In this situation, both Speaker 1 and Speaker 2 view the future motion as moving away from their present location. Both Speaker 1 and Speaker 2 use a form of the verb ne ‗to go‘. Example At the house of Speaker 1 or Speaker 2, Speaker 1 asks Speaker 2 to go to Location X.

1. Pe pan saglaje nao.

‗Tomorrow go to the chief.‘

2. Nabir. An pan ne tegil.

‗Okay. Tomorrow I‘ll go then.‘ Again, in this situation Speaker 1 and Speaker 2 view the motion as being away from their present position and use a form of the verb ne ‗to go‘. b Conversation involving motion of a third party A third party may be discussed in conversation. In the case of the third party, either leaving or approaching one of the speakers, the speaker adopts his own reference point as the reference point of motion. The case of the third party going to a location other than one of the speakers ‘ locations, is considered a third person narrative and is discussed in section 16.4.1.1 in 2. of this lesson. Following is an example of motion involving a third party: Example Speaker 1 and Speaker 2 are talking from a distance and a person approaches Speaker 1.

1. Carlos anche tani.

‗Charles is coming to me.‘

2. Eye, peje natap.

‗Yes, he is going to you.‘ 216 Retelling Detailed Accounts Example Speaker 1 and Speaker 2 are talking from a distance and a person approaches Speaker 2.

1. Carlos peje ne.

‗Charles is going to you.‘

2. Eye, anche tani.

‗Yes, he is coming to me.‘ If, on the other hand, the person is approaching the location where Speaker 1 and Speaker 2 are standing, both Speaker 1 and Speaker 2 use a form of the verb ―to come‖. This is similar to the English construction. Example Speaker 1 and Speaker 2 are talking and a person approaches the general location where Speaker 1 and Speaker 2 are standing.

1. Carlos anmalzhe tani.

‗Charles is coming toward us.‘

2. Eye, anmalzhe tani.

‗Yes, he is coming toward us.‘ 2 Reference point in narrative The perception of reference point of motion in the case of a narrative is somewhat different from the reference point in conversation. The material presented in the narrative may involve relating a tale from the past or predicting an event in the future. For purposes of this discussion, a narrative may be considered to be composed of various parts, much like the scenes of a play. There is an introduction, then various scenes, and finally, a conclusion. In discussing the view of reference point of motion in narrative, it is important to consider both third and first person narrative. a Reference point in first person narrative In the case of a first person narrative, as with English and Spanish, the reference point of the introduction and conclusion are always the present location of the speaker. However, as in EnglishSpanish, but differing from the situation of a Kuna conversation in which the reference point is fixed, the reference point of the various scenes in the play vary according to the speaker ‘s choice. They are not necessarily influenced by the speaker ‘s present position. He may choose a reference point of the intermediate scenes according to the scene he wishes to highlight. Following are some situational examples: Example Speaker 1 is in the city, telling of his trip from the village. While narrating the story of his trip, Speaker 1 views the introduction and conclusion of the narration in light of his present location and, therefore, refers to having left from the village and come to the city his present location. The reference point of the motion verbs in the other scenes reflects the speaker ‘s interpretation of events which happened along the way. He may, for example, choose as a reference point Dog River. Speaker 1 may talk about leaving or approaching Dog River. The reference point within the scenes of the story are not related to the speaker ‘s present position, but vary according to his choice of reference point. Example Speaker 1 is back in the village telling of a trip he made to the city. Again, as with English and Spanish, the reference point of motion of the introduction and conclusion is related to the present location of the speaker. The reference points of the intermediate scenes are determined by the choice of the speaker. b Reference point of third person narrative In the case of third person narrative the speaker is not involved in the motion, the reference point for the introduction, conclusion and intermediate scenes of the narrative may be the present location of the third party or it may be another location which the speaker considers to be the reference point of the scene.