Cuacha

[Joanna M. Sanchez]

    It is certainly not unthinkable that a convergence between an original
Nahuatl compound and an introduced term could have occurred over time by
virtue of strong phonological and semantic similarity.  And the widely
reported cha- is perhaps a shift from xo-/zo- owing to stress on the
following -lo- syllable.  But  I still cannot help but think that
cuach[a/o]lote is derived from Nahuatl, with possible etymologies being:

   cua(i)tl + xolotl   or   cua(i)tl + zoloa

    Rather than reflecting an unhealthy indulgence of exoticism, an
hypothesis of Nahua origin is reasonable for a number of reasons, not the
least of which is the productivity of cua(i)tl when referring to one's
sensibility (or lack thereof).  Being dirty certainly had 'moral'
connotations for the Nahua, a condition bearing on an individual's
sensibility.  'Naturally' enough, terms for crazy or confused use cua(itl):
cuatlapololiztli (madness) combines "head" with "lose; destroy."  Yet more
notably, cua(i)tl is used in cuatatapah, "disheveled person," with
tatapahtli being "worn out fabric."

      Xolotl is also used in a variety of compounds (axolotl, mexolotl,
xolochaui ), that can mean "doubled over; wrinkled" in a sense that implies
physical deformity or dissaray, as precolumbian images of a ragged and
deformed Xolotl bear out.  Xolotl had a canine identity, and dogs were
strongly associated with filth. This seems consistent with the modern
meanings reported (dirty/disheveled).  Further, xolopihtli (idiot; tonto)
reinforces a reported semantic value, namely one untalented in either deed
or appearance.

    Zoloa, "wear something out," and ihzoloa, "abase, mistreat," are words
that can also be associated with Nahua conceptions of 'filth' (according to
Burkhart's examination of tlahzolli, "garbage") by referring to matter that
has lost its ordered structure.

           In any event, the word is widely used in Nahua regions of
Jalisco, in addition to Mexico City and points north, further supportive of
an indigenous origin.  Joanna

----- Original Message -----
From: "Matthew Montchalin" <mmontcha at OREGONVOS.NET>
To: <NAHUAT-L at LISTS.UMN.EDU>
Sent: Thursday, May 27, 2004 6:19 PM
Subject: Re: Cuacha


> micc2 top-posted:
> |No but maybe it is not a Nahuatl derivative?
> |
> |Matthew Montchalin wrote:
> |
> |>micc2 wrote:
> |>|"If you have studied Classical Latin, you naturally know about stercus
> |>|and fimum, neither of which have the slightest similarity to the
Spanish
> |>|'caca.'"
> |>|
> |>|However we do use the word "estierco"  for cow manure.
> |>
> |>Ah, good to learn that.  (Certo alienus vel ignarus hispanicae linguae
> |>sum, nimirum Hispanicam nescio.)
> |>
> |>But can you suggest an etymology for kwacha?  I am grasping at straws
> |>when I suggest things like Latin quatio (or its frequentative form
> |>quasso).  I would only observe that the consonant found in the middle
> |>can shift a little, as if palatalizing, perhaps even turn into ch.
>
> And how would an objective person go about finding out whether kwacha
> or kwacho is of a native Nawatl origin, short of examining the leads
> where one finds them?  I suggested the Latin participle quasso because
> it sounds kind of like kwacho, especially if something happens to the
> double 's' in the middle.
>
> As you seem to be implying, a host of European-sounding words don't match
> up, where else should one go to find an alternative?