queniuhquitic / queniuhcatic

[idiez at MAC.COM]

Can anybody help on this one?
        I have two Huastecan nahuatl versions of the question, What color is 
it?
"queniuhquitic", "queniuhcatic"
        The first two elements seem to be "quen" , "how", and "iuhqui" / 
"iuhca", "in this or that manner". The "-qui", "-ca", seem to be the 
traditional preterite ending which in this case seems to be working, 
also traditionally, as a ligature for the final "-tic". This "-tic" 
looks a lot like the verbalizing "-ti" and the nominalizing (or 
adjectivizing) "-c", which together form many nahuatl noun-adjectives, 
including many names for colors: xoxoctic (green), coztic (yellow), 
tzictic (blue), etc.  However, this adjectivizing of the Huastecan 
expression "queniuhqui", "How....?", would be a type of construction 
I've never seen before. Any ideas?
John

John Sullivan, Ph.D.
Profesor de lengua y cultura nahua
Unidad Académica de Idiomas
Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas
Director
Instituto de Docencia e Investigación Etnológica de Zacatecas, A.C.
Tacuba 152, int. 47
Centro Histórico
Zacatecas, Zac. 98000
México
Oficina: +52 (492) 925-3415
Fax: +52 (492) 925-3416
Domicilio: +52 (492) 768-6048
Celular: +52 (492) 544-5985
idiez at mac.com
www.idiez.org.mx