Altepetl: case of assimilation?

[David Wright]

Octaviotzin:

I see this as a partial regressive assimilation that occurs when two nouns
are compounded and the first noun, exceptionally, retains the absolutive
suffix -tl, where normally this suffix would be removed to form a regular
compound noun (root + root + absolutive suffix). This is sometimes the case
with lexicalized phrases, in which the second noun begins with a consonant.
The /tl/ of the first noun may become an /l/. To date I have found these
changes:

tl + t > lt
tl + p > lp
tl + m > lm
tl + ch > lch
tl + hu > lhu (/lw/)

Thus, a:ltepe:tl (a:tl + tepe:tl (tl + t > lt)).

The latter "difrasismo" also appears as a nonlexicalized phrase, for example
in the Cantares Mexicanos manuscript: "ynatl, intepetly" (in a:tl in
tepe:tl, with the phoneme /i/ added at the end as a poetic device,
apparently for the sake of rhythm).

We can also find this sort of assimilation in certain anthroponyms:

Xi:huilte:mo:c (xi:huitl + te:mo: (tl + t > lt) + c);
A:lpopo:ca (a:tl + popo:ca (tl + p > lp)).

Here are three cases where the same change occurs in toponyms:

A:lmolo:ya:n (a:tl + (molo:ni - i) (tl + m > lm) + ya:n (n + y > y));
A:lchaya:huaca:n (a:tl + chaya:hua (tl + ch > lch) + ca:n);
A:lhuexo:yohca:n (a:tl + (huexo:tl - tl) (tl + hu > lhu) + yoh + ca:n).

SOURCES OF THE EXAMPLES

A:ltepe:tl may be found in Molina (1571, II, 4r) and of course in many other
sources.  For the non-lexicalized form, see Cantares Mexicanos (1994: 12r).

Xi:huiltemoc appears in texts by Alva Ixtlilxochitl (1975-1977: I, 412; II,
144). (The /i/ could perhaps have been short, changing the meaning of this
name. It is also written "Xihuitltemoc", without the partial assimilation.)

A:lpopo:ca, A:lmolo:ya:n, and A:lchaya:huaca:n may be found in Cantares
Mexicanos (1994: 9r, 33v, 54v, 79v, 84r).

A:lhuexo:yohca:n appears in the Codex Mendoza (Berdan/Anawalt, 1992: 26r).

Some of these examples were suggested by Gordon Whittaker on this list over
five years ago (August 21 and 22, 2009).

REFERENCES

ALVA Ixtlilxóchitl, Fernando de
1975-1977 Obras históricas, incluyen el texto completo de las llamadas
Relaciones e Historia de la nación chichimeca en una nueva versión
establecida con el cotejo de los manuscritos más antiguos que se conocen, 2
vols., Edmundo O’Gorman, editor, Mexico, Instituto de Investigaciones
Históricas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. 

BERDAN, Frances F.; ANAWALT, Patricia Rieff (editoras)
1992 The Codex Mendoza, facsimile, vol. 3, Berkeley/Los Angeles/Oxford,
University of California Press.

CANTARES MEXICANOS
1994 Cantares mexicanos, facsimile, Mexico, Instituto de Investigaciones
Bibliográficas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.

MOLINA, Alonso de
1571 Vocabulario en lengua castellana y mexicana/Vocabulario en lengua
mexicana y castellana, Mexico, Casa de Antonio de Espinosa.

Best regards,

David

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