Redundant Nominal Person Marking in Nahuan: Innovation or Retention?

Mitsuya SASAKI

University of Tokyo, JSPS research fellow

SSILA Winter Meeting 2014

January 4, 2014

1

Nahuan languages

Uto-Aztecan > Southern UA (?) > Nahuan

Approximately 1,500,000 speakers, mostly in Mexico

“Polysynthetic,” head-marking morphosyntax

2

Pipil

Mexicanero

Pochutec (extinct)

“Nahuatl” dialects

Nominal “subject” person marking in Nahuan languages

In many Nahuan languages, first- and second-

person “subject” person prefixes appear in

both predicative and non-predicative nouns to

mark their referential person feature

3

Nominal “subject” person marking in Classical Nahuatl

4

Classical Nahuatl

16th / 17th-century old

dialect(s) spoken in the

Valley of Mexico

Central > Nuclear

Latin-script records

– Religious texts

– Chronicles

– Testaments etc.

5

Practical orthography

qui, que, ca, co, Vc = /ki/, /ke/, /ka/, /ko/, /Vk/

ci, ce, za, zo, Vz = /si/, /se/, /sa/, /so/, /Vs/

huV, Vuh = /wV/, /Vw/

cuV, Vuc = /kwV/, /Vkw/

x = /š/ [ʃ]

h = /ʔ/ [ʔ]~[h]

tz, ch, tl = /c/ [ts], /č/ [tʃ], /λ/ [tl]

6

“Subject” person marking in Classical Nahuatl

The same set of “subject” prefixes mark the

“subject” of both nominal and verbal predicates

(only for first and second person)

7

Singular Plural

First person n(i)- t(i)- Second person t(i)- am- Third person Ø- Ø-

Cross-categorial “subject” person marking in Classical Nahuatl

Ca ti-c-mati (Verbal predicate)

AFF 2sgS-3sgO-know

“You know it” (FC VI)

Ca ti-pil-li (Nominal predicate)

AFF 2sgS-noble-ABS

“You are a noble” (FC VI)

8

Redundancy / obligatoriness (1)

Ca tehhuā-tl ti-tlahtoāni

AFF 2sg-ABS 2sgS-ruler

“You are the ruler” (Anales de Cuauhtitlán)

Ca ti-nel-li ti-teōpixcā-tzin-tli

AFF 2sgS-true-ABS 2sgS-priest-HON-ABS

“You are a real priest” (La adoración de los Reyes)

9

Redundancy / obligatoriness (2)

an-tlahtohqu-eh an-ye-zqu-eh

2plS-ruler-PL 2plS-be-FUT-PL

“You will be the rulers” (Crónica mexicáyotl)

ti-piltōn-tli ti-mo-chīhua-z

2sgS-baby-ABS 2sgS-REFL-make-FUT

“You will become a baby” (FC III)

10

Appositional use of person-marked nouns

Ca nicān t-oncah in ti-no-pil-tzin

AFF here 2sgS-exist ART 2sgS-1sgP-child-HON

“Here you are, you who are my son” (FC VI)

... iuhqui in to-tlahtōl ti-tlāca-h

like ART 1plP-word 1plS-person-PL

“like we humans’ language” (FC XI)

11

Types of nominal “subject” marking (1)

Predicative use: Ca tehhuā-tl ti-tlahtoāni AFF 2sg-ABS 2sgS-ruler “You are the ruler” (Anales de Cuauhtitlán)

Intraeventive use: an-tlahtohqu-eh an-ye-zqu-eh

2plS-ruler-PL 2plS-be-FUT-PL “You will become the rulers” (Crón. Mex.)

Appositional use: t-oncah in ti-no-pil-tzin 2sgS-exist ART 2sgS-1sgP-child-HON “Here you are, you who are my son” (FC VI)

12

Types of nominal “subject” marking (2)

Single-word marking

– Ca tehhuā-tl ti-tlahtoāni

AFF 2sg-ABS 2sgS-ruler

“You are the ruler” (Anales de Cuauhtitlán)

Multi-word marking

– tehhuātl ti-cual-li ti-tlahtoāni

2sg 2sgS-good-ABS 2sgS-ruler

“You are a good ruler” (Compendio del Arte)

13

“Omnipredicativity” hypothesis

Launey (1994, 2003): Nahuatl nouns are

essentially predicative (“omnipredicative”)

Andrews (2003): Nahuatl nominal words are

“nominal nuclear clauses”

14

Summary: nominal “subject” person marking in Classical Nahuatl

Uniform “subject” marking for both

predicative and non-predicative nouns

Redundant, obligatory marking

– Double marking in [Adj + N]

“Omnipredicativity” hypothesis

15

Cross-dialectal comparison

16

“Dialectal Areas” of Nahuan

17

Nahuan

Pochutec †

“General Aztec”

Occidental

Central

Huasteca

Oriental

(Adapted from Langacker 1977 and Lastra de Suárez, 1986; cf. also Canger 1988, Kaufman 2001, Hasler 1975, etc.)

Nuclear Classical

Preservation of non-predicative nominal preson marking

Milpa Alta Nahuatl (Horcasitas 1968)

– ... tlen ti-c-nequi tehuan ti-temachtiqu-ez

REL 1plS-3sgO-want 1pl 1plS-teacher-PL

“what we teachers want”

Tetelcingo Nahuatl (Tuggy 1979)

– Ohalá ma nı-ye-nı nı-riko

OPT EXHRT 1sgS-be-IRR 1sgS-rich

“Would that I were rich”

18

Lack of non-predicative nominal person marking in some Nahuan languages

El Salvador Pipil (Campbell, 1985)

– Taha ti-mayordomoh

2sg 2sgS-steward

“You are a steward”

– N-yu ni-nemi deskalsoh

1sgS-go 1sgS-live barefoot

“I am goind to be barefoot”

19

Optional person marking on non-predicative nouns

Nahuatl of Norte de Puebla (Bible translation)

– Wan ahmo xi-ye-can nan-xoxos

and NEG 2S.OPT-be-PL 2plS-foolish

“Therefore do not be foolish” (Eph. 5:17)

– Xi-ye-can chicahuac ica To-tecoh-tzin

2S.OPT-be-PL strong by 1plP-lord-HON

“Be strong in the Lord” (Phil 4:1)

20

Nominal subject person marking: innovation or retention?

21

Nominal subject person marking: innovation or retention?

Consistent and redundant nominal “subject”

marking found in Classical Nahuatl:

Proto-Nahuan feature?

Later innovation?

22

“Dialectal Areas” of Nahuan

23

Nahuan Pochutec †

“General Aztec”

Occidental

Central

Huasteca

Oriental

(Adapted from Langacker 1977 and Lastra de Suárez, 1986; cf. also Canger 1988, Kaufman 2001, Hasler 1975, etc.)

Four “Dialectal Areas”

Huasteca

Central

– Central Guerrero

– Southern Guerrero

– Nuclear

– Puebla-Tlaxcala

– Xochitepec-Huatlatlauca

– Southeastern Puebla

Oriental Periphery

– Sierra de Puebla

– Isthmus

– Pipil

Occidental Periphery

– Western Coast

– West of the State of Mexico

– Durango-Nayarit

24

(Adapted from Lastra de Suárez, 1986)

Huasteca Nahuatl

Eastern Huasteca (Tepoxteco, Veracruz)

Ni-tepahtihque-tl 1sgS-curer-ABS “I am a doctor”

(Ti-)cual-li ti-tepahtihque-tl 2sgS-good-ABS 2sgS-curer-ABS “You are a good doctor”

Ni-eli-z ni-tepahtihque-tl 1sgS-be-FUT 1sgS-curer-ABS “I will be a doctor” (Victoriano de la Cruz, speaker p.c.)

25

Central Nahuatl Central > Nuclear > Tetelcingo (Morelos)

taha ok tı-pılalak-tlı

2sg still 2sgS-lad-ABS

“You are still a lad” (Tuggy, 1979, 15)

Ohalá ma nı-ye-nı nı-riko

OPT EXHRT 1sgS-be-IRR 1sgS-rich

“Would that I were rich” (Tuggy, 1979, 32)

... tli tejua te-jorioj-te te-c-pea

REL 1pl 1plS-Jewish-PL 1plS-3sgO-have

“... which we Jewish people have” (Bible trans., Acts 26:3) 26

Oriental Periphery

Oriental > Sierra de Puebla > Cuetzalan, Puebla

Ti-tayecanque ti-ye-zqui 2sgS-leader 2sgS-be-FUT “You will be a/the leader”

Ni-tomineh ni-cat-ca 1sgS-rich 1sgS-be-PST “I was rich”

Ti-nel-li (yn) ti-teopixca-t 2sgS-true-ABS ART 2sgS-priest-ABS “You are a true priest” (Tomas Amaya Aquino, speaker p.c.)

Probably no non-predicative nominal “subject” marking in Pipil

27

Occidental Periphery

Mexicanero of Western Sierra Madre (Canger 2001)

– kwaha ni-tepiči ni-ká-h when 1sgS-small 1sgS-be-PST “when I was little …”

Probably no non-predicative nominal “subject” marking in: – San Pedro Jícora (Preuss & Ziehm 1968–1976)

– Michoacán (Sischo 1979)

28

Archaic texts

Archaic songs from Primeros Memoriales (cf. Sullivan & Dakin 1980)

– Ātl-āyahui-cān ni-Xochiquetzal-li ... nihuītz

water-mist-LOC 1sgS-X.-ABS 1sgS-come

“I, Xochiquetzal, ... come from the place of watery

mist”

29

Summary

Non-predicative nominal “subject” person

marking is attested in all of the four dialectal

areas, though sporadically

Archaic songs also have non-predicative

nominal “subject” person marking

30

Why did nominal “subject” marking decline in many Nahuan languages?

31

Why did nominal “subject” marking decline in many Nahuan languages?

Typological markedness?

Influence of other indigenous languages?

Influence of Spanish?

32

Double “subject” marking in [Adj + N]

Eres un buen gobernador

Ti-cual-li ti-tlahtoāni

2sgS-good-ABS 2sgS-ruler

“You are a good ruler”

33

Instability of double person marking in modern Nahuatl

Tetelcingo Nahuatl: double person marking on adjective-noun configuration is optional (Tuggy 1979:11) – nemehwa nen-ka-te nen-kwalı nen-tlɔka

2pl 2plS-be-PL 2plS-good 2plS-men “You are good men”

– taha tı-kwalı tlɔka-tl 2sg 2sgS-good man-ABS “You are a good man”

34

Double “subject” marking in [Adj + N] (1)

Ti-cual-li ti-tlahtoāni

“You are a good ruler”

(Compendio del Arte de la lengua mexicnana)

Ca ti-nel-li ti-teōpixcā-tzin-tli

“You are a real priest”

(La adoración de los Reyes)

35

Double “subject” marking in [Adj + N] (2)

In tlā ti-huēi ti-tlahtlacoāni

“If you are a big sinner”

(Promptuario manual mexicano)

nehhuātl ni-huēi ni-tlahtlacoāni

“I, a big sinner”

(Catecismo mexicano)

36

Summary: double “subject” marking in [Adj + N]

The double person marking in [Adj + N]

configuration, the most unstable type of

nominal “subject” person marking, is observed

manly in missionary texts

cf. Eres un buen hombre

37

Single marking in Spanish names

in ti-chpōch-tli in ti-Santa María

ART 2sgS-maiden-ABS ART 2sgS-Saint Mary

“you, Virgin Saint Mary” (Psalmodia Christiana)

Ca ni-miqui-z in nehhuātl ni-Pedro Tozan

AFF 1sgS-die-FUT ART 1sg 1sgS-Pedro Tozan

“I, Pedro Tozan, will die” (testament, 1587)

38

Single marking in Spanish names

nehhuā-tl Ana María 1sg-ABS Ana María “I, Ana María” (testament, 1600)

Ni-qu-ihtoa nehhuā-tl Juana Agustina ... 1sgS-3sgO-say 1sg-ABS Juana Agustina “I, Juana Agustina, say ….” (testament, 1609)

Ca ti-huēi apostol AFF 2sgS-big apostle “You are a great apostle” (Psalmodia christiana)

39

Summary: “subject” marking in Spanish loan expressions

In Classical Nahuatl, Spanish multi-word loan

expressions (especially personal names) lacked

the double marking of “subject” prefixes

More generally, Spanish loan expressions

sometimes lacked “subject” person marking

40

Summary: Spanish influence on nominal “subject” person marking in Nahuatl

The unstability of redundant nominal

“subject” marking in:

– Adj + N phrases (found mainly in missionary texts)

– Spanish multi-word person names

– Spanish loanwords

41

Conclusion (1)

Despite the large cross-dialectic diversity, the

non-predicative use of “subject” marking in

nouns in Nahuan languages can be

reconstructed for Proto-Nahuan

Its obligatoriness (cf. Classical Nahuatl) might

be a later innovation

42

Conclusion (2)

The decline of obligatory “subject” person

marking has been accelerated by the contact

with Spanish in Central Nahuatl

43

¡Tlazohcāmati! ¡Muchísimas gracias!

44

References (1)

Andrews, J Richard. 2003. Introduction to Classical Nahuatl: Revised Edition. Austin: University of Texas Press. Campbell, Lyle. 1985. The Pipil Language of El Salvador. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter. Canger, Una. 1988. Nahuatl dialectology: a survey and some suggestions. IJAL 54:28–72. Canger, Una. 2001. Mexicanero de la Sierra Madre Occidental. Mexico: Colegio de México. Hasler, Juan A. 1975. Los dialectos de la lengua nahua. América Indígena 35:179–188. Horcasitas, Fernando. 1968. De Porfirio Díaz a Zapata. Mexico City: UNAM.

45

References (2) Kaufman, Terrence. 2001. The History of the Nawa Language Group from the Earliest Times to the Sixteenth Century. A peper for MALDP. Langacker, Ronald W. 1977. Studies in Uto-Aztecan Grammar, vol 1. Dallas: SIL. Langacker, Ronald W. 1979. Studies in Uto-Aztecan Grammar, vol 2. Dallas: SIL. Lastra de Suárez, Yolanda. 1986. Las áreas dialectales del náhuatl moderno. Mexico City: UNAM. Launey, Michel. 1994. La grammaire omniprédicative. Paris: L’Harmattan. Launey, Michel. 2003. Le type omniprédicatif et la morphosyntaxe du nahuatl. Faits de Langue 21:9–24.

46

References (3)

Preuss, Konrad Theodor and Elsa Ziehm. 1968–1976. Nahua-Texte aus San Pedro Jícora in Durango, vols I–III. Berlin: Gebrüder Mann Verlag. Sischo, William R. Michoacán Nahual. In Langacker (1979), pp. 307–380. Sullivan, Thelma D. and Karen Dakin. 1980. Dialectología del náhuatl de los siglos XVI y XVII. Rutas de intercambio en Mesoamérica y el norte de México, vol. 2:291–301. Tuggy, David H. 1979. Tetelcingo Nahuatl. In Langacker (1979), pp. 1–140.

47