Another question on elementary nahuatl.

[Fabian E. Pena Arellano]

	Hello:

	As far as the books I have in my small library, one cannot
know before hand what the plural of a name in nahuatl would be.
	But I found a translation of the famous "Nica:n Mopohua" with an
introduction on which the translator -named Guillermo Ortiz de
Montellano- states that during the classical period there were three ways
to pluralize a name:

	1. with the suffix -me`; which means "a pair": oquichme` "two
	   men", cihua:me` "two women". According to the author, since the
	   duality was a basic concept for the nahuas, it is natural to
	   find in the nahuatl language a way to express "two of a kind".
	   It may come from o:me.
	2. with the suffix -tin: more than two of a kind.
	3. with the repetition of the first sylable and the suffix -tin;
	   which means "several of a kind of different places". He
	   examplifies with ooquichtin "several men of different places".

	Since the conquest -he says- the first and third ways to do the
plural have been considered to have the same meaning as the second one.
	Would anyone of you mind answering if you have any information on
this matter. Tahnk you in advanced for your attention.


	Fabian Pena.