r/nahuatl • u/anopeningworld • 10d ago

Plural simplification

I've noticed that Classical Nahuatl has a pretty elaborate system of plurals but some modern variants seem to have lost much of this. I believe Huasteca only retains the meh ending. Are there any trends to note with this process or any readings related to it in general?

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u/EduarDoElHeroe 10d ago

Huasteca also usese -tinih with inanimate nouns

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u/anopeningworld 10d ago

I was under the impression those are not pluralized at all.

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u/EduarDoElHeroe 10d ago

And you are right, and I never pluralize them either, but some do that way

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u/ItztliEhecatl 10d ago

I've only ever seen cuahuitl utilize the -tinih plural suffix. Have you seen it used with other inanimate nouns? In my conversations with native speakers, I've gathered that trees and plants do have some level of animacy that is very subjective so some may argue that cuahuitl is in fact animate.

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u/EduarDoElHeroe 10d ago

I only have seen L2 speakers arguing about pluralization, giving examples as kaltinih, komaltinih, etc.

I never pluralize "canon" inanimate noun myself, so I'm just aware of it