Beyond Time - Linguistics - University of California, Berkeley

otherwise reveal. Non-completive forms are used because the plans described are in the
narrative future. In example (237), the wicked old woman uses a futurate -la- to promise to
a mother that she will return with her child.
(237)
Ínwè mwìná òkùlìmà-lìmá àwò ndípènì mwáànênù ndìkàlélè. Ángù ndìlàbòòlà.
inwe mu-ina oku-lim-a-lim-a
awo ndi-peni
2pl.pron 2pl-have inf-cultivate-fv-cultivate-fv cl16.dem 1sg-give.pl.imp
mwaanenu ndi-ka-lel-e.
angu ndi-la-bool-a
child.2pl(poss) 1sg-dist-amuse-fv.sbjv. soon 1sg-LA-return-fv
‘Hey you there cultivating away, give me your child that I may go amuse it. I’ll
come back soon.’ (ZT2009NarrA19.GS.12-13, Kalima Mawundu)
Example (238) also has a futurate -la-, used in a monologue as the lone speaker talks
to herself as she develops her plans. The episode describes an old person coming home to
her shack in the forest, only to discover that it has been burnt down (by village children,
as it turns out). The quote describes her reaction to the discovery: she wonders about the
burners’ identity, and then pledges to herself to wreak revenge.
(238) Awo nokunyelwa. Nokutalika okundandawula: “Iñanda yangu, bani baitenta? Sunu
kuti ndikabacite echintu! Ndilaya kumunzi.”
awo noku-nyel-w-a.
noku-talik-a oku-ndandawul-a:
cl6.dem com.narr-annoy-pass-fv comm.narr-begin-fv inf-mutter-fv
“iñanda yangu, ba-ni ba-i-tent-a? sunu kuti
cl9.house cl9.1sg(poss) 2pl-who 2pl-cl9-burn-fv today that
ndi-ka-ba-chit-e echintu! ndi-la-y-a ku-munzi.
1sg-dist-2pl-do-fv.sbjv cl7.thing 1sg-noncmpl-go-fv cl17(loc)-cl3.village
‘Then she got mad. And she began to mutter, “My house, who burned it down?
Today, I swear, I’m going to show them! I’ll go to the village” ’ (ZT2009NarrA10.NS,
Namayoyo revision) 28
Immediately thereafter in the narration, however, she changes her mind, and instead
returns to rebuild her house, pledging that if the situation repeats itself the next day, she
will indeed reach the village and take care of the perpetrators. This thought process is shown
in (239). Throughout, the quoted speech reflects her inner thought processes.
28 The original version has the same tenses in the relevant positions; the revision is slightly more clearly
presented and is therefore used here.
196