Opaqueness in derivations

[r. joe campbell]

   I sent some of the comments and all of the following paradigmatic data
to a friend who doesn't "do" Nahuatl -- then it occurred to me that it
might be of interest to y'all.

* * * * * *

   Right now I'm fascinated by a thing that disappears and makes
recognizing words more difficult.  You think of components in words as
things that *do* show up, but this is like a component (it is *there* in
certain grammatical formations inside words) -- except for the fact that
where it does is to *delete* and hide something that is part of the word.

.....

  So, izta-tl (salt) makes a verb by adding -ya;

  izta-ya                    it turns white (like salt)

 with tzon-tli (hair)

  you get

      ni-tzon-izta-ya        my hair turns white (like salt)

  You can get adjectives from verbs (not from nouns), but when you add the
adjective ending -c to the verb iztaya to get "white", you get  izta-c,
not izta-ya-c.  So the -ya is deleted and named the operation (which
occurs in hundreds of words) "delya" (delete ya).  It is a *big* thing
that is spread all over the language and makes it
harder to recognize and learn words.

   My big "question" is: How do find all the cases of "delya"?  It just
isn't there to find!!!


   (Obviously, this last comment isn't entirely serious -- the list of
verb stems with basic -ya and those with -ya added to a noun as a "verber"
intersects with certain derivations to form a fertile hunting place.)

* * * * * * * * * *


Here are some examples:


"Patientive Nouns"

  a:huiya       take pleasure        a:huilli        pleasure, debauchery
                                      a:huiya-delya-l1

  tlaoya        shell something      tlaolli         shelled corn
                                      tla-oya-delya-l-li

  coco:ya       he sickens           coco:lli        pain
                                      coco:ya-delya-l-li

  tlao:coya     he sorrows           tlao:colli      sorrow (n.)
                                      tlao:coya-delya-l-li


"Active Nouns"

  coco:ya       he sickens           coco:liztli     sickness
                                      coco:ya-delya-liz-tli

  chichiya      taste bitter         chichiliztli    bitterness
                                      chichiya-delya-liz-tli



"Causative Verbs"

  chichiya      taste bitter         nitla-chichilia I make s.t. taste bitter
                                      chichiya-delya-lia (cause)

  ni-tlao:coya  I sorrow             nech-tlao:colia it makes me sorrow
                                      nech-tlao:coya-delya-lia (cause)

  xocoya        it sours             quixocolia      she makes it sour
                                      qui-xocoya-lia (cause)



"Adjectives"

  tzope:liya    it tastes sweet      tzope:lic       sweet
                                      tzope:liya-delya-c

  xocoya        it sours             xococ           sour
                                      xocoya-delya-c

  iztaya        turn white           iztac           white
                                      iztaya-delya-c

  ihya:ya       it smells            ihyac           stinking
                                      ihya:ya-delya-c

  chichiya      taste bitter         chichic         bitter
                                      chichiya-delya-c

  hue:iya       he grows             hue:iyac        big, long
                                      hue:i-ya-delya-c

  cece:ya       it cools             cece:c          cool, cold
                                      cece:ya-delya-c