Suffix -NI

Thu Jul 28 00:52:54 UTC 2011

Susana,

David's first paragraph reiterates the little grammatical description I 
gave you this morning while I was actually in a classroom giving a 
test. I promised to respond this evening to round out the "lesson," but 
David's sketch below is excellent, and you can depend on it.

Michael

Quoting David Wright <dcwright at prodigy.net.mx>:

> Dear Susan:
>
> I think that the problem you describe comes from trying to force these
> Nahuatl words into Indo-European grammatical categories. I only see two
> instances for using the -ni suffix, the third merely being the use of the
> second with an adjectival sense. Strictly speaking there isn't a class of
> adjectives in Nahuatl, only the adjectival use of various grammatical
> categories. We may translate these words as adjectives, but they are really
> something else when analyzed in a more literal manner.
>
> As I see it, instrumental deverbal nouns are based on the passive or
> impersonal voice of certain verbs. They are formed by adding the -ni suffix
> to the passive or impersonal form, thus giving the word an instrumental
> meaning: "something that is habitually used to (verb)" or "instrument for
> (verb)ing", as you explain very well. In some cases the passive/impersonal
> suffix -lo: precedes the instrumental suffix; in others the
> passive/impersonal suffix is -hua, -ohua, -lohua, or -hualo:. If the verb is
> transitive it takes an object prefix (te:- and/or tla-) or an incorporated
> object. If the verb is reflexive it takes the ne- prefix.
>
> Here are some examples:
>
> tequi, "to cut" > tlateco:ni (tla + (tequi - i) + (lo: - l) + ni),
> "instrument for cutting something" ("knife/axe");
>
> hui:tequi, "to whip/beat" > te:hui:teco:ni (te: + (hui:tequi - i) + (lo: -
> l) + ni), "instrument for whipping/beating someone" ("whip/paddle/switch");
>
> ma:pohpo:hua, "to wash one's hands" > nema:pohpo:hualo:ni (ne + (ma:itl - tl
> - i) + pohpo:hua + lo: + ni), "instrument for washing one's hands"
> ("towel");
>
> yo:li, "to live" > yo:li:huani (yo:li (i > i:) + hua + ni), "instrument for
> living" ("food", for example).
>
> Getting back to your query, your example cualoni is translated by Molina as
> "cosa comestible", in the sense of "instrument for eating" (not an
> "instrument for eating something", such as a spoon or a tortilla, but an
> "instrument with which to undertake the act of feeding oneself". Of course
> all this makes for very clumsy phrases when translated literally into
> English, so we use adjectives; hence the adjectival use of an instrumental
> deverbal noun.
>
> My last example, yo:li:huani, could perhaps be translated as with an
> adjectival sense, such as "healthy" or "energizing", depending on the
> context.
>
> Perhaps you are looking at Siméon's glosses; he translates cualoni as
> "Comestible, bueno para comer" and labels the word as an "adjectival verb".
> Siméon's dictionary has many virtues, and will sometimes provide the
> solution to a sticky problem, but his grammatical classifications and the
> roots he proposes for inflected words are the weakest parts of the package.
>
> My explanation is based on these sources: Andrews, 2003a: 345-347;
> Campbell/Karttunen, 1989: 200-205, 248; Carochi, 2001: 180-183 (book 3,
> chapter 2, § 2).
>
> My examples are based on these: Campbell/Karttunen, 1989: 205; Carochi,
> 2001: 180-183 (libro 3, capítulo 2, § 2); Karttunen, 1992: 90, 137, 165,
> 219, 232, 295, 341, 342; Molina, 1571b: 39v, 67r, 105r, 134v, 157v.
>
> Best regards,
>
> David
>
> *************************************
> References
>
> CAMPBELL, R. Joe; KARTTUNEN, Frances
> 1989 Foundation course in Nahuatl grammar, volume 1: text and exercises,
> Missoula, The University of Montana.
>
> CAROCHI, Horacio
> 2001 Grammar of the Mexican language with an explanation of its adverbs
> (1645), James Lockhart, trad. and ed., Stanford/Los Angeles, Stanford
> University Press/UCLA Latin American Center Publications.
>
> KARTTUNEN, Frances
> 1992 An analytical dictionary of Nahuatl, 2nd. ed., Norman, University of
> Oklahoma Press.
>
> MOLINA, Alonso de
> 1571 Vocabulario en lengua mexicana y castellana, Mexico, Casa de Antonio de
> Espinosa.
>
> SIMÉON, Rémi
> 1999 Diccionario de la lengua náhuatl o mexicana, redactado según los
> documentos impresos y manuscritos más auténticos y precedido de una
> introducción, 15th. ed., Josefina Oliva de Coll, trad., Mexico, Siglo XXI
> Editores.
>
> *************************************
> -----Mensaje original-----
> De: nahuatl-bounces at lists.famsi.org [mailto:nahuatl-bounces at lists.famsi.org]
> En nombre de Susana Moraleda
> Enviado el: miércoles, 27 de julio de 2011 09:34
> Para: Nahuat-l
> Asunto: [Nahuat-l] Suffix -NI
>
> Sorry to disturb everybody with a question that to many may seem stupid, but
> I have no other alternative but to ask here, after having consulted a number
> of grammars.  I ask you to please be patient with me.
>
> Suffix -NI as far as I know, is added to verbs in three instances (other
> than customary present):
> 1) as agentive - added to the present tense - e.g. CUICANI (one who sings)
> 2) as instrumental - added to the impersonal - e.g. NEITTALONI (instrument
> with which to see oneself = mirror)
> 3) as adjective - added to the passive - e.g. CUALONI (eatable)
>
> My problem is how to distinguish (2) from (3)
> My reasoning is that, given that the impersonal is used with both transitive
> and intransitive verbs (only with 3rd person sing), and the passive is used
> only with transitive verbs, does this also apply in the creation of
> instruments and adjectives?
> So an intransitive verb can only become instrumental and not adjective?
> and a transitive verb may become both instrumental and adjective?
>
> For example
> MICOHUANI (MICOHUA, impersonal, - death is going on - intransitive)
>   can only mean "instrument with which to kill - poison", but not
> "killable"?
> NEITTALONI (ITTALO, passive, - he is seen - transitive/refl)
>   can be "mirror", but can it also mean "mirrorable" or "seeable"?
> How to distinguish the latter?
>
> Sorry for the confusion and thanks a million for any feedback.
>
> Susana
>
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