-tic

[John Sullivan, Ph.D.]

Here goes another question: it's about nouns ending in -tic. The  
grammars say that the process is:
1. noun + ti = a class 1 verb which means "to become (like) that noun.
2. the class 1 verb goes into the preterite by adding "-c" (singular)  
and "-queh" (plural), [actually -c-Ø, singular; and -que-h, plural].
3. this preterite form is reinterpreted as a noun which is like, or  
has the quality of the imbedded noun.
And if I'm not mistaken, the imbedded noun can only be the combining  
form of: 1. a regular noun ending in -tl, tli, -li, -in, -Ø; or 2. a  
preterite agentive (combining form: -ca).
	The problem is that in modern Huastecan Nahuatl I am seeing many,  
many -tic forms for which there is no identifiable noun imbed, or at  
least the native speakers cannot identify them. Most of the time  
there is a related verb or set of thematic verbs, or a related  
agentive form by itself, but no existing noun upon which to base the - 
tic form. I'll give a few examples below, but the question is this.  
It would seem that the -tic form would need a noun imbed. So does  
this mean that the missing noun did exist and now is lost, or is it  
possible that in some cases the -tic has become independent of its  
original structural requirements and been able to attach to a  
reduced, but not-agentive verb form?
A few examples:
1. cuicuilihui, "s.t. is painted"; cuicuiloa. nic., "to paint s.t.";  
cuicuiltic, "s.t. multicolored".
2. canahuiya, "s.t. becomes worn out"; canahua, "to shave s.t. down";  
canahuac, "s.t. shaven or thinned out", canactzin, "s.t. thin",  
canactic, "s.t. thin, shaved down or worn out"
3. huihui, "to be crazy"; huihuitic, "a stupid or crazy person".
John

John Sullivan, Ph.D.
Profesor de lengua y cultura nahua
Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas
Instituto de Docencia e Investigación Etnológica de Zacatecas, A.C.
Tacuba 152, int. 47
Centro Histórico
Zacatecas, Zac. 98000
México
Oficina: +52 (492) 925-3415
Fax: +52 (492) 925-3416
Domicilio: +52 (492) 768-6048
Celular: +52 (492) 118-0854
idiez at mac.com
www.macehualli.org
www.idiez.org.mx




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