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<DIV>Maybe I didn’t understand the lesson in the “Chimalpahin” thread, but can someone please clarify why "altepetl" does not follow the general assimilation patterns as these other examples do:</DIV>
<DIV><BR><STRONG>General Assimilation Examples:</STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><BR>1) na:huatl + tlahto:lli (word, language) = na:huallahto:lli 'Nahuatl language'</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>2) a:tl + tla:lli (earth) = a:tla:lli 'irrigated land'</DIV>
<DIV><BR>3) a:tl + tlapechtli (bed) = a:tlape:chtli 'slope, side of a gully'</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Also, in examples 2 and 3, is it the presence of the long vowel “a:” stem that is left after the -tl is dropped, only to be confronted with a twin “absolutive suffix-looking tl-” (of course the tl- of tla:lli or tlape:chtli is NOT absolutive) </DIV>
<DIV><BR>Looking at altepetl, is it the strong “a:” stem again, who this time will accept a half-image or mirror-image of its former self? <BR><BR>4) a:tl (water) + tepe:tl (hill) = a:ltepe:tl (town, pueblo)</DIV>
<DIV><BR>What is going on here?<BR><BR>citlalin xochime</DIV></DIV>
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