438 Text

ngu se  hari, kaa ngu fiin, maabe di koy

LogoSg Dat water, Rel LogoSgS drink, griot Def go

some water for him, for him (=Amadou) to drink. The griot went.

(‘water [for X to drink]’ construction often with perfective aspect §7.2.2)

a gar woy  higka kaa— j-i— I-i fumey-ndi,

3SgS find woman two Rel— 3PIS-Impf—, 3PIS-Impf bathe-Caus,

He (=griot) encountered two women who—, they were—, they were washing clothes.
i Gilili i har a se—, a har i se
3PIS  ululate 3PIS  say 3Sg Dat—, 3SgS say 3Pl Dat
They cried for joy (welcoming him). They asked him—, (or rather) he asked them

i ma noo ngu se hari kaa ngu ilin

3PIS Subju give LogoSg Dat water  Rel LogoSg drink

to give him some water for him (=griot) to drink.

i har a se kaa npgiye @ si hin ka noo ga hari
3PIS say 3Sg Dat that LogoPIS ImpfNeg can Inf give 3SgO water
They (=women) told him that they could not give him water

kaa a fiin, maa se, npgi-yo o ta duu yow yo

Rel 3SgS drink, what? Dat, LogoPIS ImpfFut get guest Pl

for him to drink, because they were going to have (=were expecting) some guests,
kaa ¢&i, aamadu samburu koolado dursudi  nda ngu wane maabe di,
Rel be, Amadou Sambourou Kolado Doursoudi and 3ReflSg Poss griot  Def,
namely, Amadou Sambourou Kolado Doursoudi and his griot;

(reflexive possessor in conjoined NP of type ‘(X and his, Y]' §10.2.4)

i hima ka gulli a! Cijoo  alaaxara,

3P1S ought Inf come-in-evening ah! tonight Hereafter,

they (=Amadou and griot) were destined for the Hereafter that evening;

(here the griot learns that he too is destined to die with Amadou)

ngi-yo boro  higka di npga & ggiya wane wande di yo,
LogoPl person two Def SFoc be 3PIF Poss wife Def Pl

the two of them (=women) were their (=Amadou’s & griot's) wives;

(for ‘the two of them’ see §5.4.8)

saa di pgi-ye  goo Cefie kuna pgi-ye  si hin ka noo ga
time Def LogoPIS be hurry Loc LogoPlS ImpfNeg can Inf give 3SgO
so0, they (=women) were in a hurry and they couldn’t give him (=griot)

(‘be [in hurry]’ is a marked progressive construction §7.2.6)