“I am descended from both the Shawnee and Lenape Nations. The fact that no one in my immediate family has the ability to think and speak in either Shawnee or Lenape, means that we have been deprived of the means of thinking and perceiving outside the Western Christo-European language system. A Japanese person, living in Japan, has the ability to speak, think, and write in the Japanese language from a Japanese perspective. The same could be said for so many other peoples and cultures around the world.
But for Native people, so many of us no longer have the ability to do this beacuse the United States ( and other countries such as Canada, and Mexico, although much less so in Mexico) have, by means of genocidal policies, largely succeeded in destroying our traditional languages. What is the toll that this loss of language has inflicted on us? What have we been deprived of in terms of being able to be free of the Western hegemonic worldview?
- Steve Newcomb, Fourth World Institute
Sadly, most of our people have chosen to base their identities on the Spanish language rather than our Indigenous blood and heritage. In fact, there are many Xikanos who say we must defend and promote the “Spanish” language since it represents our culture and history. Although their hearts may be in the right place, their attempt at maintaining our heritage is not only misguided, but counter-productive and dangerous. By defending the Spanish language as if it were our mother-tongue, we are not working to keep our culture alive, but actively helping to destroy it. As Native people it is our duty to preserve our culture by learning and using our true Indigenous languages. Hopefully, these lessons will serve as a basic introduction to Nawatl, one of the several ORIGINAL and TRUE languages of Anawak which are spoken to this day. It is by no means a complete Nawatl course, but was written in hopes of sparking interest in learning a language we can truly call our own.
Even though we are part of a living, vibrant and expanding culture, the majority of people think that we are long gone, wiped from the face of the earth by Cortez and his barbarians. Today our people number in the millions, yet we are thought of as a lost and extinct civilization. By learning a Native language, we can help re-awaken our people, and build awareness of our true Indigenous heritage.
You will notice in these lessons that the “traditional” method of spelling words in Nawatl is not used. Many people have voiced their disaproval regarding this decision, claiming that “Nahuatl” is the correct way of spelling “Nawatl,” and that by using “K” instaed of “C” and “W” instead of “HU” we are somehow disgracing our ancestors. In reality, there is no “correct” way of spelling Nawatl words. Our ancestors certainly did not use European characters when writing in our language. In fact, we did not use an alphabet at all, but a system of glyphs and pictographs. Most people involved with Mexikayotl have chosen a system of natural phonetics to help facilitate the proper pronunciation of Nawatl words. These lessons adhere to this standard.
When pronouncing Nawatl words, you must remember that the accent always appears on the second to the last syllable. The pronunciation of Nawatl is phonetically similar to English, with the following rules and exceptions:
LL - Pronounced as two seperate L’s
Ex:
Kalli................Kal-lee................House
Chimalli.............Chimal-lee.............Shield
Tamalli..............Tamal-lee..............Tamale
I - Pronounced as two hard E's
Ex:
Ixachilan............Ee-Sha-Chee-Lahn.......The "American" Continents
Chimalli.............Chimal-lee.............Shield
Tamalli..............Tamal-lee..............Tamale
H - Pronounced as a sharp, breathed H, as in “Hi”
Ex:
Tlakameh.............People
Totomeh..............Birds
X - Pronounced as “SH”
Ex:
Mexika...............Me-shee-kah.........Mexicans
Xochitl..............Sho-Cheet...........Flower
E - Pronounced as in "Hem"
Ex:
Xochimeh.............Sho-Chee-Meh.........Flowers
Tlakameh.............Tlah-Kah-Meh.........People
TZ - Pronounced as "TS" in "PanTS"
Ex:
Malintzin..........Mal-een-tzeen...........Malinche
Itzkwintli.........Eetz-kween-tlee......Dog
TL - Sometimes pronounced as in “Atlas.” However, when the TL comes at the end of a word, the “L” is silent and the “T” is sharply pronounced.
Ex:
Ketzalkoatl.........Ketzal-ko-wat.......Beautiful serpent
Z - Pronounced as an “S.”
Ex:
Zempowalli.........Sem-po-wahl-lee
Ziwatl.............See-waht
Practice pronouncing the words on the following list. Focus on getting a feel for the various sounds and gaining confidence with speaking in Nawatl. The important thing is to familiarize yourself with any phonetic differences between Nawatl and English. This will also serve as a beginning vocabulary list to drill yourself on.
Kwalli..........Good
Akwalli........Bad
Atl...............Water
Tletl.............Fire
Tetl..............Stone
Nakatl.........Meat
Pantli............Flag
Amoxtli........Book
Pilli............Child
Michin.........Fish
Zitlalin.........Star
Tliltik .........Black
Iztak............White
Xoxoktik.......Green
Matlaltik.........Blue
Yawitl............Aqua Blue
Chichiltik.........Red
Tlatlautik.........Burnt red
Koztik...........Yellow
Tochtli ...........Rabbit
Mazatl.............Deer
Tototl.............Bird
Moyotl...........Mosquito
Kimichin.........Mouse
Zayolin...........Fly
Ozomatli.........Monkey
Metztli............Moon
Chilli..............Chile
The following is a list of basic phrases to help you get started. Practice them with a friend, focusing on proper pronunciation. Once you have memorized these phrases, you can begin to form short conversations.
GROUP ONE:
Kwalli tlanextli / Good morning
Kwalli Tonalli / Good day
Kwalli teotlak / Good afternoon
Kwalli yowalli / Good night
Ixkichka moztla / Until tomorrow
Tlazokamati / Thank you
Tlazokamati wel miak / Thank you very much
Amitla/Amotle / Your welcome
Ni mitztlazohtla / I love you
Kanin ye nika? / Where am I?
Kanin tichanti? / Where do you live?
Newatl nichanti nikan Aztlan / I live here in Aztlan
Ken motoka? / Tlen Motokatzin? / What is your name?
Newatl notoka tlapoyawa / My name is Tlapoyahua
Kezqui xiwitl tikpia? / How old are you?
Newatl nicpia ——- xiwitl / I am ——- years
Ken timowika / How are you doing?
Kwalli / Good
Wey kwalli / Very good
Akwalli / Not good
Zan kwalli / More or less
Iwan tewatl? / And you?
Amotlenika / Your welcome
GROUP TWO:
Tlen titlatoa moyollo / What does your heart say
Tewatl ti Mexikatl / You are Mexikan
Newatl ni Mexikatl I am Mexikan
Mexika tiwi / Forward Mexikans
Titlatoa Nawatl? / Do you speak Nahuatl?
Kema, nitlatoa Nawatl / Yes, I speak Nahuatl
Amo, nitlatoa Nawatl. / No, I do not speak Nahuatl
Nitlatoa zan tepitzin Nawatl / I only speak a little Nahuatl
Ma kwalli ximocochiti / Have a good sleep.
Ma kwalli ximocochitikan / Have a good sleep (plural)
Timoitazkeh / see you later
Ixkineki / Goodbye (Not literal)
Kanin titekipanoa? / where do you work?
Newatl nitekipanoa / I work...
Kanin timomachtia / Where do you go to school?
Newatl nimomachtia.... / I go to school....
Man kwalli ohtli / Have a good trip
Once you have memorized these phrases, create a series of short conversations, using as many phrases as possible. If you can, work with a partner. To help with memorization, use these phrases on a daily basis, drilling yourself often. As your knowledge of the language system grows, you will be able to put entire conversations into writing.