<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; ">Hi Doug,<DIV><SPAN class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </SPAN>I don`t know anything about number 2. And I don't understand number 3. The example seems to suggest that he is saying that all word final -n's were originally -m's. That doesn't sound right.</DIV><DIV><SPAN class="Apple-style-span"><SPAN class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </SPAN>On number 1. In Huastecan Nahuatl, at least, syllable final -l's are devoiced. Here is a fun example. In Older Central Nahuatl you have <I>elnamiqui</I>, <I>niqu</I>, "to remember s.t." In Modern Huastecan Nahuatl you would have <I>ilnamiqui</I>, but since the <I>-l </I>is devoiced, it then assimilates the following -<I>n </I>and produces a double devoiced <I>l</I>. So you get<I> illamiqui, nic. </I>Then you can add the <I>tla</I>- non-specific non-human object which bumps out the weak initial i- of the verb, giving <I>tlallamiqui</I>, <I>ni</I>. "to be intelligent". But, last of all, the initial <I>tl</I>- also becomes a devoiced l, so you get <I>lallamiqui, ni</I>. "to be intelligent".</SPAN></DIV><DIV><SPAN class="Apple-style-span">John</SPAN></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">John Sullivan, Ph.D.</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Profesor de lengua y cultura nahua</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Instituto de Docencia e Investigación Etnológica de Zacatecas, A.C.</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Tacuba 152, int. 47</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Centro Histórico</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Zacatecas, Zac. 98000</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">México</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Oficina: +52 (492) 925-3415</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Fax: +52 (492) 925-3416</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Domicilio: +52 (492) 768-6048</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Celular: +52 (492) 118-0854</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><A href="mailto:idiez@mac.com">idiez@mac.com</A></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">www.idiez.org.mx<SPAN></SPAN><SPAN></SPAN></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><SPAN></SPAN></DIV></BODY></HTML>