Tloc, nahuac, tech, tlan

[Michael McCafferty]

Quoting Susana Moraleda <susana at losrancheros.org>:

>
>
> I'm a bit confused on the uses of TLOC, NAHUAC, TECH and TLAN since
> they all have similar meanings.  I've consulted Garibay, Sullivan and
> Horcasitas, but the differences are not clear.
>
>  a.. TLOC and NAHUAC are synonyms and mean "junto a", "cerca de".


Hello, Susana,


tloc = 'side' and therefore "nearness", e.g., motloc 'at your side'

Nahuac = 'within hearing distance', e.g., calli inahuac 'near the 
house'; amonahuac = 'near you'. This is from /na:wa-/ 'audible, clear 
sound'.

>  b.. TECH means "en", "pegado o adherente a", "referente a".

Yes, "tech" has to do with "contact" or a relation involving 
surfaces--contiguity, hence "side". It's also the way Nahuatl expresses 
"concerning" and you see it everywhere at the beginning of book 
chapters.

So, motech 'in contact with you' as well as 'concerning you'.


>  c.. (TI)TLAN means "en", "entre", "con", "junto a", "cerca de". And
> besides, Garibay says "sobre", while Sullivan says "debajo"!!!
> Are there any rules saying when to use which?

I would have to think about "sobre". Don't quite know what Garibay is 
getting at. What examples does he offer for "sobre"?

Typically, "tlan" has to do with "underneath" stuff, but also "next to" 
stuff, and there are ambiguities, so context helps to understand this 
one. For example, "callan" can mean either "under the house" or "near 
the house"; xa:llan means 'under the sand'; a:tlan 'under the water'. 
At the same time, "motlan" means 'by your side'!

tocaltitlan 'near our house'

tlan can also go with body parts to create quite specific ideas of place:
ami:xtlan = 'in front of you'; cuauhtzi:ntlan 'at the base of the tree' 
(cuahu(itl) + tzi:nt(tli) + -tlan.

Some locative expressions only go with certain nouns. These locative 
expressions are a very interesting and productive aspect of Nahuatl, 
and one could spend a whole year just exploring them alone.

I hope this little bit helps.

Michael




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