Nahuatl
Western Huasteca Nahuatl
Uto-Aztecan
Western Huasteca Nahuatl is the largest of the three main Huasteca Nahuatl varieties (Eastern nhe, Central nch, Western nhw), spoken by ~450,000 people in San Luis Potosí state. The Western Huasteca region around Tamazunchale is one of the most populous indigenous-speaking areas in modern Mexico. Linguistically, Western Huasteca Nahuatl shares the Huasteca Nahuatl typological features and is mutually intelligible with its sister varieties.
Where it is spoken
20 core words in Western Huasteca Nahuatl
Water
atl
/atɬ/
Fire
tlitl
/tɬitɬ/
Sun
tonati
/tonati/
Moon
metztli
/metstɬi/
Mother
nana
/nana/
Father
tata
/tata/
Eat
tlacua
/tɬakʷa/
Drink
atli
/atɬi/
Love
tlazohtla
/tɬasoʔtɬa/
Heart
yollotl
/jolːotɬ/
Tree
cuahuitl
/kʷawitl/
House
calli
/kalːi/
Dog
itzcuintli
/itskʷintli/
Cat
mizton
/miston/
Hand
maitl
/maitl/
Eye
ixtli
/iʃtli/
Hello
niltze
/niltse/
Thank you
tlazohcamati
/tɬasoʔkamati/
One
ce
/se/
Good
cualli
/kʷalːi/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Uto-Aztecan languages
| Meaning | Western Huasteca Nahuatl | Central Huasteca Nahuatl | Eastern 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/ | titl /titɬ/ | tletl /tɬetɬ/ | tlētl /tɬeːtɬ/ | tit /tit/ | tit /tit/ |
| Sun | tonati /tonati/ | tonati /tonati/ | tonatih /tonatih/ | tonatih /tonatih/ | tōnatiuh /toːnatiw/ | tonal /tonal/ | tunal /tunal/ |
| Moon | metztli /metstɬi/ | metztli /metstɬi/ | metztli /metstɬi/ | metztli /metstɬi/ | mētztli /meːtstɬi/ | metz /mets/ | metsti /metsti/ |
| Mother | nana /nana/ | nana /nana/ | mama /mama/ | nanan /nanan/ | nāntli /naːntɬi/ | nan /nan/ | nan /nan/ |
| Father | tata /tata/ | tata /tata/ | tata /tata/ | tatah /tatah/ | tāhtli /taːtɬi/ | 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/ | nech-nequi /netʃneki/ | nesa /nesa/ |
| Heart | yollotl /jolːotɬ/ | yollotl /jolːotɬ/ | yollotl /jolːotɬ/ | yolotl /jolotɬ/ | yōllōtl /joːlːoːtɬ/ | yolio /jolio/ | yulu /julu/ |
| Tree | cuahuitl /kʷawitl/ | cuahuitl /kʷawitl/ | cuahuitl /kʷawitɬ/ | 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 | niltze /niltse/ | niltze /niltse/ | nimitzpaca /nimitspaka/ | 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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