-oa vs -oa

Sat Oct 24 01:45:15 UTC 2009

Hi Joe and
John,

Thanks for
the nice list of –Vwi : -oa pairs. I always appreciate the data-rich comments
to this board from both of you. I’m aware of the class of Nahuatl verb stems
that enter into these pairs, but it’s very nice to have such a good list. A
similar one appears in Canger’s 1980 book.

I had understood
this pairing as proof of a class of (inchoative or “versive”) verb stems from
which intransitives could be derived with one suffix and transitives with
another; that is, the stem is the
basic form from which the other two are derived.

Hence, what
caught my attention in John’s question was the daring suggestion of a different
derivational cycle in which –oa transitive verbs are derived from –Vwi intransitives. That is, the intransitive form,
not the stem, is basic. That would be a very interesting analysis, but I
suspect it would be a cumbersome one. This was why I asked about its basis.

This goes
to the heart of John’s question about the defective distribution of -Vwi and
–oa verbs that trace their origins back to Spanish infinitives. If –oa forms
are derived from –Vwi ones, then one has to explain where all the –Vwi forms
went. If however the –oa forms are suffixes on a stem (in this case the Spanish
infinitive form) with no intervening –Vwi form, nothing has to be posited that
then disappears without a trace.

Although it
is typical of derivational morphology to have gaps, it is still an interesting
question to ask why these Spanish-origin verbs don’t take the intransitive form
(though in some variants an –Vwi form does apparently occur with Spanish loans,
cf. Tetelcingo: nesesitarehui vs. nesesitaroa: also check out Karttunen and
Lockhart’s 1976 book, pages 32-35).

In my
earlier post I made a quick proposal of something to look into: since the
corresponding Spanish verbs use the middle voice (“reflexives”) for
intransitive forms (pasarse, apurarse, castigarse…), I wouldn’t be surprised if
such constructions were then calqued into Nahuatl. In this proposal, Nahuatl
didn’t just borrow the Spanish verb infinitives as versive verb stems, but also
calqued some of the Spanish verbs’ morphosyntactic properties. In Spanish the
verbs you presented can be either transitives with a direct object or
intransitives with the reflexive, exactly what we see in the Nahuatl forms.

--- On Fri, 10/23/09, Campbell, R. Joe <campbel at indiana.edu> wrote:

From: Campbell, R. Joe <campbel at indiana.edu>
Subject: Re: [Nahuat-l] -oa vs -oa
To: nahuatl at lists.famsi.org
Date: Friday, October 23, 2009, 3:00 PM

Quoting Michael Swanton <mwswanton at yahoo.com>:

>
> What is the basis of the derivational cycle of ?oa transitives
> derived from ?Vwi
> intransitives? If I remember correctly that was historically the
> case, but what would be the basis for it in a synchronic description?
>

Michael ihuan occequi nocnihuan,

   I don't know much (if anything) about the historical
development of Nahuatl.  Some of the very little that I think I
know is derived from working on the synchronic structure of the
morphology.  This is related to my assumption that some
historical changes, for a time, leave evidence of themselves
embedded in the synchronic structure of the language and in some
cases later changes force the assumption that re-structuring
takes place.

     Causative verbs in -oa are derivatonally related to
intransitive verbs in -ihui and -ahui. I should make clear my
ignorance of whatever historical factors resulted in this
relationship, but none are necessary to establish the synchronic
relationship. All we need are the formal regularity of verb pairs
in -ihui/-ahui and -oa and the corresponding semantic regularity
in their semantic relationships, and that does it.

     Here are some intransitive/causative verb pairs that I think
any synchronic descriptive of "classical" Nahuatl needs to
recognize:

  pehua                 it begins
  nicpehualtia          I start it              (-ltia)

  choloa                he flees
  quichololtia          she chases him          (-ltia)

  quiza                 it emerges
  ticquixtia            you extract it          (-tia)

  ati(y)a               it melts
  nicatilia             I melt it               (-lia)

  pozoni                it boils
  nicpozonia            I boil it               (-a; preceding
                                                vowel does not elide)

  temi                  it fills up
  nictema               I fill it up            (-a; preceding
                                                vowel elides)

  nicocoya              I get sick
   and
  onicocox              I got sick
  quicocoa              it makes him sick       (-a; -ya deletes)

   Below is a list of -ihui and -ahui verbs that form their
causatives by substituting -oa.
Prefixes are indicated as either " =ni" or as " , ni-".  Please
pardon the irregularity. |8-)

Iztayohmeh,

Joe

  acalihui.  it becomes grooved; it becomes furrowed. <a:tl1-calli-
    v03a>. b.10 f.6 p.100b|
  acaloa =nitla.  acanalar madera o piedra. <p11-p51-a:tl1-calli-v03a-
    caus06>. 55m-00|

  ahuilihui =n.  enuilecerse por los vicios; enuilecerse y apocarse por
    los vicios. <p11-a:huiya-delya-l1-v03a>. 55m-8|
  ahuiloa =nin.  enuilecerse por los vicios; enuilecerse y apocarse por
    los vicios. <p11-p54-a:huiya-delya-l1-v03a-caus06>. 55m-8|

  camilihui.  amarillecerse la fruta que comienza a madurar;
    amarillecerse la fruta; que comienza a madurar; comenzar a madurar
    la fruta; s; pintar la fruta; sazonarse la fruta. <camilli-v03a>.
    55m-00|
  camiloa , tla-.  it makes things brown. <p51-camilli-v03a-caus06>.
    b.11 f.11 p.108|

  chichilihui , ni-.  I become chili-red. <p11-dupl-chi:lli-v03a>. b.11
    f.23 p.239|
  chichiloa , nitla-.  I color something red; I make something chili-
    red. <p11-p51-dupl-chi:lli-v03a-caus06>. b.11 f.23 p.239|

  comolihui.  hazerse barrancoso lo que era llano. <como:lli-
    v03a>. 71m2-4|
  comoloa =nitla=.  hazer hoyo grande. <p11-p51-como:lli-v03a-caus06>.
    71m2-20|

  conalihui.  it becomes shiny. <conalli-v03a>. b.10 f.6 p.101b|
  conaloaya , qui-.  they shaved it. <p33-conalli-v03a-caus06-ya3>. b.2
    f.5 p.100|

  cuechihui.  it becomes pulverized; it is porous. <cue:chtli-v03a>.
    b.11 f.24 p.253|
  cuechoa , mo-.  it is pulverized; it is chewed; it is ground. <p54-
    cue:chtli-v03a-caus06>. b.11 f.23 p.244|
  cuechoa , nic-.  I make it fine. <p11-p33-cue:chtli-v03a-caus06>. b.11
    f.12 p.116|

  cuelihui =ni.  entortarse o torcerse. <p11-cue:lli-v03a>.  71m2-5|
  cueloa =nitla.  doblegar vara, o cosa semejante. <p11-p51-cue:lli-v03a-
    caus06>. 71m2-5|

  cuetlaxihui =ni.  amortecerse de tristeza; desfallecer; desmayar se;
    desmayarse. <p11-cuetlaxtli-v03a>. 55m-00|
  cuetlaxoa =nino.  desmayarse, o^amortecerse de tristeza.
    <p11-p54-cuetlaxtli-v03a-caus06>. 71m2-5|
  cuetlaxoa =nite=.  desmayar a otro. <p11-p52-cuetlaxtli-v03a-caus06>.
    71m2-5|

  huacalihui =ni.  encogerse los nieruos; encogerse los neruios. <p11-
    huacalli-v03a>. 55m-7|
  huacaloa , nic-.  I make it concave. <p11-p33-huacalli-v03a-caus06>.
    b.11 f.12 p.115|

  huitolihui.  it bends; it curves. <huitolli-v03a>. b.11 f.2 p.18|
  huitoloa , tla-.  he forms something in a curve. <p51-huitolli-v03a-
    caus06>. b.10 f.2 p.27|

  ihzolihui.  enuegecerse la ropa o cosa assi. <ihzolli-v03a>. 55m-8|
  ihzoloa , qu-.  it ruins it. <p33-ihzolli-v03a-caus06>. b.6 f.6 p.69|

  ilacatzihui =n.  torcerse alguna cosa assi como la punta
    de alesna o cosa semejante. <p11-ilacatztli-v03a>. 71m2-6|
  ilacatzoa , tla-.  she twists something. <p51-ilacatztli-v03a-caus06>.
    b.10 f.2 p.36|

  ixcaxihui =n.  entortarse. <p11-i:xtli-caxitl-v03a>. 55m-8|
  ixcaxoa =nite.  quebrar a otro el ojo. <p11-p52-i:xtli-
    caxitl-v03a-caus06>. 71m2-8|

  ixpetzihui , on-.  it becomes shiny, it becomes smooth. <o:-i:xtli-
    petztli-v03a>. b.9 f.7 p.93|
  ixpetzoa =nitla.  acecalar; acepillar; alisar madera; barnizar de otra
    manera  (desta manera is barnizar con este barniz); bru¤ir papel;
    mantas o cosas semejantes. <p11-p51-i:xtli-petztli-v03a-caus06>.
    71m1-1|

  ixtlahpalihui.  daring; he is daring; it becomes hardy. <i:xtli-
    tlahpalli-v03a>. b.11 f.5 p.39|
  ixtlahpaloa =nino.  atreuersse o osar. <p11-p54-i:xtli-tlahpalli-v03a-
    caus06>. 55m-1|

  maxalihui.  apartarse dos caminos enla encruzijada, o dos ramas del
    arbol, o  dos rios o arroyos, o desatinar se y peruertirse alguno;
    diuidir se los rios; diuidirse los rios; [y lo mismo dizen de los
    caminos]. <ma:xatl-v01b-delya-l1-v03a>. 71m1-2|
  maxaloa , nic-.  I depart from it. <p11-p33-ma:xatl-v01b-delya-l1-v03a-
    caus06>. b.11 f.26 p.267|
  maxaloa =nic.  hazer traycion la muger al marido o el a ella; hazer
    traycion la muger a su marido; adulterando con otro; o el con otra.
    <p11-p33-ma:xatl-v01b-delya-l1-v03a-caus06>. 55m-11|

  maxelihui.  esparzirse o desparramarse las ramas del arbol
    o de cosa semejante. <ma:itl-xelli-v03a>. 71m2-9|
  maxeloa =nitla.  apartar co<n>^las manos gente yeruas ca¤as o cosa
    assi para passar por ellas; apartar con las manos la gente para
    passar entre ella; o  apartar las yeruas y ca¤as o cosas semejantes;
    para hender por ellas. <p11-p51-ma:itl-xelli-v03a-caus06>. 55m-1|

  nepanihui in totlahtol =ahmo.  dissension. <ah1-mo: poss-pan-v03a in
    poss-p51-ihtahui-caus06-l1>. 71m1-8|
  nepanoa , nic-.  I join it. <p11-p33-poss-pan-v03a-caus06>. b.11 f.26
    p.267|

  ololihui.  it becomes round. <olo:lli-v03a>. b.10 f.6 p.99a|
  ololoa , c-.  it makes it into a ball; it moves it; they pile it up;
    they ball it together. <p33-olo:lli-v03a-caus06>. b.11 f.10 p.93|

  pahzolihui.  it becomes tangled; it becomes tousled; it becomes
    matted; they become matted. <pahzotl-v01b-delya-l1-v03a>. b.10 f.6
    p.111b|
  pahzoloa , tla-.  he makes confusion, he mixes things up. <p51-pahzotl-
    v01b-delya-l1-v03a-caus06>. b.4 f.2 p.13|

  petzihui.  bru¤irse. <petztli-v03a>. 71m1-4|
  petzoa , tla-.  he burnishes something; he polishes something. <p51-
    petztli-v03a-caus06>. b.10 f.2 p.28|

  piacihui.  it becomes slender; it lies flat. <piya:ztli-v03a .ahd>.
    b.11 f.11 p.113|
  piazoa =nitla.  mear alzando la orina. <p11-p51-piya:ztli-v03a-
    caus06>. 55m-13|

  tapalihui.  roncha hazerse. <tapalli-v03a>. 55m-17|
  tapaloa , te-.  it raises welts on someone. <p52-tapalli-v03a-caus06>.
    b.11 f.9 p.89|

  tatacalihui =ni.  dessollarse con golpe. <p11-tataca-l1-v03a>. 71m1-
    8|
  tatacaloa =nitla.  cauar, hazer hoyos peque¤os. <p11-p51-tataca-l1-
    v03a-caus06>. 71m1-5|

  xelihui =ni.  henderse por si mesmo. <p11-xelli-v03a>. 55m-11|
  xeloa =nitla.  apartar ganado; rajar madera; partir o diuidir algo.
    <p11-p51-xelli-v03a-caus06 +mis_analysis.4>. 55m-1|

  zalihui.  pegarse vno con otro. <za:lli-v03a>. 71m1-17|
  zaloa , te-.  he sets bones for people; she sets their bones. <p52-
    za:lli-v03a-caus06>. b.10 f.2 p.30|
  zaloa , tla-. he glues things; he glues; he sews things together;
    it adheres; they adhere. <p51-za:lli-v03a-caus06>. b.4 f.3 p.21|

  cototzahui.  arrugarse persona; encogerse assi  (assi is encoger como
    costura). <cototztli-v03b>. 55m-1|
  cototzoa , tito-.  we fold ourselves. <p21-p54-cototztli-v03b-caus06>.
    b.10 f.8 p.134b|
  cototzoa =nino.  assentarse de coclillas. <p11-p54-cototztli-v03b-
    caus06>. 71m1-3|

  tepitzahui.  endurecerse alguna cosa. <tetl1-pi:tztli-v03b>. 71m2-17|
  tepitzoa =nitla.  endurecer algo. <p11-p51-tetl1-pi:tztli-v03b-
    caus06>. 55m-7|

  tezonahui.  it becomes ruffled; it becomes rough; it becomes like
    volcanic rock. <tezontli-v03b>. b.11 f.21 p.214|
  tezonoa =nitla.  hazer aspera alguna cosa, o rapar y raer
    mucho el pelo dela cabeza el baruero que afeita. <p11-p51-tezontli-
    v03b-caus06>. 71m2-16|

  yacahuitzahui.  aguzarse assi  (assi is aguzada punta). <yacatl-
    huitztli-v03b>. 71m1-1|
  yacahuitzoa =nitla.  aguzar punta o ser el primero o delantero de los
    que caminan,  o de los que estan puestos en orden; ahusar algo;
    punta sacar. <p11-p51-yacatl-huitztli-v03b-caus06>. 71m1-1|

  yecahui.  acabarse de hazer algo. <ye:ctli-v03b>. 55m-00|
  yecoa =nitla.  acabar dar fin a la obra; acabar o concluyr obra;
    concluir obra o razonamiento; concluir o acabar algo; espedir lo
    impedido; hazer hasta el cabo; pelear; prouar el manjar. <p11-p51-
    ye:ctli-v03b-caus06>. 55m-00|

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