Pidiginization in nawatl ?

[David Sanchez]

I have not enough competence to answer straigthforward your question but : 

>(1) How do you know that "a considerable number of yuto-aztecan radicals 
>becomed lost" ? 

I did not test this fact in deep, but it seems obvious to me that if normal words
for non-cultural dependent word such as "moustache", "ankle" ... are formed
by more basic terms there are two possibilities:
a) These radical items never have existed in proto-uto-aztecan and no loss
wouldn't have ocurred (this is verifiable looking at other uto-aztecan languages).
b) The radical itmes existed and subsequently they were lost. (this is also
verifiable in the same manner).

If I think a priori that a "considerable number of radicals became lost" is because
the lost terms are common in all languages I know in the form of simple unanalysable
items. It is no matter my opinion because there are veriafiable facts that can confirm
or deny this claim.

>(2) These kind of examples are numerous in agglutinative languages like Nahuatl 
>but there are plenty in other languages too !

Certainly, the evidence that I stated is very weak. I know a little turkish and basque
and it is my opinion that nahuatl has a little more propensity; but this is only an opinion.

>Did you notice that desayunar (like breakfast and déjeuner) are compounds ? 
These are more culture dependent terms. (des-ayun-ar is a derivate no a compound).
but the question not this. Hoewever I find your observations are valuable!

Ma tipahtican!
David S.  
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