Chapter IX: The Aztec and Otomí Languages

NAHUA OR AZTEC, CHICHIMEC, AND TOLTEC LANGUAGES IDENTICAL --
ANÁHUAC THE ABORIGINAL SEAT OF THE AZTEC TONGUE -- THE AZTEC
THE OLDEST LANGUAGE IN ANÁHUAC -- BEAUTY AND RICHNESS OF THE
AZTEC -- TESTIMONY OF THE MISSIONARIES AND EARLY WRITERS IN ITS
FAVOR -- SPECIMEN FROM PAREDES' MANUAL -- GRAMMAR OF THE AZTEC
LANGUAGE -- AZTEC LORD'S PRAYER -- THE OTOMÍ A MONOSYLLABIC
LANGUAGE OF ANÁHUAC -- RELATIONSHIP CLAIMED WITH THE CHINESE
AND CHEROKEE -- OTOMÍ GRAMMAR -- OTOMÍ LORD'S PRAYER IN
DIFFERENT DIALECTS.

The Nahua, Aztec, or Mexican, is the language of Mexican civilization, spoken throughout the greater part of Montezuma's empire, extending from the plateau of Anáhuac, or valley of Mexico, as a centre, eastward to the gulf of Mexico, and along its shores from above Vera Cruz east to the Rio Goatzacoalcos; westward to the Pacific, and upon its border from about the twenty-sixth to the sixteenth parallel, thus forming an irregular but continuous linguistic line from the gulf of California south-east, across the Mexican plateau to the gulf of Mexico, of more than four hundred leagues in extent. Again, it is found on the coast of Salvador, and in the interior of Nicaragua, and we have before seen its connection with the nations of the north. Within the limits of the ancient Mexican empire many other languages besides the Aztec were spoken, as for instance the Otomí, Huastec, Totonac, Zapotec, Miztec, and Tarasco, about twenty in all. It has been claimed by some that the languages of the Toltecs and Chichimecs were different from each other, and from the Aztec; it has even been intimated that traces of a language more ancient than any of these have been found. Pedro de los Rios mentions two words of a song used in the religious ceremonies at Cholula, _tulanian hululaez_--which he says belong to a language not understood by the Mexicans, and Alexander von Humboldt thinks they may be the remains of some pre-Mexican language.[IX'-1] Others, and among them the Abbé Brasseur de Bourbourg, claim greater antiquity for the Maya, affirming that it was spoken in Mexico before the Nahua-speaking people reached that country.

From a careful examination of the early authorities, I can but entertain the opinion that the Toltec, Chichimec, and Aztec languages are one, that the Nahua, or Aztec, is the oldest known language of Anáhuac, and that contrary conclusions arrived at by certain later writers are merely speculative. All of the many different peoples mentioned as aboriginal in ancient Anáhuac are said to have spoken the Aztec, as the Ulmecs, Xicalancas, Tecpanecs, Colhuas, Acolhuas, Nahuas, etc. Ixtlilxochitl, the native Tezcucan historian, relates that by order of the ruler, Techotlalatzin, the Chichimecs dropped their own tongue and adopted that of the Aztecs.[IX'-2]

[Sidenote: ORIGINALITY OF THE AZTEC TONGUE.]

Furthermore, internal evidence is all in favor of the originality of the Aztec tongue. Throughout the great empire of Anáhuac it was the dominant stock language. Towards the north, as we have seen, sprinklings of it are found in many places, but nowhere does it appear in that direction as a base. Far to the south, in Nicaragua, it is again found as the stock tongue, yet with a dialectic rather than an aboriginal appearance, so that the testimony of language is all in favor of the plateau of Anáhuac having been the primal centre of the Aztec tongue, rather than its having been introduced within any measurable epoch by immigration.

That the Mexican nation did its utmost to extend the language is certain. It was the court language of American civilization, the Latin of medieval and the French of modern times; it was used as the means of holding intercourse with non-Aztec speaking people, also by all ambassadors, and in all official communications; in all newly acquired and conquered territories it was immediately introduced as the official language, and the people were ordered to learn it. It, or its kindred dialects, can be said to have been the common vernacular in the whole interior of Anáhuac, and over a large part of the Aztec plateau, although within these limits other tongues were in vogue. Southward, it again appears along the shores of the Pacific Ocean. It was spoken as far as Guatemala, in the interior of which it appeared in the shape of various dialects more or less corrupted. It can also be traced into Tabasco, and even into Yucatan on the Atlantic coast. It is again encountered in the gulf of Amatique, whence lines extend connecting with the branches of the Aztec in Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. It is also possible that it may at one time have been used even east of the Mississippi, as will appear from the following statements of Acosta and Sahagun. The latter says that the Apalaches living east of the Mississippi extended their expeditions and colonies far into Mexico, and were proud to show to the first conquerors of their country the great highways on which they traveled. Acosta affirms that the Mexicans called these Apalaches, Tlatuices or mountaineers. Sahagun, speaking of them, says "they are Nahoas, and speak the Mexican language."[IX'-3] This is by no means improbable, as the Aztec is found eastward in the present states of Tamaulipas and Coahuila, and thence the distance to the Mississippi is not so very far.[IX'-4]

[Sidenote: THE AZTEC LANGUAGE EAST OF MEXICO.]

Of all the languages spoken on the American continent, the Aztec is the most perfect and finished, approaching in this respect the tongues of Europe and Asia, and actually surpassing many of them by its elegance of expression. Although wanting the six consonants, _b_, _d_, _f_, _r_, _g_, _s_, it may still be called full and rich. Of its copiousness the Natural History of Dr Hernandez gives evidence, in which are described twelve hundred different species of Mexican plants, two hundred or more species of birds, and a large number of quadrupeds, reptiles, insects, and metals, each of which is given its proper name in the Mexican language.[IX'-5] Mendieta says that it is not excelled in beauty by the Latin, displaying even more art in its construction, and abounding in tropes and metaphors. Camargo calls it the richest of the whole land, and the purest, being mixed with no foreign barbaric element; Gomara says it is the best, most copious, and most extended in all New Spain; Dávila Padilla, that it is very elegant and graceful, although it contains many metaphors which make it difficult; Lorenzana, that it is very elegant, sweet, and complete; Clavigero, that it is copious, polite, and expressive; Brasseur de Bourbourg, that from the most sublime heights it descends to common things with a sonorousness and richness of expression peculiar only to itself. The missionaries found it ample for their purpose, as in it and without the aid of foreign words they could express all the shades of their dogmas, from the thunderings and anathemas of Sinai to the sublime teachings of the Christ.

Although the Spaniards usually employed the word Dios for God, the Aztecs offered one as fit, their Teotl, and Tloque Nahuaque, signifying invisible supreme being. The many written Aztec sermons, catechisms, and rituals also attest the copiousness of the tongue.[IX'-6] The Mexican, like the Hebrew and French, does not possess superlative nouns, and like the Hebrew and most of the living European languages, it has no comparatives, their place being supplied by certain particles. The Aztec contains more diminutives and augmentatives than the Italian, and is probably richer than any other tongue in the world in verbal nouns and abstracts, there being hardly a verb from which verbal nouns cannot be formed, or a substantive or adjective of which abstracts are not made. It is equally rich in verbs, for every verb is the root from which others of different meanings spring. Agglutination or aggregation is carried to its widest extent, and words of inordinate length are not uncommon. In agglutinating, end-syllables or letters are usually dropped, principally for the sake of euphony. A prayer to the Virgin of Guadalupe, which is to be found in the _Promptuario Manual_ of Paredes, I insert here as a curious specimen of long words:

* * * * *

[Sidenote: SPECIMEN OF LONG AZTEC WORDS.]

Tlahuemmanaliztli; ic momoztlê tictocemmacazque in Tlâtocacihuapilli Santa Maria de Guadalupe. Tlâtocacihuapillê, Notlazomahuiznantzinê, Santa Mariae, nican mixpantzinco ninomayahui, ninocnotlaza, ihuan mochi Noyollotica, Nanimatica nimitzhohuêcapanilhuia, nimitznomahuiztililia, nimitznotlazotilia, ihuan nimitznotlazocamachitia ipampa in nepapan in motetlaocolilitzin; ic in Tehuâtzin otinechmomacahuililitzino. Auh ocyecenca ipampa ca Tehuâtzin, Notzopelicanantziné, otinechmopiltzintitzino, ihuan, otinechmoconetitzinô. Auh ic ipampa in axcan ihuan yê mochipa nimitznocemmacatzinoa, Notetlaocolicanantzinê, inic in Tehuâtzin nimitznotlazotiliz, ihuan inic áic nimitznoyoltequipaehilhuiz. Auh in Tehuâtzin, nimitznotlátlauhtilia: in ma in nonemian, ihuan in nomiquian xinechmopalchuili, ma xinechmochimalcaltili, ihuan ma in motetlaocolilizcuexantzinco xinechmocalaquili; inic qualli ic ninemiz, ihuan nimiquiz; inic çatepan nimitznomahuizalhuiz, in ompa in Ilhuicac; in ompa in Dios Itlâtocatecpanchantzinco in Gloria. Amen.[IX'-7]

* * * * *

A word of sixteen syllables, the name of a plant, occurs in Hernandez--_mihuiittilmoyoiccuitlatonpicixochitl_.[IX'-8] Though the Aztecs made verses, no specimens of their poetry have been preserved except in a translated form. One, composed by the great Tezcucan, King Nezahualcoyotl, translated in full in the preceding volume, gives us an exalted idea of the advanced state of the language.[IX'-9]

The Mexican language employs the following letters: _a_, _ç_, _ch_, _e_, _h_, _i_, _k_, _l_, _m_, _n_, _o_, _p_, _q_, _t_, _tl_, _tz_, _u_, _v_, _x_, _y_, _z_. The pronunciation is soft and musical, and free from nasal sound. The _a_ is clear; _ch_ before a vowel is pronounced as in Spanish; but before a consonant, or when a terminal, it differs somewhat; _e_ is clear; _h_ is an aspirate, in general soft, being strong only when it precedes _u_. No word commences with the letter _l_; _ll_ is pronounced as in English. The _t_ is sometimes silent, but not when it comes between two _l's_; _tl_ in the middle of a word is soft, as in Spanish, but as a terminal it is pronounced _tle_, the _e_ half mute; _tz_ is similar to the Spanish _s_, but a little stronger; the _v_ is by the women pronounced as in Spanish, but men give it a sound very similar to _hu_ in Spanish; _x_ is soft, like _sh_ in English; _z_ is like _s_ in Spanish, but less hissing.

[Sidenote: AGGLUTINATION IN THE AZTEC LANGUAGE.]

By compounding, the Mexicans make many long words, some even of sixteen syllables; but there are also some non-compounded words that are very long. Words are compounded by uniting a number of whole words, and not alone by simple juxtaposition, since, with much attention to brevity and euphony, letters and syllables are frequently omitted. For instance;--_tlazotli_, loved; _mahuiztik_; honorable, or reverend; _teopixqui_, priest; _tatli_, father; _no_, mine; of which is composed _notlazomahuizteopixcatzin_, that is to say, my very esteemed father and reverend priest. This also presents an example of the ending _tzin_, which simply signifies respect. _Teopixqui_ is composed of _teotl_, God, and _pia_, to guard. There are two particles which may be appropriately called ligatures, as they serve to unite words in certain cases; they are _ca_ and _ti_. _Kualani_, to irritate, to anger; _itta_, consider, reflect; _nikualanicaitta_, to observe with anger, angrily.

By reason of these compounded words, the meaning of a whole sentence is often contained in a single word, as;--_tlalnepantla_, in the middle of the earth, or, situated in the middle; _popocatepetl_, smoking mountain; _atzcaputzalli_, ant-hill, or, place where there are many people moving--alluding to a dense population; _cuauhnahuac_, (Cuernavaca) near to the trees; _atlixco_, above the water; _tepetitlan_, above the mountain, etc.

There are several ways of expressing the plural. As a rule, plurals are applied only to animate objects. Inanimate objects seldom change in the plural, as;--_ce tetl_, one stone; _yei tetl_, three stones; _miec tetl_, many stones. In exceptional cases the plural of inanimate objects is expressed by terminals. One of these exceptions is when the object is connected with persons, as;--_zoquitl_, mud; _tizoquime_, we are earth; but there are again exceptions to this rule, as for instance;--_ilhuicame_, the heavens; _tepeme_, mountains; _zitlaltin_, stars. Sometimes inanimate things also form the plural by doubling the first syllable;--_tetla_, place full of stones; _tetetla_, places full of stones; _calli_, house; cacalli, houses. These various terminations may be reduced to the following rules. Primitive words have the plural in _me_, _tin_, or _que_, as;--_ichcatl_, a sheep; _ichcame_, sheep; _zolin_, a quail, _zoltin_, quail; _cocoxqui_, sick; _cocoxque_, sick (plural); _topile_, constable; _topileque_, constables. Derivatives form the plural as follows: those called reverentials, ending with _tzintli_, have in the plural _tzitzintin_. Diminutives, ending in _tontli_, have in the plural _totontin_, and diminutives ending in _ton_ and _pil_, augmentatives in _pol_, and reverentials in _tzin_, double the terminal, as;--_tlacatzintli_, person; _tlacatzitzintin_, persons; _ichcatontli_, a lamb; _ichcatatontin_, lambs; _ichcapil_, lamb; _ichcapipil_, lambs; _chichiton_, a little dog; _chichitoton_, little dogs; _huehuetzin_, old man; _huehuetzitzin_, old men.

Words into whose composition the possessive pronoun enters, whether primitive or derivative, have for the plural _van_ or _huan_;--_noichcahuan_, my sheep; _noichcatotonhuan_, my little sheep. The words _tlcatl_, man, _ciuatl_, woman, and those which imply an official or professional position, form the plural simply by leaving off the last letters, as;--_mexicatl_, plural, _mexicá_; in which case, however, the ultimate syllable is accented. Some words, to form the plural, double the first syllable, and also use terminals, as;--_teotl_, God; _teteo_, gods; _zolin_, quail; _zozoltin_, quails; _zitli_, hare; _ziziltin_, hares. _Telpochtli_ and _ichpochtli_, double the syllable _po_.

Some adjectives have several plurals, as;--_miec_, much; plural, _miectin_, _miecintin_, or _miecin_. Gender is expressed by adding the words _oquichtli_ or _ciuatl_, male and female, except in such words as in themselves indicate the gender. A father speaking of his son says, _nopiltzin_, and a mother of her daughter, _noconeuh_.

[Sidenote: AZTEC GRAMMAR.]

There are no regular declensions; in the vocative case, an _e_ is added to the nominative, or words ending in _tli_ or _li_, change the _i_ into _e_. Those ending in _tzin_ may change to _tze_ or add an _e_, but the latter is only used by males. The genitive is denoted by the possessive pronoun or by the juxtaposition of the words, as;--_teotl_, God; _tenahuatilli_, emanating; _teotenahuatilli_, precept of God. The dative is indicated by verbs called applicatives; the accusative, by certain particles which accompany the verb, or by juxtaposition; as;--_chihua_, to have; _tlaxcalli_, bread; _nitlaxcalchihua_, I have bread. The ablative is indicated by certain particles and prepositions. Diminutives are formed by the terminals _tontli_ and _ton_, as;--_chichi_, dog; _chichiton_, small dog; _calli_, house; _cacontli_, small house. Augmentatives take the syllable _pol_. The terminals _tla_, and _la_, serve as collectives; --_xochitl_, flower; _xochitla_, flower-bed. Words ending with _otl_ are abstracts, as;--_qualli_, good; _qualotl_, goodness. Those ending with _va_ (_hua_) and _e_ indicate possession;--_ilhuicatl_, heaven; _ilhuicahua_, master of heaven, (applied to God). Comparatives and superlatives have no particular terminations, but their place is supplied by adverbs, as;--_achi_, _ocachi_, etc., which mean 'more.' Pedro is better than Juan, _ocachiqualli in Pedro ihuan amo Juan_; here the adverb is connected with _quallo_, good. Words derived from active, neuter, passive, reflective and impersonal verbs, having various significations, terminate in _ni_, _oni_, _ya_, _ia_, _yan_, _can_, _yau_, _ian_, _tli_, _li_, _liztli_, _oca_, _ca_, _o_, _tl_; as;--_cochini_, he who sleeps; _tlaxcalchihuani_, he who has bread; _motlaloani_, he who runs; _chihualoni_, practicable; _neitoniloni_, something producing perspiration; _notlachiuaya_, my instrument; _amotlanequia_, our will; _tlacualoyan_, eater; _micoayan_, place to sleep; _itepatiayan_, hospital; _tlachihualli_, created, produced; _tetlazotlatiztli_, love; _nachihualoka_, creation.

Personal pronouns are;--_nehuatl_, _nehua_, _ne_, I; _tehuatl_, _tehua_, _te_, thou; _yehuatl_, _yehua_, _ye_, he or somebody; _tehuantin_, _tehua_, we; _amehuantin_, _amehuan_, you; _yehuantin_, _yehuan_, they. Possessives;--_no_, mine; _mo_, thine; _i_, his; _to_, ours; _amo_, yours; _in_ or _im_, theirs; _te_, belonging to others.

The above-mentioned possessives are used in compounded words, and change the final syllable of the word to which they are joined;--_teotl_, God; _noteuh_, my God; _huehuetl_, old man; _amohuehuetcauh_, our old man.

The verb has indicative, imperative, optative, and subjunctive moods--present, imperfect, perfect, pluperfect, and future tenses.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TEMICTIA, TO KILL.

PRESENT INDICATIVE.

I kill, nitemictia | We kill, titemictiâ
Thou killest, titemictia | You kill, antemictiâ
He kills, temictia | They kill, temictiâ

IMPERFECT. PERFECT.

I killed, nitemictiaya | I have killed, onitemicti
| We have killed, otitemictiquê

PLUPERFECT.

I had killed, onitemictica

FIRST FUTURE. SECOND FUTURE.

I shall kill, nitemictiz | I shall have killed, yeonitemictli
We shall kill, titemictizquê |

IMPERATIVE.

Kill thou, maxictemicti | Kill you, maxitemictican

OPTATIVE.

Would that I might kill, manitemictiani

PASSIVE FORMS.

I am killed, nimictilo
I was killed, onimictiloya

PASSIVE FORMS.

I have been killed, onimictiloc
I had been killed, onimitiloca
I shall be killed, nimictiloz
I shall have been killed, ye onimictiloc
O that I may be killed, manimictilo
O that I had been killed, manimictiloni
I ought to be killed, nimictilozquia
He who is killed, inmictilo

OTHER FORMS.

If I had killed, intlaonitcmictiani
If I had not killed, intlacamo onitemictiani
If I should kill, intlanitemictiz
He who kills, intemictia
I come to kill, onitemictico
I will come to kill, nitemictiquiuh
May I come to kill, manitemictiqui
I went to kill, onitemictito
I will go to kill, nitemictiuh
May I go to kill, manitemiciti

[Sidenote: AZTEC IRREGULAR VERBS.]

There are but few irregular verbs in the Aztec language and the following are all that Pimentel could find;--_ka_ and _mani_, to be; _icac_, to be on foot; _onoc_, to be lying down; _yauh_, to go; _huallauh_ and _huitz_, to come; _mazehualti_, _icnopilti_, and _ilhuilti_, to obtain a benefit.

The following words are always used as affixes:

For pal, pampa Of, from tech
Behind icampa, tepotzco, Toward huic
cuitlapan Between tzalan
With huan, pa, copa, ca In the midst nepantla
Belonging to tloc Together nahuac
Within co, c Above icpac
On the other side nalko, nal Before ixco, ixpan,
ixtlan, ixtla
Underneath tlan Inside itic, itec
Under tzintlan

THE LORD'S PRAYER.

Totatzine ynilhuicac timoyeztica, mayectenehualo
Our revered father who heaven in art, be praised

inmotocatzin, mahualauh inmotlatocayotzin machihualo
thy name, may come thy kingdom be done

intlalticpac inmotlanequilitzin, inyuhchichihualo inilhuicac,
earth above thy will as is done heaven in,

intotlaxcalmomoztlac totech monequi maaxcan
our bread every day to us is necessary to-day

xitechmomaquili, maxitechmetlapopohuili intotlatlacol,
give us, forgive us our sins,

iniuh tiquintlapopolhuia intechtlatla calhuia,
as we forgive those who us offend,

macamoxitechmomacahuili inicamo ipan tihuetzizque
thou not us lead that not in we fall

inteneyeyecoltiliztli: çanye xitechmomaquixtili inyhuicpa
in temptation: but deliver us against

inamoqualli. Maiuhmochihua.[IX'-10]
from not good.

Many comparisons between the Aztec and the tongues of Asia and Europe have been made, and relationship claimed with almost every prominent language, but under analysis all these fancied affinities vanish. Similarities in words, in common with all tongues, are found between the Aztec and others, but at best they can be called only accidental. Still, a few remarkable word-analogies have been noticed, among the chief of which are the following. The Aztec like the Greek and Sanskrit, uses the privative preposition _a_, which in the Celtic has been changed to _an_, in Latin to _in_, or _im_, and in the German to _un_;--Greek, athanatos; Aztec, _amiquini_, immortal. Further, in the perfect tense, and sometimes in the imperfect, _o_ is used in the Aztec, like the Sanskrit _a_, and the Greek _e_. But the most remarkable coincidence is the word _teotl_, which is as near as possible to the Greek _Théos_. Kingsborough and Mrs Simon see in the Aztec the language of the Jews; Jones that of the ancient Tyrians; Lang, that of the Polynesians. García makes comparisons with the Hebrew, Spanish, Phœnician, Egyptian, Japanese, and German, and for a relationship with these and many others he finds claimants. Until further light is thrown upon American philology, the Aztec must stand alone, as one of the independent languages of the world.[IX'-11]

* * * * *

The Otomí, held to be next to the Aztec the most widely extended language in Mexico, was spoken by a rough and barbarous people who inhabit the mountains encircling the valley of Anáhuac, but more particularly those towards the north-west. Thence it extended into the present state of San Luis Potosí, was spoken throughout Querétaro and the larger part of Guanajuato, and in places in Michoacan, Vera Cruz, and Puebla.[IX'-12] From the Journal and Proceedings of the fourth Provincial Council, held in Mexico in the year 1771, it appears that the language was spoken in four dialects, varying so much that it was only with the greatest difficulty that the several tribes could hold intercourse.[IX'-13] The only dialect of which particular notice has been taken is the Mazahua, spoken in the ancient province of Mazahuacan. Of the others the only specimens are a few Lord's Prayers.

[Sidenote: HYPOTHETICAL OTOMÍ AND CHINESE RELATIONSHIP.]

The Otomí claims attention in one particular; it is the only true monosyllabic language found in the Pacific States, and this alone has led many to claim relationship between it and the Chinese.

This Chinese relationship has been mainly advocated by Señor Nájera, a native Otomí, who in furtherance of his peculiar views wrote an excellent Otomí grammar, in an appendix to which he gives an extensive comparison between the two idioms. But, taking up the words which he declares to be similar, we are at once struck with important omissions on his part. The first is that he has not at all taken into consideration the difficulty of comparing monosyllabic languages, in which a word frequently has ten or more significations, distinguishable only by pronunciation and accentuation, and at times having scarcely these distinguishing features. Secondly, the words which he adduces to be similar, are wanting in the very essentials that constitute a relationship, for in most instances they are not even similar in sound, a requisite to which more attention ought to be paid in monosyllabic languages than in those which are polysyllabic. The few words that in reality are similar are probably only accidental resemblances, and the question of relationship between the Otomí and Chinese cannot be said to have been established as yet.[IX'-14]

Mr Bringier branches out in another direction in search of a relationship, and fancies he finds it in the Cherokee, basing his whole argument on a hypothetical resemblance of perhaps half a dozen words, which in fact do not resemble each other at all.[IX'-15]

Like other monosyllabic tongues the Otomí is rather difficult to acquire, its pronunciation being rough, guttural, with frequently occurring nasals and aspirates.[IX'-16]

[Sidenote: OTOMÍ GRAMMAR.]

As before stated, many words having distinct meanings, are distinguished only by various sounds, or intonations of the same vowel; many words even having the same sound and intonations have different meanings. The words of this language are of one or two syllables; a few of them have three. In words compounded of more than one syllable, each syllable preserves its original meaning. The words whether noun or verb, are inflexible. Neither substantive nor adjective nouns have any gender. The same word may be a substantive, adjective, verb, and adverb, as in the following sentence;--_na nho nho ye na nho he nho_, which means, the goodness of man is good and becomes him well. Nouns have neither declension nor gender, which are expressed either by distinct words, or by _ta_, or _tza_, male, and _nsu_ or _nxu_, female;--_tayo_, the dog; _nxuyo_, slut. The particle _na_ has the property of the article and, prefixed to the noun, distinguishes the singular. In the plural, _ya_ affixed, or _e_ prefixed, is substituted. Adjectives are always placed before substantives;--_ka ye_, holy man. Comparatives are expressed by the words _nra_, more, and _chu_, less;--_nho_, good; _nra nho_, better. Superlatives are in like manner shown by the word _tza_, or _tze_, prefixed, meaning very much, excessively, exceedingly;--_tza nho_, best; _tze ntzo_, worst, or very bad. The particle _ztzi_, or _ztzu_, prefixed, marks a diminutive;--_ztzi hensi_, a small paper. In abstract nouns of quality the prefix _na_ is changed into _sa_;--_na nho yeh_, a good man; _sa nho_, that which is good. Personal pronouns are;--_nuga_, _nugaga_, _nugui_, I; _gui_, _ki_, me, for me; _nugué_, _nûy_, thou; _y_, _hi_, to thee, for thee; _nunu_, he; _bi_, _ba_, _ki_, him, for him, to him; _nugahé_, _nugagahé_, _nuguihé_, we, or us; _nuguégúi_, _nuguehu_, _nûygúi_, _nûyhu_, you, to you; _nuyu_, they; _ma_, mine; _ni_, thine; _na_, his.

Verbs are conjugated with the assistance of particles, which designate tense and person. Every tense has three persons, also a singular, and a plural. The plural is always designated by the syllable _hé_, we; _wi_, _gúi_, or _hu_, you; _yu_, they. All nouns may also be verbs, for the Otomís, unable to segregate the abstract idea of existence from the thing existing, confound both and have no substantive verb;--_nho_, good; _di nho_, I good, or I am good.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB NEE, I WILL.

PRESENT INDICATIVE.

I will, di nee | We will, di nee hé
Thou willest, gui nee | You will, gui nee gúi
He wills, y nee | They will, y nee yu

IMPERFECT. PERFECT.

I willed, di nee hma | I have willed, xta nee, or da nee

PLUPERFECT.

I had willed, xta nee hma

FIRST FUTURE. SECOND FUTURE.

I shall will, ga nee | I shall have willed, gua xte nee

IMPERATIVE.

Will thou, nee | Will you, nee gúi nee hu[IX'-17]

[Sidenote: OTOMÍ AND MAZAHUA LORD'S PRAYERS.]

LORD'S PRAYER.

Ma tà he ni bùy mahetsi da ne ansu ni huhu
My father we thou house heaven call holy thy name name

da ehe ga he ni bùy da kha ni hnee ngù
thy will come towards us thy house thy will do thy will as

gua na hày te ngù mahètsi ma hme he ta nà pa
here the earth as also heaven the bread us every day

rà he nar a pa ya ha, puni he ma dupatè he
give us one day new and forgive us our debts

tengù di puni he u ma ndupatè he ha yo gui he he
as we forgive now debtors ours and avoid the permit us

ga he kha na tzò cadi ma na pehe he hin nhò.
do us in bad action but save us no good.

Do kha.
Thy will do.

The same in another dialect. Still another version of the same.

Go ma ta he | Ma tà ki he
To guí bùy | Gue gui bùy
Hé tsi | Kha hetsi
Da ma ka ni hu | Kha ni hu
Na di ni hne | Da di hnec
Hày he heisi | Bi kho na hày
Ma hme he ta pa | Ba ña kha mahetsi
Sa da ke ni | Da da sê he
Ha pu ní ma thày he | Ma hme he
Ngù y pu ma thày tè he | Yo ga zo he gee tzò di.
Ha yo he |
He ga zà tzò di. |

The grammar of the Mazahua dialect is very nearly the same as that of the Otomí, and I therefore insert the Lord's Prayer only to illustrate the connection between the two languages.

Mi yho me ki obuihui ahezi tanereho ni chuu ta ehe
Our father is heaven sanctified thy name come

ni nahmuu ta cha axoñihomue cho ni nane makhe
thou kingdom do earth ? thy will as

anzi ocha ahezi. Ti yak me mi bech me choyazmue,
also is done heaven. Give us our bread every day,

ti chotkhe me mo huezok me makhe anzi tigattotpue
forgive us our faults as also we forgive

me mache i zokhegue me pêkhecho gueguetme tezoxkhemeyo
those who offend us not us must lead in

huezok hi tipe yeziz one macho yoñene macho
sins deliver us from all

tenxi higaho.[IX'-18]
evil.

FOOTNOTES:

[IX'-1] 'Les Cholulains chantoient dans leur fêtes en dansant autour du téocalli, et que ce cantique commençoit par les mots _Tulanian hululaez_, qui ne sont d'aucune langue actuelle du Mexique. Dans tous les parties du globe, sur le dos des Cordillères, comme à l'île de Samothrace, dans la mer Egée, des fragmens de langues primitives se sont conservés dans les rites religieux.' _Humboldt_, _Vues_, tom. i., p. 115.

[IX'-2] 'Les Culhuas, les Tecpanèques, les Aculhuaques, les Chalmecas, les Ulmecas les Xicalancas ... parlaient la même langue, quoique dans chaque province avec un autre dialecte; la principale différence consistait dans la prononciation.' _Camargo_, _Hist. Tlax._, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1843, tom. xcviii., p. 138. 'Les Ulmecas, les Xicalancas et les Zacatecas ... avaient les mêmes moeurs et la même langue.' _Id._, p. 137. 'Car la langue de ce pays (Xalisco) est le chichimeque, et Marina parlait mexicain. On se servait, à la verité, aussi dans ce pays d'un Mexicain grossier et barbare, tandis que Marina le parlait avec beaucoup d'élégance.' _Id._, tom. xcix., p. 143. Techotlalatzin 'fue el primero que usó hablar la lengua nahua, que ahora se llama Mexicana, porque sus pasados nunca la usaron; y asi mandó que todos los de la nacion Chichimeca la hablasen, en especial todos los que tuviesen oficio y cargos de republica.' _Ixtlilxochitl_, _Hist. Chich._, in _Kingsborough's Mex. Antiq._, vol. ix., p. 217. 'Los Mexicanos ... son de los mismos de Colhua ... por ser la lengua toda una.' _Motolinia_, _Hist. Indios_, in _Icazbalceta_, _Col. de Doc._, tom. i., p. 5. 'La lengua de los Mexicanos es la de los Nahuales.' _Id._, p. 187. 'La principal lengua de la Nueva España que es de nahuatl.' _Id._, p. 231; see also pp. 10-11. 'Los Tetzcucanos (llamados Aculhuaques) y los Mexicanos, ... eran de vn Lenguage.' 'La propia, y antigua Lengua, de los Chichimecas Antiguos ... es esta que aora corre, con comun Nombre de Mexicana.' _Torquemada_, _Monarq. Ind._, tom. i., pp. 31, 33, 44. Tecpaneca, Otomí y Acolhua. 'El lenguage de estas tres naciones era diverso, no lo era rigorosamente hablando el de la tecpaneca y aculhua, ni pueden llamarse tales y distintos de la lengua nahuatl ó mejicana, sino solamente en el dialecto y frasimos, al modo que el portuguez respecto del castellana. La Otomi se diferencia mas de la nahuatl.' _Veytia_, _Hist. Ant. Mej._, tom. ii., p. 44. Ulmecs; 'su lengua era la Nahuatl que hoy llaman mejicana, y se tiene por madre; y esta fué de la nacion tolteca, y he oido decir á personas bien instruidas en este idioma, que en algunos pueblos que aun subsisten en nuestros dias conocidas por de la nacion ulmeca.' _Id._, tom. i., p. 154. 'Los _Nahoas_, eran los que hablaban la lengua mexicana, aunque no la pronunciaban tan clara, como los perfectos mexicanos; y estos _Nahoas_ tambien se llamaban _Chichimecas_.' 'De estos _Chichimecas_ unos habia que se decian _Nahuazchichimecas_ llamándose de _Nahóas_ y de _Chichimecas_ porque hablaban algo la lengua de los _Nahóas_ ó Mexicanos y la suya propia Chichimeca.' _Sahagun_, _Hist. Gen._, tom. iii., lib. x., pp. 120, 130, 147. 'Lengua _Nàhuatl_ ... se entiende ser en lengua Mexicàna; aunque la que al presente hablan y hablaron en la Gentilidad los Mexicànos no es suya, sino aprehendida de las otras antecedentes Naciones, y mas bien se debia llamar Tultèca, porque esta Nacion la traxo desde su peregrinacion, haviendola perfeccionado en la tercera Edad.' _Boturini_, _Catálogo_, p. 95. 'Los tlaxcaltecos, que tienen la mesma lengua nahual de México y Tezcuco.' _Mendieta_, _Hist. Ecles._, p. 147. 'Le nahuatl est sans nul doute une langue déjà ancienne dans l'Amérique centrale, et plus ancienne même que l'empire dont Montézuma fut le chef.' _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Lettre_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1855, tom. cxlvii., pp. 154, 153. 'Io però non dubito, che la lingua propria dei Cicimechi antichi fosse la medesima degli Acolhui, e Nahuatlachi, cioe messicana.' _Clavigero_, _Storia Ant. del Messico_, tom. i., p. 153. 'Los Mexicanos, ó por mejor decir Aztlanecas, no es su natural lengua la que hablan ahora, ... es la que aprendieron en Tezcuco.' _Ixtlilxochitl_, _Relaciones_, in _Kingsborough's Mex. Antiq._, vol. ix., p. 345. 'Que el lenguage mexicano se usó por las antiquísimas naciones de los _Toltecas_ y _Chichimecas_.' _Hervás_, _Catálogo_, tom. i., p. 298. 'Xochimilcas, Chalqueños, Tepanecas, Colhuas, Tlahuicas, Tlazcaltecas y Mexicanos ... todas hablan un mismo idioma.' _Heredia y Sarmiento_, _Sermon_, p. 86. 'Mehr oder minder zahlreiche Sprachreste aus dem Mexikanischen Sprachstamme ... sind Zeugen von der ehemaligen Verbreitung der Tolteken im Süden.' _Müller_, _Amerikanische Urreligionen_, p. 525. 'Chichimecs ... same family with the Toltecs, whose language they appear to have spoken.' _Prescott's Mex._, vol. i., p. 14. 'Die Chichimeken welche aztekisch reden.' _Mühlenpfordt_, _Mejico_, tom. ii., pt ii., p. 364; _Wappäus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, pp. 34-5. 'Dass sie Eines Ursprunges mit den Tolteken, ... waren, beweist die allen gemeinschaftliche Sprache, welche noch die aztekische heisst.' _Buschmann_, _Ortsnamen_, p. 6. 'The Aztecs, Acolhuas, and other kindred tribes ... were of the same language ... as the Toltecs.' _Gallatin_, in _Amer. Ethno. Soc., Transact._, vol. i., p. 203. 'Lengua mexicana, llamada tolteca.' _Orozco y Berra_, _Geografía_, p. 86. 'Toltecas y las siete tribus nahuatlacas tenian un mismo orígen y hablaban la misma lengua, que era el mexicano, nahuatl ó azteca; pero de ninguna manera succede esto respecto á los chichimecas, aunque hasta hoy por un error muy comun se cree lo contrario.' _Pimentel_, _Cuadro_, tom. i., p. 154; _Grijalua_, _Crón. Augustin_, fol. 32. 'Les rares traditions qui nous sont restées de l'empire des Votanides, antérieurement à l'arrivée des Nahoas, ne donnent aucune lumière sur les populations qui habitaient, à cette époque, les provinces intérieures du Mexique.... Ce que nous pensons, toutefois, pouvoir avancer avec une conviction plus entière, c'est que la majeure partie des nations qui en dépendaient parlaient une seule et même langue.' 'Cette langue était suivant toute apparence le _Maya_ ou Yucatèque.' _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., p. 102; _Heller_, _Reisen_, p. 379, et seq.

[IX'-3] Acosta, _Hist. Nat. Ind._, p. 600; _Sahagun_, _Hist. Gen._, tom. iii., lib. ix., cap. 9; _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Palenqué_, p. 39.

[IX'-4] _Herrera_, _Hist. Gen._, dec. ii., lib. v., cap. v., lib. vi., cap. xii., dec. iii., lib. iii., cap. ix., lib. iv., cap. vii., dec. iv., lib. ix., cap. xiii.; _Dávila Padilla_, _Hist. Fvnd. Mex._, p. 64. 'Nicaragua sea y esté poblada de Nahuales, que son de la lengua de México.' _Motolinia_, _Hist. Indios_, in _Icazbalceta_, _Col. de Doc._, tom. i., pp. 10-11, 231; _Oviedo_, _Hist. Gen._, tom. iii., p. 103, tom. iv., pp. 35-37, 108; _Solis_, _Hist. Conq. Mex._, tom. i., p. 118. 'Seine Herrschafft, Lands-Sprach, und Glaubens-Sect erstreckten sich einer seits biss zu dem Markflecken Tecoantepec, das ist zweyhundert, anderseits biss gehn Guatimala dass ist dreyhundert Meil sehr von der Statt Mexico.' _Hazart_, _Kirchengeschichte_, tom. ii., p. 499. 'Esta lengua mexicana es la general que corre por todas las provincias de esta Nueva España, puesto que en ella hay muy muchas y differentes lenguas particulares, de cada provincia, y en partes de cada pueblo, porque son innumerables.' _Mendieta_, _Hist. Ecles._, p. 552. 'Sie haben viererley Sprach darinnen, unter welchen der Mexicaner am lieblichsten vnd gebräuchlichsten (in Nicaragua).' _West und Ost-Indischer Lustgart_, p. 390; _Grijalua_, _Crón. Augustin_, p. 12. 'La lengua general del pais, que era la Mejicana.' _Beaumont_, _Crón. Mechoacan_, MS., p. 89; _Arnaya_, _Carta_, in _Doc. Hist. Mex._, série iv., tom. iii., p. 67. 'Celui de Mexico est regardé comme le dialecte original.' _Camargo_, _Hist. Tlax._, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1843, tom. xcviii., p. 138; _Burgoa_, _Geog. Descrip._, tom. ii., fol. 341; _Laet_, _Novus Orbis_, p. 252; _Gottfried_, _Newe Welt_, p. 285; _Juarros_, _Hist. Guat._, p. 224; _Chevalier_, _Mex. Ancien et Mod._, p. 160; _Museo Mex._, tom. iii., p. 269; _Palacio_, _Carta_, p. 20; _Squier_, in _Id._, note iii., p. 100; _Squier's Monograph of Authors_, p. ix.; _Id._, _Cent. Amer._, pp. 320, 327-9, 339, 413; _Stephens' Cent. Amer._, vol. ii., p. 190; _Froebel_, _Aus Amerika_, tom. i., p. 285; _Conder's Mex. Guat._, vol. ii., p. 178; _Romero_, _Noticias para formar la Historia de Michoacan_, p. 5; _Alegre_, _Hist. Comp. de Jesus_, tom. i., pp. 89-90; _Baril_, _Mexique_, p. 212; _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Id._, _Esquisses_, p. 24; _Gallatin_, in _Amer. Ethno. Soc., Transact._, vol. i., pp. 3, 8; _Orozco y Berra_, _Geografía_, pp. 54-5; _Vater_, _Mithridates_, tom. iii., pt iii., p. 85; _Pimentel_, _Cuadro_, tom. i., p. 158; _Anales del Ministerio de Fomento_, 1854, tom. i.; _Acosta_, _Hist. Nat. Ind._, p. 584; _Id._, _Hist. de las Ynd._, p. 530.

[IX'-5] _Hernandez_, _Nova Plant_.

[IX'-6] See _Juan de la Anunciacion_, _Doctrina Christiana muy cumplida, donde se contiene la exposicion de todo lo necessario para doctrinar a los Indios y administralles los Sanctos Sacramentos. Compuesta en lengua Castellana y Mexicana_. Mex., 1575. _Juan de la Anunciacion_, _Sermonario en lengua Mexicana_. Mex., 1577. _Joan Baptista_, _Advertencias para los Confesores de los Naturales_. Mex., 1600. _Rosales_, _Loa en Obsequio de la Aparicion de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, Poem_, 1582. _Ioan de Mijango_, _Espejo Diuino, en lengua Mexicana_. Mex., 1607. _Martin de Leon_, _Camino del Cielo, en lengua Mexicana_. Mex., 1611. _Martin de Leon_, _Manual breve y forma de administrar los Santos Sacramentos á los Indios_. Mex., 1640. _Carlos Celedonio Velasquez de Cardenas y Leon_, _Breve Practica, y Regimen del Confessionario de Indios en Mexicano_. Mex., 1661. _Ignacio de Paredes_, _Promptuario Manual Mexicano_. Mex., 1759. _Francisco de Avila_, _Platica para hazer a los Indios_. Mex., 1717. _Antonio Vasquez Gastelu_, _Confessionario Breve en lengua Mexicana, Catecismo Breve_. Puebla, 1716, and 2d edition, 1826, 1838, also 1860. _Lecciones Espirituales para las Tandas de Ejercicios._ Puebla, 1841. _Pequeno Catecismo en el idioma Mex._ Puebla, 1819. _Juan Romualdo Amaro_, _Doctrina_. Mex. 1840.

[IX'-7] _Paredes_, _Promptuario Manual Mexicano_, p. xc.

[IX'-8] _Buschmann_, _Ortsnamen_, p. 24.

[IX'-9] 'La mexicana no es menos galana y curiosa que la latina, y aun pienso que mas artizada en composicion y derivacion de vocablos, y en metáforas, cuya inteligencia y uso se ha perdido.' _Mendieta_, _Hist. Ecles._, p. 552. 'La langue mexicaine est la plus riche de toute contrée: elle est aussi la plus pure, car elle n'est pas mélangée d'aucun mot étranger.' _Camargo_, _Hist. Tlax._, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1843, tom. xcix., p. 136. 'Lengua Mexicana y Nahuatl, que es la mejor, mas copiosa y mas estendida que ay en la nueva España.' _Gomara_, _Conq. Mex._, fol. 293; _Purchas his Pilgrimes_, vol. iv., fol. 1135. 'La lengua Mexicana, que aunque es muy elegante y graciosa, tiene por su artificio y agudeza muchas metaforas, que la hazen dificultosa.' _Dávila Padilla_, _Hist. Fvnd. Mex._, p. 31. 'Malgrado la mancanza di quelle sei consonanti é una lingua copiosissima, assai pulita, e sommamente espressiva.' _Clavigero_, _Storia Ant. del Messico_, tom. ii., p. 171. 'Es muy elegante este idioma, dulce, y muy abundante de Frases, y composiciones.' _Cortés_, _Hist. Nueva España_, p. 5; _Laet_, _Novus Orbis_, pp. 240-1; _Carbajal Espinosa_, _Hist. Mex._, tom. i., p. 635; _Müller_, _Reisen_, tom. iii., pp. 105-8. 'Su lengua es la mejor y mas polida.' (Tezcuco.) _Herrera_, _Hist. Gen._, dec. iii., lib. ii., cap. x. 'La mas elegante la Tezcucana como la Castellana en Toledo.' _Vetancvrt_, _Teatro Mex._, pt ii., p. 14; _Boturini_, _Idea_, p. 142; _Humboldt_, _Vues_, tom. ii., pp. 382-3. 'Esta lengua mas elegante y expressiva que la Latina, y dulce que la Toscana.' _Granados y Galves_, _Tardes Amer._, p. 401. 'La langue mexicaine est riche comme les autres langues indiennes; mais, comme elles, elle est matérielle et n'abonde pas en mots significatifs d'idées abstraites; comme elles, elle est synthétique dans sa structure, et n'en diffère, quant à ses formes, que par les détails qui n'affectent point son génie et son caractère. Elle abonde en particules intercalées,' _Du Ponceau_, _Mémoire_, p. 255; _Sonneschmid_, _Remarks on Mex. and the Mex. Lang._, in _Amer. Monthly Mag._, vol. iii., p. 118; _Lang's Polynesian Nat._, pp. 95-7. 'The Mexican tongue abounded in expressions of reverence and courtesy. The style and appellations used in the intercourse between equals, would have been so unbecoming in the mouth of one in a lower sphere, when he accosted a person in higher rank, as to be deemed an insult.' _Robertson's Hist. Amer._, vol. ii., pp. 278-9. 'The low guttural pronunciation of the Mexican, or Aztec.' _Ward's Mex._, vol. i., p. 31; _Galicia Chimalpopocatl_, _Dissertacion_, in _Museo Mex._, tom. iv., p. 517, et seq.; _Heller_, _Reisen_, p. 377. 'Des hauteurs les plus sublimes, de la métaphysique, elle descend aux choses les plus vulgaires; avec une sonorité et une richesse d'expression qui n'appartiennent qu'à elle.' _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., p. 103; _Prescott's Mex._, vol. i., p. 108, vol. iii., p. 395. 'The language of the Mexicans is to our apprehension harsh in the extreme.' _Helps' Span. Conq._, vol. i., p. 288.

[IX'-10] _Pedro de Arenas_, _Vocabulario Manual de las Lenguas Castellana y Mexicana_. Mex., 1583. _Manuel Perez_, _Arte del Idioma Mexicano_. Mex., 1713. _Antonio Vasquez Gastelu_, _Arte de la Lengua Mexicana_. Puebla, 1716, and 2d edition, 1838. _Francisco de Avila_, _Arte de la Lengua Mexicana_. Mex., 1717. _Carlos de Tapia Zenteno_, _Arte Novissima de Lengua Mexicana_. Mex., 1753. _Horacio Carochi_, _Compendio del Arte de la Lengua Mexicana_. Mex., 1759. _Molina_, _Vocabulario_. Mex., 1571. _Rafael Sandoval_, _Arte de la Lengua Mexicana_. Mex., 1810. _Pedro de Arenas_, _Guide de la Conversation_. Paris, 1862. _Gallatin_, in _Amer. Ethno. Soc., Transact._, vol. i., pp. 214-245; _Pimentel_, _Cuadro_, vol. i., pp. 164-216; _Vater_, _Mithridates_, tom. iii., pt iii., pp. 85-106; _Buschmann_, _Ortsnamen_, pp. 20-37.

[IX'-11] 'Es ist nicht möglich von einer Verwandtschaft der mexicanischen Sprache mit den Sprachen anderer Erdtheile zu reden.' _Buschmann_, _Ortsnamen_, p. 20; _Garcia_, _Origen de los Ind._, pp. 118-21, 187, 232-5, 241, 269; _Jones' Hist. Anc. Amer._; _Simon's Ten Tribes_, pp. 163, 173; _Lang's Polynesian Nat._, pp. 96-8, et seq; _Quarterly Review_, 1816, p. 415; _Humboldt_, _Vues_, tom. ii., p. 229, et seq.

[IX'-12] _Orozco y Berra_, _Geografía_, p. 17; _Alegre_, _Hist. Comp. de Jesus_, tom. i., p. 282; _Pimentel_, _Cuadro_, tom. i., p. 118; _Vater_, _Mithridates_, tom. iii., pt iii., p. 113.

[IX'-13] 'Concòrdandose en que no se entienden los mismos Otomites de diversos Pueblos, aun Vecinos, de que diò una prueba concluyente el Obispo de Puebla, con el hecho de haver juntado quatro Curas estindantes de su sierra Otomì los que mutuamente se improbaban por hereticas, a disparatadòs sus esplicaciones de los Mysterios de nrã Religion.' _Concilio Provincial Mexicano_, iv., 1771, Julio 31, MS.

[IX'-14] _Naxera_, _Dis. sobre la lengua Othomí_; _Warden_, _Recherches_, in _Antiq. Mex._, pp. 125-9.

[IX'-15] _Bringier_, _Lettre_, in _Silliman's Jour._, vol. iii., pp. 35-6.

[IX'-16] 'La Otomí, lengua bárbara cuasi enteramente gutural, y que á pénas cede al estudio y á la mas séria aplicacion.' _Alegre_, _Hist. Comp. de Jesus_, tom. i., p. 90. 'La Otomi, que se dilata casi tanto como la Mexicana, y en la difficultad, y obscuridad le haze grandes ventajas.' _Grijalua_, _Crón. Augustin_, fol. 74. 'Loro linguaggio è assai difficile, e pieno d'aspirazioni, che fanno parte nella gola, e parte nel naso ma peraltro è abbastanza copioso ed espressivo.' _Clavigero_, _Storia Ant. del Messico_, tom. i., p. 148. 'Une langue pleine d'aspirations nasales et gutturales.' _Humboldt_, _Essai Pol._, tom. i., p. 255. 'Die Sprache der Othomi zeichnet sich durch die Einsylbigkeit oder wenigstens Kürze ihrer meisten Wörter, durch Härte und Aspiration aus.' _Vater_, _Mithridates_, tom. iii., pt iii., p. 114. 'Leur langue, rude comme eux, est monosyllabique: embrassant à la fois tous les sons, mais dénuée d'ornements, elle montre, néanmoins, dans sa simplicité quelque chose de majestueux qui rappelle les temps antiques.' _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., p. 157. 'Es dura, seca, ingrata á la lengua y mal al oido: todo lo de ella es rústico, vasto, sin pulidez.' _Naxera_, _Dis. sobre la lengua Othomí_, p. 23. 'Su lenguage es muy duro y corte.' _Herrera_, _Hist. Gen._, dec. iii., lib. v., cap. xix.; _Duponceau_, _Mémoire_, pp. 68-71; _Torquemada_, _Monarq. Ind._, tom. i., p. 33, tom. ii., p. 82; _Müller_, _Reisen_, tom. iii., p. 45; _Hassel_, _Mex. Guat._, p. 152; _Mühlenpfordt_, _Mejico_, tom. ii., pt ii., p. 364; _Conder's Mex. Guat._, vol. ii., p. 119.

[IX'-17] _Yoaquin Lopez Yepes_, _Catecismo y Declaracion de la Doctrina Cristiana, en lengua Otomí_. _Francisco Perez_, _Catecismo de la Doctrina Cristiana, en lengua Otomí_. _Naxera_, _Disertacion sobre la lengua Othomi_. _Gallatin_, in _Amer. Ethno. Soc., Transact._, vol. i., pp. 286-98; _Vater_, _Mithridates_, tom. iii., pt iii., pp. 115-24; _Pimentel_, _Cuadro_, vol. i., pp. 120-50; _Antonio Guadalupe Ramirez_, _Breve Compendio ... Dispuesto en lengua Othomí_. See also _Lond. Geog. Soc., Jour._, vol. iii., p. 355; _Luis de Neve y Molina_, _Grammatica Della Lingua Otomí_.

[IX'-18] _Pimentel_, _Cuadro_, tom. ii., pp. 194-201.