-tlah

See also: tłah and -TŁAH

Classical Nahuatl

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [-t͡ɬaʔ]

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

Classical Nahuatl terms suffixed with -tlah

References

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