Classical Nahuatl

Suffix

-tlah

1. (locative, added to nouns) in a place abundant in or abounding with.

   cuahuitl ‎(“tree”) → cuauhtlah ‎(“forest”, literally “place abounding with trees”)

   tepētl ‎(“mountain”) → tepētlah ‎(“highland, mountain range”, literally “place abounding with mountains”)

2. (locative, added to nouns) in a time or season when something is abundant.

   xīlōtl ‎(“unripe ear of maize”) → xīlōtlah ‎(“season of unripe ears of maize”)

Usage notes

This particle undergoes progressive assimilation (where a consonantal sound assimilates into the one that precedes it) in certain situations:

• After l if becomes -lah

calli ‎(“building, house”) → callah ‎(“settlement”, literally “place abounding with houses”)

xālli ‎(“sand”) → xāllah ‎(“sands, expanse of sand”, literally “place abounding with sand”)

Derived terms

References

• Frances Karttunen (1992) An Analytical Dictionary of Nahuatl, University of Oklahoma Press, page 259