Mexicaneru
Isthmus Nahuatl
Uto-Aztecan
Isthmus Nahuatl (also Mecayapan-Pajapan Nahuatl, Náhuatl del Istmo) is one of the ~30 modern Nahuatl varieties of Mexico, spoken in three municipalities of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec area in Veracruz. The Nahuan family (descended from Classical Nahuatl nci, the literary language of the Aztec Empire) divides into Eastern Nahuan (including Isthmus) vs. Western Nahuan vs. Pochutec extinct branches. Isthmus Nahuatl is part of the eastern variant cluster, mutually unintelligible with the larger Huasteca Nahuatl (nhe) and Sierra de Puebla Nahuatl varieties. Bilingual education programs since the 1990s have produced standardized literacy materials, with Isthmus Nahuatl notable for preserving classical Nahuatl features (saltillo glottal stops, vowel length distinctions) lost in some western varieties.
Where it is spoken
20 core words in Isthmus Nahuatl
Water
ahtli
/aʔtli/
Fire
tit
/tit/
Sun
tonal
/tonal/
Moon
metz
/mets/
Mother
nan
/nan/
Father
tat
/tat/
Eat
tacua
/takʷa/
Drink
ati
/ati/
Love
nech-nequi
/netʃneki/
Heart
yolio
/jolio/
Tree
cuahuit
/kʷawit/
House
cali
/kali/
Dog
itzcuintli
/itskʷintli/
Cat
miston
/miston/
Hand
mahuit
/mawit/
Eye
ix
/iʃ/
Hello
niltze
/niltse/
Thank you
tlazohcamati
/tlasoʔkamati/
One
ce
/se/
Good
cualli
/kʷalːi/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Uto-Aztecan languages
| Meaning | Isthmus Nahuatl | Central Huasteca Nahuatl | Western Huasteca Nahuatl | Nawat | Eastern Huasteca Nahuatl | Guerrero Nahuatl | Classical Nahuatl |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | ahtli /aʔtli/ | atl /atɬ/ | atl /atɬ/ | at /at/ | atl /atɬ/ | atl /atɬ/ | ātl /aːtɬ/ |
| Fire | tit /tit/ | tlitl /tɬitɬ/ | tlitl /tɬitɬ/ | tit /tit/ | titl /titɬ/ | tletl /tɬetɬ/ | tlētl /tɬeːtɬ/ |
| Sun | tonal /tonal/ | tonati /tonati/ | tonati /tonati/ | tunal /tunal/ | tonatih /tonatih/ | tonatih /tonatih/ | tōnatiuh /toːnatiw/ |
| Moon | metz /mets/ | metztli /metstɬi/ | metztli /metstɬi/ | metsti /metsti/ | metztli /metstɬi/ | metztli /metstɬi/ | mētztli /meːtstɬi/ |
| Mother | nan /nan/ | nana /nana/ | nana /nana/ | nan /nan/ | mama /mama/ | nanan /nanan/ | nāntli /naːntɬi/ |
| Father | tat /tat/ | tata /tata/ | tata /tata/ | tat /tat/ | tata /tata/ | tatah /tatah/ | tāhtli /taːtɬi/ |
| Eat | tacua /takʷa/ | tlacua /tɬakʷa/ | tlacua /tɬakʷa/ | takwa /takwa/ | tlacua /tɬakʷa/ | tlakua /tɬakʷa/ | tlacua /tɬakʷa/ |
| Drink | ati /ati/ | atli /atɬi/ | atli /atɬi/ | ati /ati/ | atli /atɬi/ | atli /atɬi/ | ātli /aːtɬi/ |
| Love | nech-nequi /netʃneki/ | tlazohtla /tɬasoʔtɬa/ | tlazohtla /tɬasoʔtɬa/ | nesa /nesa/ | tlazohtla /tɬasoʔtɬa/ | tlazohtla /tɬasoʔtɬa/ | tlazōhtla /tɬasoːhtɬa/ |
| Heart | yolio /jolio/ | yollotl /jolːotɬ/ | yollotl /jolːotɬ/ | yulu /julu/ | yollotl /jolːotɬ/ | yolotl /jolotɬ/ | yōllōtl /joːlːoːtɬ/ |
| Tree | cuahuit /kʷawit/ | cuahuitl /kʷawitl/ | cuahuitl /kʷawitl/ | kwawit /kʷawit/ | cuahuitl /kʷawitɬ/ | kuauitl /kʷawitl/ | cuahuitl /kʷawitɬ/ |
| House | cali /kali/ | calli /kalːi/ | calli /kalːi/ | kal /kal/ | calli /kalːi/ | kalli /kalːi/ | calli /kalːi/ |
| Dog | itzcuintli /itskʷintli/ | itzcuintli /itskʷintli/ | itzcuintli /itskʷintli/ | chichi /tʃitʃi/ | itzcuintli /itskʷintli/ | itzcuintli /itskʷintli/ | itzcuīntli /itskʷiːntɬi/ |
| Cat | miston /miston/ | mizton /miston/ | mizton /miston/ | mishin /miʃin/ | mizton /miston/ | miston /miston/ | mīztōn /miːstoːn/ |
| Hand | mahuit /mawit/ | maitl /maitl/ | maitl /maitl/ | mey /mei/ | maitl /maitl/ | mahpi /mahpi/ | māitl /maːitɬ/ |
| Eye | ix /iʃ/ | ixtli /iʃtli/ | ixtli /iʃtli/ | ish /iʃ/ | ixtli /iʃtli/ | ixtli /iʃtli/ | īxtli /iːʃtɬi/ |
| Hello | niltze /niltse/ | niltze /niltse/ | niltze /niltse/ | ne pakua /ne pakwa/ | nimitzpaca /nimitspaka/ | niltze /niltse/ | niltze /niltse/ |
| Thank you | tlazohcamati /tlasoʔkamati/ | tlazohcamati /tɬasoʔkamati/ | tlazohcamati /tɬasoʔkamati/ | padiush /padjuʃ/ | tlazohcamati /tɬasoʔkamati/ | tlazohcamati /tɬasoʔkamati/ | tlazōhcāmati /tɬasoːhkaːmati/ |
| One | ce /se/ | ce /se/ | ce /se/ | se /se/ | ce /se/ | ce /se/ | cē /seː/ |
| Good | cualli /kʷalːi/ | cualli /kʷalːi/ | cualli /kʷalːi/ | kwahli /kʷahli/ | cualli /kʷalːi/ | kuajli /kʷahli/ | cualli /kʷalːi/ |
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