Intelligibility between Nahuatl dialects

[Andrea Martínez]

To Frances Karttunen and all:

I am very sorry for the arrogant and incorrect view of "Mexicans" your last
letter shows. I remind you that "Nahuas" are Mexican, yes, as Mexican as the
ones who hire them as maids, for the matter. It is a nationality, most
Nahuas belong to it and, as nearly all Mexicans, are proud of being so. I
don' t know of a single Mexican who doesn't consider himself as such. I
would appreciate a little humbleness: neither "Mexicans"are all as bad, nor
all Americans as good as you so confidently think you are.

Andrea Martinez


-----Mensaje original-----
De: Frances Karttunen <karttu at nantucket.net>
Para: nahuat-l at server2.umt.edu <nahuat-l at server2.umt.edu>
Fecha: Martes 16 de Mayo de 2000 06:35 PM
Asunto: Re: Intelligibility between Nahuatl dialects


>To Yaoxochitl,
>
>It's been my experience that Nahuas have been particularly hospitable and
>outgoing to me and to my North American colleagues, while being quite
>stand-offish to Mexicans.  You can see why.  Once one of my colleagues (who
>has many ahijadas in a Nahua area) and I were waiting for a bus in a
>miserable dust storm.  A couple of women who were also taking shelter
>against the church atrio wall while waiting for the bus asked us if we were
>out in the country looking for maids to work for us.  We explained that we
>were carrying suitcases and bultos of presents for the godchildren, and
>these women helped us on the bus, chatted with us, reminded the bus driver
>where to let us off and hoped to meet us again.  After all, we were
>traveling by second class bus just like they were.
>
>By contrast, one day when I came back late in the afternoon, my landlady
>told me how lucky I was to have been out all afternoon, because a carload
of
>anthropologists had come looking for me.  She had told them nothing and
sent
>them on their way.  It took me two days of asking around to figure out who
>those anthropologists had been.
>
>I don't know anyone who welcomes people who arrive with the intention of
>studying them.  Who likes being an object of study, after all?  But if one
>makes oneself useful and also reveals a genuine interest and some ability
>with the language, someone usually reciprocates that interest.
>
>Fran
>
>----------
>>From: Yaoxochitl at aol.com
>>To: nahuat-l at server2.umt.edu
>>Subject: Re: Intelligibility between Nahuatl dialects
>>Date: Tue, May 16, 2000, 5:14 PM
>>
>
>> Mark,
>>      Another factor could be that you are an outsider and for that
reason,
>> the majority of people would not strike up a conversation with you
>> regardless of how casual it is.  First, you have to establish trust among
>> your informants.  Second, it could also have something to do with your
>> ethnic background, in the sense that you are regarded as a "Westerner" in
>> their eyes.  Last, given the so-called social stigma attached to Nahuatl,
>> could it be that they just do not care to talk to you?
>>