Teuctli

[John Sullivan, Ph.D.]

Sorry for the late comment on this topic. In Northern Veracruz  
Nahuatl, we also have "tecohtli", "dueño", and "itecoh", "su dueño".  
But I can't see how this could be a spelling pronunciation. The  
Huasteca is peripheral to the Central Mexican writing tradition, and  
I just can't see literacy as having had any significant impact on  
speech in this area. Also, in this region a syllable final "w" sounds  
very much like an "h", perhaps a bit more prolonged. In Tamazunchale,  
only a few hours away, the sound is still pretty much like the "h",  
but the rounding is perceptible.
John

On Oct 9, 2007, at 1:19 PM, Frances Karttunen wrote:

>
> On Oct 9, 2007, at 12:29 PM, David Wright wrote:
>
>> Regarding Fran's statement "In Milpa Alta the word has bifurcated,  
>> with the original form retaining its meaning of 'lord' and a  
>> spelling pronunciation based on tecuhtli having taken on the  
>> meaning of 'boss'": In the cassettes prepared by José Concepción  
>> Flores Arce ("El Maestro Xochime") for teaching Nahuatl, I hear  
>> [te:ku?tli].
>
> In my experience with M.A. Nahuatl, the labialized [kw] has  
> simplified to [w], so te:uctli is pronounced [te:wtli] (the name of  
> the local sacred mountain).  The 'boss, bureaucrat' word derived  
> from the spelling pronunciation is pronounced [te:kohtli] with the  
> [h] here representing the local pronunciation of the glottal stop.   
> But the o/u distinction being nonsignificant in most varieties of  
> spoken Nahuatl, including M.A. as I know it, it might be pronounced  
> more like [te:kuhtli].
>
>
>> In the accompanying book, in the vocabulary list, I find  
>> "tecu'tli, (sust.) dirigente, gobernante." I also see the root  
>> with the kw > k shift in the word "tecpampa, (sust.) palacio,  
>> oficina." El Maestro Xochime is from Milpa Alta (in southeastern  
>> Mexico City). I assume that the unusual (for a native speaker)  
>> pronunciation [te:ku?tli] is the result of influence from Mexico  
>> City academics of the Garibay school. Fran (or others): do you  
>> have any information or comments on this?
>
> It might well be.  I just think of it as spelling pronunciation.   
> The spelling "tecuhtli" managed to mislead Thelma Sullivan, who  
> used the word in her Compendio as an example of how the -tli form  
> of the absolutive suffix is used after saltillo (glottal stop).  
> Perhaps this was inherited from her teacher, who was none other  
> than Garibay.
>
>
> Fran
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