Proto-Nahuan language
Proto-Nahuan (also called Proto-Aztecan) is a hypothetical daughter language of the Proto-Uto-Aztecan language. It is the common ancestor from which the modern Nahuan languages have developed.
| Proto-Nahuan | |
|---|---|
| Proto-Aztecan | |
| Reconstruction of | Nahuan languages |
Reconstructed ancestor | |
Homeland
There is some controversy about where and when Proto-Nahuan was spoken. Following Nahuan ethnohistorical sources describing a southward migration of Nahuatl speakers, as well as the fact that all other Uto-Aztecan languages are north of the Nahuan languages, the homeland has traditionally been considered to be located to the north of the current area of extension.
An alternative hypothesis by Jane Hill is that Proto-Nahuatl arose within Mesoamerica, and the Nahuas are the only remainders of a large-scale northward migration.
Phonology
The following phonological changes are shared by all Nahuan languages:
- Proto-Uto-Aztecan *t becomes Proto-Nahuan lateral affricate *t͡ɬ before Proto-Uto-Aztecan *a[1] (Proto-Uto-Aztecan *ta꞉ka "man" becomes Proto-Nahuan *tla꞉ka-tla "man").
- Proto-Uto-Aztecan initial *p is lost in Proto-Nahuan.[2] (Proto-Uto-Aztencan *pahi "water" becomes Proto-Nahuan *a:-tla "water")
- Proto-Uto-Aztecan *u merges with *i in Proto-Nahuan *i[3] (Proto-Uto-Aztencan *muki "to die" becomes Proto-Nahuan *miki "to die)
- Proto-Uto-Aztecan sibilants *ts and *s split into *ts, *ch and *s *ʃ, respectively.[4]
- Proto-Uto-Aztecan's fifth vowel, reconstructed as *ɨ or *ə, merged with *e in Proto-Nahuan *e[5] (Proto-Uto-Aztencan *nɨmi "to walk" becomes Proto-Nahuan *nemi "to live, to walk")
- Many metatheses in which Proto-Uto-Aztecan roots of the shape *CVCV become *VCCV.[6] (Proto-Uto-Aztencan *pu꞉li "to tie" becomes Proto-Nahuan *ilpi "to tie")
Morphology
Proto-Nahuan was an agglutinative language, and its words used suffix complexes for a variety of purposes, with several morphemes strung together.
Lexicon
Some Proto-Aztecan (i.e., Proto-Nahuan) reconstructions by Davletshin (2012):[7]
gloss Proto-Aztecan all (todos) *mochɨ-m ashes *nɨx-tlɨ bark *ɨwaː-yoː-tl belly *-ɨhtɨ big *wehey(ɨ) bird *toːtoː-tl bite *-kɨh-tzoma black *tliːl-tɨ-k blood *ɨs-tlɨ bone *oːmɨ-tl breast *-chiːchiːwal burn tr. *-tla-tɨ-ha claw (nail) *-ɨstɨ cloud *mix-tlɨ cold *sese-k come *wiːtz (preterit-as-present form) die *mɨki drink *-ihi dry *waːk ear *nakas-tlɨ earth *tlaːl-lɨ eat *-kwa-haː eye *-iːx feather *-ɨ?wɨ fire *tlahi-tl fish *mɨ-chɨ-m fly *patlaːni foot *-ɨkxɨ full *teːn-tok give tr. *-maka good *yeːk-tlɨ hair *-tzom hand *-mah head *-kwah hear *-kaki heart *-yoːl I *naha kill *mɨk-tɨ-ha knee *-tlan-kwah know *mati leaf *ɨswa-tl lie *mo-teːka long *weheya-k louse *atɨmɨ-tl man *tlaːka-tl many *mɨyak meat *naka-tl moon *meːtz-tlɨ mountain *tɨpeː-tl mouth *teːn-tlɨ name *toːkaːhɨ-tl neck *kəch-tlɨ new *yankwi-k night *yowal-lɨ nose *yaka-tl one *seː(m) red *chiːl-tɨ-k ? road *oh-tlɨ root *nelwa-tl ? round *yawal-tɨ-k ? sand *xaːl-lɨ see *-ɨhta seed *aːch-tlɨ sit *mo-tlalɨ-ha skin *eːwa-tl sleep *kochɨ smoke *poːk-tlɨ ? stand *kɨtza star *sitlalɨ-m stone *tə-tl tail *-kwitla-pɨl that *oːn- ? this *in- ? thou *təha tongue *-nɨnɨ-pɨl tooth *-tlan tree *kwa-wɨ-tl two *oːmə walk (go) *nɨh-nɨmi warm (hot) *to-toːnɨ-k ? water *aː-tl we *təha-mɨ-t what *tla-(hi ?) white *istaː-kɨ ? who *aːk woman *si/owaː-tl yellow *kos-tɨ-k ?
References
- Dakin (1982), pp. 25, 67-8
- Voegelin, Voegelin & Hale (1962)
- Langacker (1977), p. 23
- Dakin (1982), p. 51-62
- Langacker (1977), p. 23
- Dakin (1982), p. 62-3
- Davletshin, Albert (2012). Proto-Uto-Aztecans on their way to the Proto-Aztecan homeland: linguistic evidence. Journal of Language Relationship, no. 8, 2012 - p.75-92.
Sources
- Campbell, Lyle; Ronald Langacker (1978). "Proto-Aztecan vowels: Part I". International Journal of American Linguistics. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 44 (2): 85–102. doi:10.1086/465526. OCLC 1753556. S2CID 143091460.
- Dakin, Karen (1982). La evolución fonológica del Protonáhuatl (in Spanish). México D.F.: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Instituto de Investigaciones Filológicas. ISBN 968-5802-92-0. OCLC 10216962.
- Dakin, Karen (1983). "Proto-Aztecan vowels and Pochutec: an alternative analysis". International Journal of American Linguistics. 49 (2): 196–203. doi:10.1086/465782. S2CID 143920332.
- Langacker, Ronald W. (1977). An overview of Uto-Aztecan grammar. Dallas, TX: Summer Institute of Linguistics. ISBN 0-88312-070-4.
- Voegelin, C. F.; Voegelin, F.; Hale, K. (1962). Typological and Comparative Grammar of Uto-Aztecan: Phonology. Memoirs of the International Journal of American Linguistics. 17. Waverly Press.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)