Help with a Nahuatl word
John Sullivan, Ph.D.
idiez at mac.com
Thu Jul 17 03:21:10 UTC 2008
Hey Joe,
I believe that your verb is "tlaxcal(li)" + "-oa" (the first option
below) = "to make tortillas". The problem is how the "mo-" reflexive
is functioning. I'm going to answer this by showing how it works with
a similar verb in modern Huastecan Nahuatl.
1. Let's start with the causative verb "ixtlahua", which takes "tla-"
as an object. So we have, for example, "Fred tlaxtlahua", "Fred pays"
or literally, "Fred causes s.t. (a debt) to be paid off". Since "tla-"
ocupies the object slot, we can't use this form to mention anything
else about the debt, such as what is owed, who the debt is owed to, or
how much money might be paid. The best we can with this structure is
say, "Fred tlaxtlahua tlen tzapotl", "Fred pays with respect to the
tzapotl (that he owes)".
2. However, the native speakers here say, for example, "monequi
motlaxtlahuaz ce tzapotl", "one tzapote needs to be paid for".
3. So, it looks like this "mo-" reflexive is capable of making a
passive construction based on an object that is understood in the
active construction of origin (tlaxtlahua), but not directly present
in its structure.
Now, lets go to "tlaxcaloa", "to make tortillas". It is a
intransitive verb, so it shouldn`t be able to go to a passive form
using the "mo-" reflexive. Not surprisingly the native speakers say,
"Fred tlaxcaloa", "Fred makes tortillas". However, they also say,
"Motlaxcaloa eyi cuachiquihuitl tlaxcalli", "Three baskets of
tortillas are made".
So I think we need to look for more examples of verbs that work like
this: it looks to me like the "mo-" reflexive just causes the subject
of a verb to disappear, but doesn't get involved in the object
mechanism of the verb (like it normally would).
And now, on another note, I'd like to say a bit more about how the
verb "ixtlahua" works in Modern Huastecan Nahuatl:
1. ixtlahui. (intransitive) "to restored or satisfied (Kartunnen, p.
121)". This is unattested in Modern Huastecan Nahuatl.
2. tlaxtlahua, ni. (causative), "to repay a debt". Example, "Delfina
tlaxtlahua", "Delfina pays a debt". We can also say, "Delfina
tlaxtlahua tlen pitzotl", Delfina pays a debt with respect to a pig".
3. tlaxtlahuia, nic. (applicative), "to repay a debt to s.o.".
Example, "Delfina nechtlaxtlahuia", "Delfina repays me". We can also
say, "Delfina nechtlaxtlahuia tlen pitzotl", "Delfina repays me with
respect to a pig".
4. tlaxtlahuilia, nic. (applicative), "to repay a debt to s.o. with
respect to s.t.". Example, "Delfina nechtlaxtlahuilia pitzotl",
"Delfina repays a debt to me with respect to a pig". Notice how at
this stage, the pig is finally incorporated into the structure as an
object. We can also say, "Delfina nechtlaxtlahuilia pitzotl ica
mahtlactli pesoh", paraphrasing, "Delfina pays me ten pesos for the
pig", however, as you can see, the money is not incorporated into the
object structure of the verb.
Ye ixquich, or as you would say in Modern Huastecan Nahuatl,
"zanyainon".
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.idiez.org.mx
www.macehualli.org
On Jul 15, 2008, at 9:09 PM, Campbell, R Joe wrote:
> Nocnihuan,
>
> I have a problem to present to the tribunal; actually, that's
> overly modest -- I have more than a tzontli of problems, but for
> now, I just brought:
>
> motlaxcaloa tortillas are made (book 11, Florentine Codex)
>
> My problem is based on the fact that this word doesn't fit my
> framework for thinking about word formation. I think that there
> are three apparent "verber" endings in -oa:
>
> 1. intransitive, formed by adding -oa to a noun stem:
>
> noun verb gloss
>
> ayacachtli nayacachoa I use a rattle
> camanalli camanaloa he makes jests
> caxitl ticaxoah we use a bowl
> quiquiztli niquiquizoa I sound a trumpet
> tamalli titamaloa you produce tamales
> teponaztli titeponazoah we play the teponaztli drum
> tlaxcalli nitlaxcaloa I produce tortillas
>
> 2. transitive, formed by changing intransitive -ihui or -ahui
> (which *may* be formed on nouns) to -oa:
>
>
> acalihui it develops a groove
> nicacaloa I groove it
>
> chichilihui it turns red
> nitlachichiloa I color something red
>
> ihtlacahui it deteriorates, it suffers damage
> nitlahtlacoa I damage something, I sin
>
> polihui it vanishes, it perishes
> ticpoloa you destroy it, you spend it
>
> tzetzelihui it sifts, it drifts scattering (e.g., like
> snow)
> nitlatzetzeloa I sift something
>
> xelihui it splits
> nicxeloa I split it
>
>
> 3. The third *apparent* -oa verber, which is normally spelled
> with -oa, is really a masquerading -ohua. The 'hu' (/w/) does not
> contrast with its absence after /o/, so some dialects delete it and
> others insert /w/ in /oa/ sequences to form [owa].
>
> I believe that all examples of (3) involve -hua added to '-yotl'
> with
> an embedded noun. I will spell the examples in the traditional
> deceptive way (i.e., with '-oa'):
>
>
> acatl acayotl acayoa to fill up with cane
> ahhuatl ahhuayotl ahhuayoa to fill up with thorns
> atemitl atenyotl atenyoa to become lousy
> azcatl azcayotl azcayoa to become full of ants
> exotl exoyotl exoyoa it forms a bean
> iztatl iztayotl iztayoa for food to be salty
> teuhtli teuhyotl teuhyoa to become dusty
>
> Of course when the noun stem embedded in '-yotl' ends in 'l', the
> result is 'll':
>
> ocuilin ocuillotl ocuilloa to become wormy
> acelli acellotl acelloa to become full of nits
> capolin capollotl capolloa to produce cherries
>
> ***********************
>
> So that's the background. My problem is understanding how the
> intransitive verb formation which is involved with 'tlaxcalli,
> tamalli, and ayacachtli' can occur with the object prefix 'mo-'.
> Here are all the examples I have found:
>
> motamaloa. tamales are made.
>
> momatlaxcaloa. it beats its wings together.
>
> motlaxcaloa. tortillas are made.
>
> momamatlaxcalohtiuh. it goes clapping its hands.
> (I hope everyone likes the metaphor as much as I do.)
>
> mocuechayacachoa. it rattles its rattles.
>
> **********************
>
> I would appreciate any thoughts from anybody who is sitting around
> the cracker barrel this summer,
>
> Joe
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Nahuatl mailing list
> Nahuatl at lists.famsi.org
> http://www.famsi.org/mailman/listinfo/nahuatl
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