Translation

[Richley Crapo]

Thanks. I think you're right on target. Actually, my original attempt at tlahuiz was the same as yours but when I sent this question to the list I grabbed Karttunen's wonderful Analytical Dictionary and found "to light the way for people with tapers or torches" and was struck how dramatically this fit with the story line of leaving the field of battle and going to what was apparently the main settlement of the people being admonished, so did it that way on the spur of the moment. But I do think you're right that the three-fold repetition is most likely to be intended as repitition of the same idea as you suggest. Thanks for your other comments as well.
Richley 

>>> brokaw at BUFFALO.EDU 12/09/04 12:54PM >>>
Richely,
Are you sure you can get "torch light" out of that sentence? I assume
you are translating the segment "i:npan tlahuiz" as "by torchlight." But
it seems to me that the tlahuiz is probably another verb (the future of
tlahuia) that corresponds to the following two verbs. All of them,
"tlahuiz," "tonaz," and "tlaneciz" can mean "it will become light" or
"it will dawn." I haven't checked on this, but my first impression is
that what you have transcribed as "i:npan" might be understood better in
conjunction with "ayocmo:" to mean something like "before the time at
which".
With regard to the issue of "to" or "from," it seems to me that your
translation is correct. The use of the verb "to go" as opposed to
something like "to leave" or "to go out" is consistent with the "ompa"
as referring toward the place of Teotlixco as a place that is away from
the speaker.
So, if I am right (and the could be a very big "if"), then the sentence
might read:

"Let us go there to Teotlixco before it becomes light, before it dawns,
before it lightens."


Galen







Richley Crapo wrote:
> Would anyone like to try his/her hand at:
>
> "Ma tihuiya:n o:mpa in Teo:tli:xco ayocmo: i:npan tlahuiz, to:naz,  tlaneciz."
>
> "Would something like, "Let us go to Teotlixco by torchlight, before it is light, before it dawns!" capture it? Or would any of you recommend something different?
>
> I'm particularly curious whether one can distinguish between "to Teotlixco" from "from Teotlixco" in this. Could it be either one?
>
> And, finally, what is the etymology of Teotlixco? Is there possibly an elided vowel, e.g. Teo-atlixco > Teotlixco?
>
> Thanks.
> Richley
>
>