Mexicaneru
Eastern Huasteca Nahuatl
Uto-Aztecan
Eastern Huasteca Nahuatl (Náhuatl de la Huasteca Oriental) is one of the largest modern Nahuatl varieties, spoken by ~410,000 people in the Huasteca region of northeastern Mexico spanning Veracruz, Hidalgo, and San Luis Potosí states. Together with Western Huasteca Nahuatl (nhw) and Central Huasteca Nahuatl (nch), the Huasteca Nahuatl varieties form the largest concentrated Nahuatl-speaking region in modern Mexico. Linguistically, Eastern Huasteca Nahuatl preserves classical Nahuatl features (saltillo glottal stops, vowel length distinctions) and has retained the most Mesoamerican vocabulary among modern Nahuatl varieties. Hasler's 1979 reference grammar is the major modern documentation.
Where it is spoken
20 core words in Eastern Huasteca Nahuatl
Water
atl
/atɬ/
Fire
tlitl
/tɬitɬ/
Sun
tonatih
/tonatih/
Moon
metztli
/metstɬi/
Mother
mama
/mama/
Father
tata
/tata/
Eat
tlacua
/tɬakʷa/
Drink
atli
/atɬi/
Love
tlazohtla
/tɬasoʔtɬa/
Heart
yollotl
/jolːotɬ/
Tree
cuahuitl
/kʷawitɬ/
House
calli
/kalːi/
Dog
itzcuintli
/itskʷintli/
Cat
mizton
/miston/
Hand
maitl
/maitl/
Eye
ixtli
/iʃtli/
Hello
nimitzpaca
/nimitspaka/
Thank you
tlazohcamati
/tɬasoʔkamati/
One
ce
/se/
Good
cualli
/kʷalːi/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Uto-Aztecan languages
| Meaning | Eastern Huasteca Nahuatl | Central Huasteca Nahuatl | Western Huasteca Nahuatl | Guerrero Nahuatl | Classical Nahuatl | Isthmus Nahuatl | Nawat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | atl /atɬ/ | atl /atɬ/ | atl /atɬ/ | atl /atɬ/ | ātl /aːtɬ/ | ahtli /aʔtli/ | at /at/ |
| Fire | tlitl /tɬitɬ/ | tlitl /tɬitɬ/ | tlitl /tɬitɬ/ | tletl /tɬetɬ/ | tlētl /tɬeːtɬ/ | tit /tit/ | tit /tit/ |
| Sun | tonatih /tonatih/ | tonati /tonati/ | tonati /tonati/ | tonatih /tonatih/ | tōnatiuh /toːnatiw/ | tonal /tonal/ | tunal /tunal/ |
| Moon | metztli /metstɬi/ | metztli /metstɬi/ | metztli /metstɬi/ | metztli /metstɬi/ | mētztli /meːtstɬi/ | metz /mets/ | metsti /metsti/ |
| Mother | mama /mama/ | nana /nana/ | nana /nana/ | nanan /nanan/ | nāntli /naːntɬi/ | nan /nan/ | nan /nan/ |
| Father | tata /tata/ | tata /tata/ | tata /tata/ | tatah /tatah/ | tahtli /tahtɬi/ | tat /tat/ | tat /tat/ |
| Eat | tlacua /tɬakʷa/ | tlacua /tɬakʷa/ | tlacua /tɬakʷa/ | tlakua /tɬakʷa/ | tlacua /tɬakʷa/ | tacua /takʷa/ | takwa /takwa/ |
| Drink | atli /atɬi/ | atli /atɬi/ | atli /atɬi/ | atli /atɬi/ | ātli /aːtɬi/ | ati /ati/ | ati /ati/ |
| Love | tlazohtla /tɬasoʔtɬa/ | tlazohtla /tɬasoʔtɬa/ | tlazohtla /tɬasoʔtɬa/ | tlazohtla /tɬasoʔtɬa/ | tlazōhtla /tɬasoːhtɬa/ | nequi /neki/ | tasujta /tasuhta/ |
| Heart | yollotl /jolːotɬ/ | yollotl /jolːotɬ/ | yollotl /jolːotɬ/ | yolotl /jolotɬ/ | yōllōtl /joːlːoːtɬ/ | yolio /jolio/ | yulu /julu/ |
| Tree | cuahuitl /kʷawitɬ/ | cuahuitl /kʷawitl/ | cuahuitl /kʷawitl/ | kuauitl /kʷawitl/ | cuahuitl /kʷawitɬ/ | cuahuit /kʷawit/ | kwawit /kʷawit/ |
| House | calli /kalːi/ | calli /kalːi/ | calli /kalːi/ | kalli /kalːi/ | calli /kalːi/ | cali /kali/ | kal /kal/ |
| Dog | itzcuintli /itskʷintli/ | itzcuintli /itskʷintli/ | itzcuintli /itskʷintli/ | itzcuintli /itskʷintli/ | itzcuīntli /itskʷiːntɬi/ | itzcuintli /itskʷintli/ | chichi /tʃitʃi/ |
| Cat | mizton /miston/ | mizton /miston/ | mizton /miston/ | miston /miston/ | mīztōn /miːstoːn/ | miston /miston/ | mishin /miʃin/ |
| Hand | maitl /maitl/ | maitl /maitl/ | maitl /maitl/ | mahpi /mahpi/ | māitl /maːitɬ/ | mahuit /mawit/ | mey /mei/ |
| Eye | ixtli /iʃtli/ | ixtli /iʃtli/ | ixtli /iʃtli/ | ixtli /iʃtli/ | īxtli /iːʃtɬi/ | ix /iʃ/ | ish /iʃ/ |
| Hello | nimitzpaca /nimitspaka/ | niltze /niltse/ | niltze /niltse/ | niltze /niltse/ | niltze /niltse/ | niltze /niltse/ | ne pakua /ne pakwa/ |
| Thank you | tlazohcamati /tɬasoʔkamati/ | tlazohcamati /tɬasoʔkamati/ | tlazohcamati /tɬasoʔkamati/ | tlazohcamati /tɬasoʔkamati/ | tlazōhcāmati /tɬasoːhkaːmati/ | tlazohcamati /tlasoʔkamati/ | padiush /padjuʃ/ |
| One | ce /se/ | ce /se/ | ce /se/ | ce /se/ | cē /seː/ | ce /se/ | se /se/ |
| Good | cualli /kʷalːi/ | cualli /kʷalːi/ | cualli /kʷalːi/ | kuajli /kʷahli/ | cualli /kʷalːi/ | cualli /kʷalːi/ | kwahli /kʷahli/ |
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