Wiktionary:About Classical Nahuatl
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This is a Wiktionary policy, guideline or common practices page. This is a draft proposal. It is unofficial, and it is unknown whether it is widely accepted by Wiktionary editors. |
| Policies – Entries: CFI - EL - NORM - NPOV - QUOTE - REDIR - DELETE. Languages: LT - AXX. Others: BLOCK - BOTS - VOTES. |
What is Classical Nahuatl?[edit]
"Classical Nahuatl" is the name sometimes given to the variety of Nahuatl found in texts from central Mexico from the 16th century onwards.
The chronological extent of Classical Nahuatl is undefined. There is no accepted cut-off point in time for when Nahuatl ceases to be "Classical".
The geographical extent of Classical Nahuatl is likewise undefined. There are texts in the 16th century from different areas which show different linguistic features, and it is not clear if they should be considered to be Classical Nahuatl or not. (And if not, then what?)
What isn't Classical Nahuatl?[edit]
Classical Nahuatl is not the ancestor of the various modern varieties of Nahuatl. They developed separately from Proto-Nahuan. Do not put "inherited from Classical Nahuatl" for the etymologies of modern Nahuatl words, and do not add modern Nahuatl words as "descendants" of Classical Nahuatl words.
Classical Nahuatl is not necessarily the source of Nahuatl loanwords in Spanish and other languages. Don't list Classical Nahuatl in the etymology of a loanword unless you're certain it's specifically from Classical Nahuatl and not some other variety. If unsure, write "from a Nahuan language".
Many secondary sources fail to distinguish between Classical Nahuatl and modern varieties of Nahuatl. Avoid adding information unless you're certain it applies to Classical Nahuatl.
Orthography[edit]
The standardized orthography of Classical Nahuatl was established by J. Richard Andrews' Introduction to Classical Nahuatl (1975, 2003) and subsequently taken up by other authors.
Long vowels are marked with macrons only within the text of pages, not in page names.
| IPA | Standardized | Notes | Other orthographies |
|---|---|---|---|
| /a/ | a | ||
| /aː/ | ā | Not in page names. | |
| /k/ | c | Except before e and i. | k |
| qu | Before e or i. | k | |
| /tʃ/ | ch | ||
| /kʷ/ | cu | Before vowels. | qu, kw |
| uc | Before consonants and at the end of a word. | cu, cuh, uhc, kw | |
| /e/ | e | ||
| /eː/ | ē | Not in page names. | |
| /ʔ/ | h | unwritten, j | |
| /w/ | hu | Before vowels. | u, v, o, ho, w |
| uh | Before consonants and at the end of a word. | u, w | |
| /i/ | i | y, j | |
| /iː/ | ī | Not in page names. | y, j |
| /l/ | l | ||
| /m/ | m | ||
| /n/ | n | Sometimes omitted at the end of words. | |
| /o/ | o | u, v | |
| /oː/ | ō | Not in page names. | u, v |
| /p/ | p | ||
| /t/ | t | ||
| /ts/ | tz | tç, ts | |
| /tɬ/ | tl | ||
| /ʃ/ | x | ||
| /j/ | y | i, j | |
| /s/ | z | Except before e and i | ç, s |
| c | Before e and i | ç, s |
Formatting Classical Nahuatl entries[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
In most Classical Nahuatl texts, vowel length is not written, and saltillos are written inconsistently. Be careful about adding pronunciations to entries, or macrons to headwords, unless the word is attested in a source that marks them consistently, like Horacio Carochi's Arte de la lengua mexicana con la declaracion de los aduerbios della (1645). Secondary sources can get this wrong, and in some cases the pronunciation of a word is simply unknown due to lack of evidence.
Verbs[edit]
The lemma form for a transitive verbs is simply the root, without an object prefix. This means that these lemmas are not actually grammatically valid words.
E.g. mati is a lemma. quimati and tlamati are non-lemma forms.