Supplement 2.
( ) plural ending in parenthesis
NOUNS STEMS (in blue) with -TL	Translation
Ahuitl ( -huan)	Aunt
Ayotl (-meh)	Sea Turtle, Tortoise
Ahtlatl	Spear Thrower, atlatl
Ayahuitl (-huan)	Cloud. fog
Azcatl (-meh)	Ant
Chilazcatl	a type of Red Ant
Conetl ( coconeh = children)	Child, daughter, son
*Cuicatl (cuicameh)	Song
*Cueitl	Skirt
Huehxolotl (-h) (-meh)	Turkey
Ihiyotl	Breath, respiration, hence one's life, sustenance
*Metlatl	Metate, Grindstone
Mixitl	Intoxicating Herb, possibly Jimsonweed
Nexatl	Lime water
Oztotl (-meh)	Cave
Quechquemitl	Garment w/ neck hole, forms a point in front & back
Quechtetl	Neck
*Tocaitl	Name
Totoltetl (-meh)	Egg
Tototl (-meh) (-huan)	Bird
Teotl (teteoh = forces)	Creative Force, Energy
Tezcatl	Mirror, glass
Xayacatl	Face, mask
Xihuitl	Comet
Yetl (variant form is etl)	Bean
Yolcayotl	One's sustenance, by which one lives
Zahuatl (-meh)	Pox, rash

*NOTE: POSSESSED NOUNS
In some nouns, an "i" or an "a" precedes the absolutive suffix as occurs in the words "xochitl" (flower) and "nacatl" (meat, flesh). For some (but not all) of these nouns taking this shape, when the absolutive suffix is dropped and an inflectional affix is added such as occurs when nouns form the possessed state, the preceding "i" or "a" of the noun is also dropped, leaving a stem word like "xoch" for flower (or, e.g. noxoch = my flower) and "nac" for flesh (or, e.g. nonac = my flesh) (Campbell and Karttunen 1: 15).

Supplement 2.
( ) plural ending in parenthesis
NOUNS STEMS (in blue) with -LI	Translation
Achcolli	Great-grandfather, ancestor
Ahtlapalli	Wing, leaf
Atolli	Atole, a drink made from cornstarch
Axilli	River crayfish
Cihuapilli (ladies = cihuapipiltin)	Lady
Colli (-tin)	Grandfather, ancestor
Copalli	copal, a type of incense
Elli	Liver
Huipilli (-tin) (-meh)	Native woman's blouse
Ithualli	Patio, interior yard
Ixpilli	Eyelash
Mexcalli	Mezcal, distilled alcohol of cooked maguey heart
Nohpalli	Prickly Pear Cactus
Ohuamilli	Cane field
Pilolli	Pitcher
Pinolli	Flour, something ground
Quimilli	Bundle of clothes
Tecolli (-tin)	Charcoal
Tlacualli	Food
Tlahmachtilli	Student, disciple, follower
Tlapetlanilli	Lightning, flash
Xalli	Sand
Zacacalli	Thatched house
Zanilli (-tin)	tale, fable; conversation

Supplement 2.
( ) plural ending in parenthesis
NOUNS STEMS (in blue) with -IN	Translation
Aocuilin	type of water animal
Axin	Insect that secretes medicinal substance
Chapolin (-tin)	Grasshopper, a type of locust
Citlalin	Star
Chapolin (-tin)	Grasshopper, a type of locust
Cohuixin	Black bellied Plover (family Charadriidae shorebirds)
Cozolin	Crayfish
Cuixin	Large bird of prey, hawk
Cuetzpalin (-tin) (-meh)	Lizard, iguana
Cuezalin	A flame colored thing; a scarlet-macaw feather
Huaxin	Large Tropical Tree that makes edible pods
Huitzilin	Hummingbird
Mapachin (-tin) (-meh)	Racoon
Michin (fishes = mimichtin, michtin)	Fish
Nacaocuilin (-tin)	maggot or cataract of the eye
Nextecuilin (-tin)	type of large, whitish caterpillar that eats plant roots
Ocuilin (-tin)	Worm
Quimichin (-tin) (Quimichimeh)	Mouse
Tolin	Sedge grass, reeds
Totolin (-tin)	Domestic Fowl e.g. Turkey (also Chicken, Dove)
Xomilin (-tin) (-meh)	A type of edible insect
Zayolin (-meh)	Fly
Zolin (-tin)	Quail
Zotolin	Palm Tree

Supplement 2.
( ) plural ending in parenthesis
NOUNS STEMS (in blue) with -TLI	Translation
Acapechtli	Reed Mat
Acocohtli	Acotote, name of several different squash plants
Ahhuachpoctli	Rain cloud
Cactli (-meh)	Shoe
Chantli (-meh)	Home, residence
Chitahtli	Hammock, sling, net, hanging cradle
Cihtli (-tin)	Grandmother, or sister of one's grandfather
Copactli	Palate, Throat
Huilantli	Crippled one, who drags oneself around
Eztli	Blood
Ixtelelohtli (-huan)	Eye
Mihtohtli	Dance
Nochtli	Fruit of prickly pear cactus
Oquichtli (-tin) (-meh) (-huan)	Man, male husband
Otztli (plural = Ootztin)	Someone pregnant
Pahtli	Medicine, potion
Quiquiztli	Conch shell trumpet
Tapachtli	Sea shell, coral
Tentli	Lip, mouth, edge, and (by extension) word
Teponaztli	Lateral long drum
Tzauctli	Glue
Tzictli	chicle, sapodilla gum used for chewing gum
Xictli	Navel, peephole
Xinachtli	Seed
Yoltlazohtlaliztli	Love

IDENTIFYING NOUN STEMS:

In Nahuatl, one must learn to recognize noun stems in order to construct noun plural forms, possessed forms, and noun postpositions. A stem is the "underlying form of a word (a noun or verb) that may consist of a root alone or a root plus a derivational affix, to which inflectional affixes or endings may be added (Webster's 1310)."

The characteristic difference between derivational and inflectional affixes is that "derivational affixes create new vocabulary (Mithun 40)." For example, the English word "FELLOW" is a root word, whereby adding the derivational affix "SHIP" makes the new word "FELLOWSHIP." Both "FELLOW" and "FELLOWSHIP" are stems that have distinct lexical entries (dictionary entries).

Thus, while derivational affixes DO make new words, "inflectional affixes DO NOT create new vocabulary (Mithun 40). Rather, inflectional endings change a stem in such a way that it does not introduce a form of the word that requires an additional lexical entry as a result. For example, when the noun stem "FELLOW" is modified to become "FELLOWS" or when the noun stem "FELLOWSHIP" is modified to "FELLOWSHIPS" by adding the inflectional affix "-S," neither form e.g. "FELLOWS" nor "FELLOWSHIPS" involves the creation of a new word entry in the dictionary.

Postpositions (mentioned above) are "words, particles, or affixes following the elements they modify or govern (Webster's 1055)." Nahuatl postpositions in particular are attached to noun stems as a rule. According to Thelma D. Sullivan's "Compendium of Nahuatl Grammar," Nahuatl postpositions e.g. -ICA are equivalent in meaning to the English prepositions e.g. by, on, to, with, or since. The only difference is that Nahuatl postpositions are placed after a noun or pronoun and NOT before as occurs with prepositions that are expressed in English (see example below). Sullivan further states that as a Nahuatl rule, postpositions are added to noun stems (without the absolutive suffix -TL, TLI, -LI, -IN). See Table 1 near the end of this page for absolutive suffix applications.

English preposition .vs. Nahuatl postposition Example:

English: by + cloud = by cloud

Nahuatl: MEXTLI + ÍCA = MEXÍCA = by cloud

Listed below are examples of Nahuatl noun stems. Accustom yourself to recognize the noun stem as distinct from its absolutive suffix: -TL, -TLI, -LI, -IN. Remember the plural form endings that follow some of the nouns provided below in parenthesis.

*NOTE:
Some noun stems and multiple derived nouns (derived nouns to be explained in upcoming lessons) have NO absolutive suffix application e.g. "chichi" (dog) (Campbell and Karttunen 2: 33).

WORKS CITED / REFERENCES

(nearly all of the books listed below are available through inter-library loan from the University of Utah or from your local university, which may carry copies as well. Links are provided for those who are able and interested in purchasing the resources listed.)

Andrews, J. Richard. Introduction to Classical Nahuatl. Austin: Univ. of Texas 1975

.

Campbell, R. Joe and Frances Karttunen. Foundation Course in Nahuatl Grammar. 2 vols. Morris: Univ. of Minnesota, 1989 .

Karttunen, Frances. An Analytical Dictionary of Nahuatl. 1983. Oklahoma: Univ. of Oklahoma, Norman, 1992

.

Mithun, Marianne. The Languages of Native North America. 1999. New York: Cambridge, 2001

.

Sullivan, Thelma D. Compendium of Nahuatl Grammar.1976. Trans. Thelma D. and Neville Stiles. Ed. Wick R. Miller and Karen Dakin. Salt Lake City: Univ. of Utah, 1988

.

Webster's Dictionary. Random House. 1991.

ABSOLUTIVE SUFFIX	APPLICATION GUIDELINE
- TL	apply to noun stems ending in a vowel
- TLI	apply to noun stem ending in a consonant, except "L"
- LI	apply to noun stems ending in "L"
- IN	apply to "some stems"