Axcan quemah

[micc]

Ecole Cua!!!!

Richard Haly wrote:
>
> > Karen, I think your'e wrong.  Im sure that "axcan Quemah" is Nahuatl for
> > "today, yes"
>
> Maybe that wasn't too clear, but I'm sure Dr. Dakin meant that as a joke on
> her husband's part as one isn't as likely to learn Greek or Russian in
> Morelos as Nahuatl. She knows her Nahuatl.
>
> Moreover, axcan quemah doesn't mean "Today, yes" but is a translation of
> "ahora, si" which isn't so much "literally" translatable into words as it is
> primarily a sign of strong assent. Thus, "translation" means to note when a
> speaker says it because then you're on the right track with whatever
> prompted it. When I am working and interviewing in Nahuatl and wanting to
> question whether I've understood something, I will propose an if/then
> question based on the logic of what I've been told. If I receive an axcan
> quemah as a reply (as opposed to no reply or a confused look), then I'm
> pretty sure that I can go further. Japanese "hai" is similar. People
> translate it as "yes" meaning agreement, when it often means "I hear what
> your saying, I follow you" just as "unhuh" does in English. If I'm telling
> you a story and you interject "unhuh" every so often, that doesn't mean you
> agree with what I'm saying, but means that you are following what I'm
> saying. By the way, interviews conducted without this sort of feedback tend
> to be 30% shorter than those with such interactivity.
>
> Best,
>
> Richard