Avocado - Revision history

Jawad at 14:46, 29 January 2026

2026-01-29T14:46:13Z

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	<references/>		<references/>

	{{~~HOWTOCITE~~}}		{{how to cite}}

	[[Category:English entries]]		[[Category:English entries]]

Magnus at 14:16, 28 April 2025

2025-04-28T14:16:45Z

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	:1. The root may be a loan from Totonacan, as first suggested by Kaufman 2001, and considered likely by Albert Davletshin (pers. comm. 2023).		:1. The root may be a loan from Totonacan, as first suggested by Kaufman 2001, and considered likely by Albert Davletshin (pers. comm. 2023).
	:2. The root may have been coined in early proto-Nahuatl as either ''awa-ka'' or ''pawa-ka'' or as ''pewaka''<ref>In Pharao Hansen (2021) I reconstruct it as ''pɨwaka'' "thing with skin/hide", but this is in fact an anachronism as the PSUA ɨ in PSUA *''[[pɨwa]]'' "skin/hide" would have been e in pre-Nahua.</ref>.		:2. The root may have been coined in early proto-Nahuatl as either ''awa-ka'' or ''pawa-ka'' or as ''pewaka''<ref>In Pharao Hansen (2021) I reconstruct it as ''pɨwaka'' "thing with skin/hide", but this is in fact an anachronism as the PSUA ɨ in PSUA *''[[pɨwa]]'' "skin/hide" would have been e in pre-Nahua.</ref>.

			==Attestations==
			* Nahuatl: /''awaka-tɬ''/ <''ahuacatl''>
			**variants: /''ewakatl''/, /''yewakatl''/ (Zongolica Nahuatl, own data).
			**also: /pawa-tɬ/ "wild avocado/pagua"
			*Náayeri: ''/yeuhka/'', ''/yauhka/''
			*Wixárika ''/yewka/''

	==Etymological Scenario 1 - Totonacan Borrowing==		==Etymological Scenario 1 - Totonacan Borrowing==

Magnus: /* Etymological Scenario 2 - Formation in Pre-Nahua */

2025-04-28T14:12:52Z

Etymological Scenario 2 - Formation in Pre-Nahua

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:12, 28 April 2025
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	'''2a.''' Dakin proposes that the word is formed in pre-Nahua, based on the root ''pawa'' "wild avocado" + with the added suffix -''ka'', here meaning soething like "thing related to X". It would have been borrowed before the p>Ø sound change in order to turn ''pawaka'' into ''awaka''. This proposal does not account for the Nahuan forms with initial ''e''- and ''ye''-, or for the coracholan forms derived from *''yewka''.		'''2a.''' Dakin proposes that the word is formed in pre-Nahua, based on the root ''pawa'' "wild avocado" + with the added suffix -''ka'', here meaning soething like "thing related to X". It would have been borrowed before the p>Ø sound change in order to turn ''pawaka'' into ''awaka''. This proposal does not account for the Nahuan forms with initial ''e''- and ''ye''-, or for the coracholan forms derived from *''yewka''.

	'''2b.''' Another proposal associates awakatl with the root ''awa-'' "oak" (''Quercus spp.''), also with the suffix -''ka'', meaning "thing related to oak". This does not account for the root ''pawa'', or for the Nahuan forms with initial ''e''- and ''ye''-, or for the coracholan forms derived from ''yekwa''.		'''2b.''' Another proposal associates ''awakatl'' with the root ''awa-'' "oak" (''Quercus spp.''), also with the suffix -''ka'', meaning "thing related to oak". This does not account for the root ''pawa'', or for the Nahuan forms with initial ''e''- and ''ye''-, or for the coracholan forms derived from ''yekwa''.

	'''2c.''' My own proposal ([[Pharao Hansen, Magnus. 2021. Avocado og testikelsovs: et internet-meme og en aztekisk etymologi. Mål og Mæle 3, 9-11.\|Pharao Hansen 2021]]), suggests that it was formed based on the root ''pewa'' "skin, hide", with the -''ka'' suffix that derives "thing related to X". The root ''pawa'' would be coined in Eastern Nahua also from pewa, with the anticipatory vowel assimilation of /e/ preceding syllables with /a/.		'''2c.''' My own proposal ([[Pharao Hansen, Magnus. 2021. Avocado og testikelsovs: et internet-meme og en aztekisk etymologi. Mål og Mæle 3, 9-11.\|Pharao Hansen 2021]]), suggests that it was formed based on the root ''pewa'' "skin, hide", with the -''ka'' suffix that derives "thing related to X". The root ''pawa'' would be coined in Eastern Nahua also from pewa, with the anticipatory vowel assimilation of /e/ preceding syllables with /a/.

Magnus at 14:10, 28 April 2025

2025-04-28T14:10:59Z

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	As for how the root arose in Nahua, there are two possible scenarios.		As for how the root arose in Nahua, there are two possible scenarios.
	:1. The root may be a loan from Totonacan, as first suggested by Kaufman 2001.		:1. The root may be a loan from Totonacan, as first suggested by Kaufman 2001, and considered likely by Albert Davletshin (pers. comm. 2023).
	:2. ~~the~~ root may have been coined in early proto-Nahuatl as either ''~~awaka~~'' or ''~~pawaka~~'' or as ''pewaka''<ref>In Pharao Hansen (2021) I reconstruct it as ''pɨwaka'' "thing with skin/hide", but this is in fact an anachronism as the PSUA ɨ in PSUA *''[[pɨwa]]'' "skin/hide" would have been e in pre-Nahua.</ref>.		:2. The root may have been coined in early proto-Nahuatl as either ''awa-ka'' or ''pawa-ka'' or as ''pewaka''<ref>In Pharao Hansen (2021) I reconstruct it as ''pɨwaka'' "thing with skin/hide", but this is in fact an anachronism as the PSUA ɨ in PSUA *''[[pɨwa]]'' "skin/hide" would have been e in pre-Nahua.</ref>.


	==Etymological Scenario 1 - Totonacan Borrowing==		==Etymological Scenario 1 - Totonacan Borrowing==

Magnus at 14:10, 28 April 2025

2025-04-28T14:10:11Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:10, 28 April 2025
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	Among the Southern Uto-Aztecan languages, only Nahuan and Coracholan languages have terms for "'''avocado'''" (''Persea spp.''). The terms are cognate, but nevertheless they should probably not be reconstructed for proto-Corachol-Nahuan, as the phonology suggests they are loaned into Corachol from Proto-~~Nahuan~~. As for how the root arose in Nahua, there are two possible scenarios. 1. The root may be a loan from Totonacan, as first suggested by Kaufman 2001. 2. the root may have been coined in early proto-Nahuatl as either ''awaka'' or ''pawaka'' or as ''pewaka''<ref>In Pharao Hansen (2021) I reconstruct it as ''pɨwaka'' "thing with skin/hide", but this is in fact an anachronism as the PSUA ɨ in PSUA *''[[pɨwa]]'' "skin/hide" would have been e in pre-Nahua.</ref>.		Among the Southern Uto-Aztecan languages, only Nahuan and Coracholan languages have terms for "'''avocado'''" (''Persea spp.'').

			The terms are cognate, but nevertheless they should probably not be reconstructed for proto-Corachol-Nahuan, as the phonology suggests they are loaned into Corachol as ''yewka'' from early Proto-Nahua ''yewaka''.

			As for how the root arose in Nahua, there are two possible scenarios.
			:1. The root may be a loan from Totonacan, as first suggested by Kaufman 2001.
			:2. the root may have been coined in early proto-Nahuatl as either ''awaka'' or ''pawaka'' or as ''pewaka''<ref>In Pharao Hansen (2021) I reconstruct it as ''pɨwaka'' "thing with skin/hide", but this is in fact an anachronism as the PSUA ɨ in PSUA *''[[pɨwa]]'' "skin/hide" would have been e in pre-Nahua.</ref>.

Magnus: /* Etymological Scenario 1 - Totonacan Borrowing */

2025-04-28T14:06:53Z

Etymological Scenario 1 - Totonacan Borrowing

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:06, 28 April 2025
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	[[Kaufman, Terrence. 2001. The history of the Nawa language group from the earliest times to the 16th century: Some preliminary results. PDLMA online.\|Kaufman 2001]] proposed that the Nahuan root ''pawa'', which refers to the wild avocado or pagua, was borrowed from the Totonacan word lhpaw "wild avocado". According to (Albert Davletshin pers. comm. 2023) the root lhpaw can be reconstructed to Proto-Tepehua-Totonacan, which split around 1000 BCE - even earlier before the split between the Tepehuan and Totonacan languages the root would have had a final vowel which was lost after sonorants. To account for the fact that Nahuan has pawa, it would then have been borrowed already before 1000 BCE. This is much earlier than even proto-Corachol-Nahuan, perhaps around the time the Minor Sonoran languages were a single language group - but the root is only reconstructible for Nahuan. So chronologically, this borrowing proposal is not very strong. Additionally, the Uto-Aztecan recipient language would have had to borrow it without the ''lh''- (which Davletshin considers a prefix for plant names). So all in all, I do not consider the Totonacan borrowing scenario to be strong. Thugh the simillarity of the /paw/ sequence is certainly thought provoking, it seems to me that the similarity between Tepehua-Totonacan ''lhpaw'' and Nahuan pawa- is as likely to be a coincidence as to be a borrowing in either direction.		[[Kaufman, Terrence. 2001. The history of the Nawa language group from the earliest times to the 16th century: Some preliminary results. PDLMA online.\|Kaufman 2001]] proposed that the Nahuan root ''pawa'', which refers to the wild avocado or pagua, was borrowed from the Totonacan word lhpaw "wild avocado". According to (Albert Davletshin pers. comm. 2023) the root lhpaw can be reconstructed to Proto-Tepehua-Totonacan, which split around 1000 BCE - even earlier before the split between the Tepehuan and Totonacan languages the root would have had a final vowel which was lost after sonorants. To account for the fact that Nahuan has pawa, it would then have been borrowed already before 1000 BCE. This is much earlier than even proto-Corachol-Nahuan, perhaps around the time the Minor Sonoran languages were a single language group - but the root is only reconstructible for Nahuan. So chronologically, this borrowing proposal is not very strong. Additionally, the Uto-Aztecan recipient language would have had to borrow it without the ''lh''- (which Davletshin considers a prefix for plant names). So all in all, I do not consider the Totonacan borrowing scenario to be strong. Thugh the simillarity of the /paw/ sequence is certainly thought provoking, it seems to me that the similarity between Tepehua-Totonacan ''lhpaw'' and Nahuan pawa- is as likely to be a coincidence as to be a borrowing in either direction.

	~~'''~~Etymological Scenario 2 - Formation in Pre-Nahua:		==Etymological Scenario 2 - Formation in Pre-Nahua==

	'''2a.''' Dakin proposes that the word is formed in pre-Nahua, based on the root ''pawa'' "wild avocado" + with the added suffix -''ka'', here meaning soething like "thing related to X". It would have been borrowed before the p>Ø sound change in order to turn ''pawaka'' into ''awaka''. This proposal does not account for the Nahuan forms with initial ''e''- and ''ye''-, or for the coracholan forms derived from *''yewka''.		'''2a.''' Dakin proposes that the word is formed in pre-Nahua, based on the root ''pawa'' "wild avocado" + with the added suffix -''ka'', here meaning soething like "thing related to X". It would have been borrowed before the p>Ø sound change in order to turn ''pawaka'' into ''awaka''. This proposal does not account for the Nahuan forms with initial ''e''- and ''ye''-, or for the coracholan forms derived from *''yewka''.

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	Early-Proto-Nahuatl ''yewaka'' would be loaned into proto-Corachol as ''yewka'', which is the form found in both Náayeri and Wixárika today (sometimes as ''yawka'' with anticipatory vowel assimilation). If we were to reconstruct pewaka "avocado" or proto-Corachol-Nahuan we would expect hewka in Corachol rather than yewka, as Coracholan did not undergo the change of /''he''/ to /''ye''/ found in proto-Nahua. This is why we should consider it a proto-Nahua loan. This is consonant with the probability that avocados were cultivated near the Mexican gulf-coast, and woud have been traded northwestward - likely by Nahuatl speakers.		Early-Proto-Nahuatl ''yewaka'' would be loaned into proto-Corachol as ''yewka'', which is the form found in both Náayeri and Wixárika today (sometimes as ''yawka'' with anticipatory vowel assimilation). If we were to reconstruct pewaka "avocado" or proto-Corachol-Nahuan we would expect hewka in Corachol rather than yewka, as Coracholan did not undergo the change of /''he''/ to /''ye''/ found in proto-Nahua. This is why we should consider it a proto-Nahua loan. This is consonant with the probability that avocados were cultivated near the Mexican gulf-coast, and woud have been traded northwestward - likely by Nahuatl speakers.

	This proposal is the only one that accounts for the Nahuan varieties that have forms such as /''ewaka''/ and /''yewaka''/ and for the Coracholan words.		This proposal is the only one that accounts for the Nahuan varieties that have forms such as /''ewaka''/ and /''yewaka''/ and for the Coracholan words.


	==Notes==		==Notes==

Magnus at 14:06, 28 April 2025

2025-04-28T14:06:28Z

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	~~'''~~Etymological Scenario 1 - Totonacan Borrowing~~'''~~: Kaufman proposed that the Nahuan root ''pawa'', which refers to the wild avocado or pagua, was borrowed from the Totonacan word lhpaw "wild avocado". According to (Albert Davletshin pers. comm. 2023) the root lhpaw can be reconstructed to Proto-Tepehua-Totonacan, which split around 1000 BCE - even earlier before the split between the Tepehuan and Totonacan languages the root would have had a final vowel which was lost after sonorants. To account for the fact that Nahuan has pawa, it would then have been borrowed already before 1000 BCE. This is much earlier than even proto-Corachol-Nahuan, perhaps around the time the Minor Sonoran languages were a single language group - but the root is only reconstructible for Nahuan. So chronologically, this borrowing proposal is not very strong. Additionally, the Uto-Aztecan recipient language would have had to borrow it without the ''lh''- (which Davletshin considers a prefix for plant names). So all in all, I do not consider the Totonacan borrowing scenario to be strong. Thugh the simillarity of the /paw/ sequence is certainly thought provoking, it seems to me that the similarity between Tepehua-Totonacan ''lhpaw'' and Nahuan pawa- is as likely to be a coincidence as to be a borrowing in either direction.		==Etymological Scenario 1 - Totonacan Borrowing==
			[[Kaufman, Terrence. 2001. The history of the Nawa language group from the earliest times to the 16th century: Some preliminary results. PDLMA online.\|Kaufman 2001]] proposed that the Nahuan root ''pawa'', which refers to the wild avocado or pagua, was borrowed from the Totonacan word lhpaw "wild avocado". According to (Albert Davletshin pers. comm. 2023) the root lhpaw can be reconstructed to Proto-Tepehua-Totonacan, which split around 1000 BCE - even earlier before the split between the Tepehuan and Totonacan languages the root would have had a final vowel which was lost after sonorants. To account for the fact that Nahuan has pawa, it would then have been borrowed already before 1000 BCE. This is much earlier than even proto-Corachol-Nahuan, perhaps around the time the Minor Sonoran languages were a single language group - but the root is only reconstructible for Nahuan. So chronologically, this borrowing proposal is not very strong. Additionally, the Uto-Aztecan recipient language would have had to borrow it without the ''lh''- (which Davletshin considers a prefix for plant names). So all in all, I do not consider the Totonacan borrowing scenario to be strong. Thugh the simillarity of the /paw/ sequence is certainly thought provoking, it seems to me that the similarity between Tepehua-Totonacan ''lhpaw'' and Nahuan pawa- is as likely to be a coincidence as to be a borrowing in either direction.

	'''Etymological Scenario 2 - Formation in Pre-Nahua:		'''Etymological Scenario 2 - Formation in Pre-Nahua:
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	Early-Proto-Nahuatl ''yewaka'' would be loaned into proto-Corachol as ''yewka'', which is the form found in both Náayeri and Wixárika today (sometimes as ''yawka'' with anticipatory vowel assimilation). If we were to reconstruct pewaka "avocado" or proto-Corachol-Nahuan we would expect hewka in Corachol rather than yewka, as Coracholan did not undergo the change of /''he''/ to /''ye''/ found in proto-Nahua. This is why we should consider it a proto-Nahua loan. This is consonant with the probability that avocados were cultivated near the Mexican gulf-coast, and woud have been traded northwestward - likely by Nahuatl speakers.		Early-Proto-Nahuatl ''yewaka'' would be loaned into proto-Corachol as ''yewka'', which is the form found in both Náayeri and Wixárika today (sometimes as ''yawka'' with anticipatory vowel assimilation). If we were to reconstruct pewaka "avocado" or proto-Corachol-Nahuan we would expect hewka in Corachol rather than yewka, as Coracholan did not undergo the change of /''he''/ to /''ye''/ found in proto-Nahua. This is why we should consider it a proto-Nahua loan. This is consonant with the probability that avocados were cultivated near the Mexican gulf-coast, and woud have been traded northwestward - likely by Nahuatl speakers.

	This proposal is the only one that accounts for the Nahuan varieties that have forms such as /ewaka/ and /yewaka/ and for the Coracholan words.		This proposal is the only one that accounts for the Nahuan varieties that have forms such as /''ewaka''/ and /''yewaka''/ and for the Coracholan words.

Magnus at 14:03, 28 April 2025

2025-04-28T14:03:15Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:03, 28 April 2025
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	'''Etymological Scenario 2 - Formation in Pre-Nahua:		'''Etymological Scenario 2 - Formation in Pre-Nahua:

	2a. Dakin proposes that the word is formed in pre-Nahua, based on the root ''pawa'' "wild avocado" + with the added suffix -''ka'', here meaning soething like "thing related to X". It would have been borrowed before the p>Ø sound change in order to turn ''pawaka'' into ''awaka''. This proposal does not account for the Nahuan forms with initial ''e''- and ''ye''-, or for the coracholan forms derived from *''yewka''.		'''2a.''' Dakin proposes that the word is formed in pre-Nahua, based on the root ''pawa'' "wild avocado" + with the added suffix -''ka'', here meaning soething like "thing related to X". It would have been borrowed before the p>Ø sound change in order to turn ''pawaka'' into ''awaka''. This proposal does not account for the Nahuan forms with initial ''e''- and ''ye''-, or for the coracholan forms derived from *''yewka''.

	2b. Another proposal associates awakatl with the root ''awa-'' "oak" (''Quercus spp.''), also with the suffix -''ka'', meaning "thing related to oak". This does not account for the root ''pawa'', or for the Nahuan forms with initial ''e''- and ''ye''-, or for the coracholan forms derived from ''yekwa''.		'''2b.''' Another proposal associates awakatl with the root ''awa-'' "oak" (''Quercus spp.''), also with the suffix -''ka'', meaning "thing related to oak". This does not account for the root ''pawa'', or for the Nahuan forms with initial ''e''- and ''ye''-, or for the coracholan forms derived from ''yekwa''.

	2c. My own proposal, suggests that it was formed based on the root ''pewa'' "skin, hide", with the -''ka'' suffix that derives "thing related to X". The root ''pawa'' would be coined in Eastern Nahua also from pewa, with the anticipatory vowel assimilation of /e/ preceding syllables with /a/.		'''2c.''' My own proposal ([[Pharao Hansen, Magnus. 2021. Avocado og testikelsovs: et internet-meme og en aztekisk etymologi. Mål og Mæle 3, 9-11.\|Pharao Hansen 2021]]), suggests that it was formed based on the root ''pewa'' "skin, hide", with the -''ka'' suffix that derives "thing related to X". The root ''pawa'' would be coined in Eastern Nahua also from pewa, with the anticipatory vowel assimilation of /e/ preceding syllables with /a/.

	''pewaka'' would then have become ''hewaka'' in early proto-Nahuatl, and *''yewaka'' in late proto-Nahuatl before becoming ''ewakatl'' and ''awakatl'' in proto-Eastern Nahua (Eastern Nahua drops /y/ before /e/, and changes /e/ to /a/ in syllables preceding syllables with /a/).		''pewaka'' would then have become ''hewaka'' in early proto-Nahuatl, and *''yewaka'' in late proto-Nahuatl before becoming ''ewakatl'' and ''awakatl'' in proto-Eastern Nahua (Eastern Nahua drops /y/ before /e/, and changes /e/ to /a/ in syllables preceding syllables with /a/).

Magnus at 13:59, 28 April 2025

2025-04-28T13:59:23Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 06:59, 28 April 2025
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	Among the Southern Uto-Aztecan languages, only Nahuan and Coracholan languages have terms for "'''avocado'''" (''Persea spp.''). The terms are cognate, but nevertheless they should probably not be reconstructed for proto-Corachol-Nahuan, as the phonology suggests they are loaned into Corachol from Proto-Nahuan. As for how the root arose in Nahua, there are two possible scenarios. 1. The root may be a loan from Totonacan, as first suggested by Kaufman 2001. 2. the root may have been coined in early proto-Nahuatl as either awaka or pawaka or as pewaka<ref>In Pharao Hansen (2021) I reconstruct it as pɨwaka "thing with skin/hide", but this is in fact an anachronism as the PSUA ɨ in *pɨwa "skin/hide" would have been e in pre-Nahua.</ref>.		Among the Southern Uto-Aztecan languages, only Nahuan and Coracholan languages have terms for "'''avocado'''" (''Persea spp.''). The terms are cognate, but nevertheless they should probably not be reconstructed for proto-Corachol-Nahuan, as the phonology suggests they are loaned into Corachol from Proto-Nahuan. As for how the root arose in Nahua, there are two possible scenarios. 1. The root may be a loan from Totonacan, as first suggested by Kaufman 2001. 2. the root may have been coined in early proto-Nahuatl as either ''awaka'' or ''pawaka'' or as ''pewaka''<ref>In Pharao Hansen (2021) I reconstruct it as ''pɨwaka'' "thing with skin/hide", but this is in fact an anachronism as the PSUA ɨ in PSUA *''[[pɨwa]]'' "skin/hide" would have been e in pre-Nahua.</ref>.


	'''Etymological Scenario 1 - Totonacan Borrowing''': Kaufman proposed that the Nahuan root ''pawa'', which refers to the wild avocado or pagua, was borrowed from the Totonacan word lhpaw "wild avocado". According to (Albert Davletshin pers. comm. 2023) the root lhpaw can be reconstructed to Proto-Tepehua-Totonacan, which split around 1000 BCE - even earlier before the split between the Tepehuan and Totonacan languages the root would have had a final vowel which was lost after sonorants. To account for the fact that Nahuan has pawa, it would then have been borrowed already before 1000 BCE. This is much earlier than even proto-Corachol-Nahuan, perhaps around the time the Minor Sonoran languages were a single language group - but the root is only reconstructible for Nahuan. So chronologically, this borrowing proposal is not very strong. Additionally, the Uto-Aztecan recipient language would have had to borrow it without the ''lh''- (which Davletshin considers a prefix for plant names).		'''Etymological Scenario 1 - Totonacan Borrowing''': Kaufman proposed that the Nahuan root ''pawa'', which refers to the wild avocado or pagua, was borrowed from the Totonacan word lhpaw "wild avocado". According to (Albert Davletshin pers. comm. 2023) the root lhpaw can be reconstructed to Proto-Tepehua-Totonacan, which split around 1000 BCE - even earlier before the split between the Tepehuan and Totonacan languages the root would have had a final vowel which was lost after sonorants. To account for the fact that Nahuan has pawa, it would then have been borrowed already before 1000 BCE. This is much earlier than even proto-Corachol-Nahuan, perhaps around the time the Minor Sonoran languages were a single language group - but the root is only reconstructible for Nahuan. So chronologically, this borrowing proposal is not very strong. Additionally, the Uto-Aztecan recipient language would have had to borrow it without the ''lh''- (which Davletshin considers a prefix for plant names). So all in all, I do not consider the Totonacan borrowing scenario to be strong. Thugh the simillarity of the /paw/ sequence is certainly thought provoking, it seems to me that the similarity between Tepehua-Totonacan ''lhpaw'' and Nahuan pawa- is as likely to be a coincidence as to be a borrowing in either direction.

	'''Etymological Scenario 2 - Formation in Pre-Nahua:		'''Etymological Scenario 2 - Formation in Pre-Nahua:
	2a. Dakin proposes that the word is formed in pre-Nahua, based on the root ''pawa'' "wild avocado" + with the added suffix -''ka'', here meaning soething like "thing related to X". It would have been borrowed before the p>Ø sound change in order to turn ''pawaka'' into ''awaka''.

	2b. ~~Another proposal associates awakatl with~~ the root ''~~awa-~~'' "~~oak~~" ~~(''Quercus spp.''), also~~ with the suffix -ka, meaning thing related to ~~oak~~.		2a. Dakin proposes that the word is formed in pre-Nahua, based on the root ''pawa'' "wild avocado" + with the added suffix -''ka'', here meaning soething like "thing related to X". It would have been borrowed before the p>Ø sound change in order to turn ''pawaka'' into ''awaka''. This proposal does not account for the Nahuan forms with initial ''e''- and ''ye''-, or for the coracholan forms derived from *''yewka''.

	2c. My own proposal, suggests that it was formed based on the root *pewa "skin, hide", with the -ka suffix.		2b. Another proposal associates awakatl with the root ''awa-'' "oak" (''Quercus spp.''), also with the suffix -''ka'', meaning "thing related to oak". This does not account for the root ''pawa'', or for the Nahuan forms with initial ''e''- and ''ye''-, or for the coracholan forms derived from ''yekwa''.

			2c. My own proposal, suggests that it was formed based on the root ''pewa'' "skin, hide", with the -''ka'' suffix that derives "thing related to X". The root ''pawa'' would be coined in Eastern Nahua also from pewa, with the anticipatory vowel assimilation of /e/ preceding syllables with /a/.

			''pewaka'' would then have become ''hewaka'' in early proto-Nahuatl, and *''yewaka'' in late proto-Nahuatl before becoming ''ewakatl'' and ''awakatl'' in proto-Eastern Nahua (Eastern Nahua drops /y/ before /e/, and changes /e/ to /a/ in syllables preceding syllables with /a/).
			Early-Proto-Nahuatl ''yewaka'' would be loaned into proto-Corachol as ''yewka'', which is the form found in both Náayeri and Wixárika today (sometimes as ''yawka'' with anticipatory vowel assimilation). If we were to reconstruct pewaka "avocado" or proto-Corachol-Nahuan we would expect hewka in Corachol rather than yewka, as Coracholan did not undergo the change of /''he''/ to /''ye''/ found in proto-Nahua. This is why we should consider it a proto-Nahua loan. This is consonant with the probability that avocados were cultivated near the Mexican gulf-coast, and woud have been traded northwestward - likely by Nahuatl speakers.

			This proposal is the only one that accounts for the Nahuan varieties that have forms such as /ewaka/ and /yewaka/ and for the Coracholan words.

Magnus: Created page with "Among the Southern Uto-Aztecan languages, only Nahuan and Coracholan languages have terms for "'''avocado'''" (''Persea spp.''). The terms are cognate, but nevertheless they should probably not be reconstructed for proto-Corachol-Nahuan, as the phonology suggests they are loaned into Corachol from Proto-Nahuan. As for how the root arose in Nahua, there are two possible scenarios. 1. The root may be a loan from Totonacan, as first suggested by Kaufman 2001. 2. the root ma..."

2025-04-28T13:44:33Z

Created page with "Among the Southern Uto-Aztecan languages, only Nahuan and Coracholan languages have terms for "'''avocado'''" (''Persea spp.''). The terms are cognate, but nevertheless they should probably not be reconstructed for proto-Corachol-Nahuan, as the phonology suggests they are loaned into Corachol from Proto-Nahuan. As for how the root arose in Nahua, there are two possible scenarios. 1. The root may be a loan from Totonacan, as first suggested by Kaufman 2001. 2. the root ma..."

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Among the Southern Uto-Aztecan languages, only Nahuan and Coracholan languages have terms for "'''avocado'''" (''Persea spp.''). The terms are cognate, but nevertheless they should probably not be reconstructed for proto-Corachol-Nahuan, as the phonology suggests they are loaned into Corachol from Proto-Nahuan. As for how the root arose in Nahua, there are two possible scenarios. 1. The root may be a loan from Totonacan, as first suggested by Kaufman 2001. 2. the root may have been coined in early proto-Nahuatl as either *awaka or *pawaka or as *pewaka<ref>In Pharao Hansen (2021) I reconstruct it as *pɨwaka "thing with skin/hide", but this is in fact an anachronism as the PSUA ɨ in *pɨwa "skin/hide" would have been e in pre-Nahua.</ref>.

'''Etymological Scenario 1 - Totonacan Borrowing''': Kaufman proposed that the Nahuan root ''pawa'', which refers to the wild avocado or pagua, was borrowed from the Totonacan word *lhpaw "wild avocado". According to (Albert Davletshin pers. comm. 2023) the root *lhpaw can be reconstructed to Proto-Tepehua-Totonacan, which split around 1000 BCE - even earlier before the split between the Tepehuan and Totonacan languages the root would have had a final vowel which was lost after sonorants. To account for the fact that Nahuan has pawa, it would then have been borrowed already before 1000 BCE. This is much earlier than even proto-Corachol-Nahuan, perhaps around the time the Minor Sonoran languages were a single language group - but the root is only reconstructible for Nahuan. So chronologically, this borrowing proposal is not very strong. Additionally, the Uto-Aztecan recipient language would have had to borrow it without the ''lh''- (which Davletshin considers a prefix for plant names).

'''Etymological Scenario 2 - Formation in Pre-Nahua:
2a. Dakin proposes that the word is formed in pre-Nahua, based on the root *''pawa'' "wild avocado" + with the added suffix -''ka'', here meaning soething like "thing related to X". It would have been borrowed before the p>Ø sound change in order to turn *''pawaka'' into ''awaka''.

2b. Another proposal associates awakatl with the root ''awa-'' "oak" (''Quercus spp.''), also with the suffix -ka, meaning thing related to oak.

2c. My own proposal, suggests that it was formed based on the root *pewa "skin, hide", with the -ka suffix.

==Notes==
<references/>

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[[Category:English entries]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:12, 28 April 2025
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	'''2a.''' Dakin proposes that the word is formed in pre-Nahua, based on the root ''pawa'' "wild avocado" + with the added suffix -''ka'', here meaning soething like "thing related to X". It would have been borrowed before the p>Ø sound change in order to turn ''pawaka'' into ''awaka''. This proposal does not account for the Nahuan forms with initial ''e''- and ''ye''-, or for the coracholan forms derived from *''yewka''.		'''2a.''' Dakin proposes that the word is formed in pre-Nahua, based on the root ''pawa'' "wild avocado" + with the added suffix -''ka'', here meaning soething like "thing related to X". It would have been borrowed before the p>Ø sound change in order to turn ''pawaka'' into ''awaka''. This proposal does not account for the Nahuan forms with initial ''e''- and ''ye''-, or for the coracholan forms derived from *''yewka''.

	'''2b.''' Another proposal associates awakatl with the root ''awa-'' "oak" (''Quercus spp.''), also with the suffix -''ka'', meaning "thing related to oak". This does not account for the root ''pawa'', or for the Nahuan forms with initial ''e''- and ''ye''-, or for the coracholan forms derived from ''yekwa''.		'''2b.''' Another proposal associates ''awakatl'' with the root ''awa-'' "oak" (''Quercus spp.''), also with the suffix -''ka'', meaning "thing related to oak". This does not account for the root ''pawa'', or for the Nahuan forms with initial ''e''- and ''ye''-, or for the coracholan forms derived from ''yekwa''.

	'''2c.''' My own proposal ([[Pharao Hansen, Magnus. 2021. Avocado og testikelsovs: et internet-meme og en aztekisk etymologi. Mål og Mæle 3, 9-11.\|Pharao Hansen 2021]]), suggests that it was formed based on the root ''pewa'' "skin, hide", with the -''ka'' suffix that derives "thing related to X". The root ''pawa'' would be coined in Eastern Nahua also from pewa, with the anticipatory vowel assimilation of /e/ preceding syllables with /a/.		'''2c.''' My own proposal ([[Pharao Hansen, Magnus. 2021. Avocado og testikelsovs: et internet-meme og en aztekisk etymologi. Mål og Mæle 3, 9-11.\|Pharao Hansen 2021]]), suggests that it was formed based on the root ''pewa'' "skin, hide", with the -''ka'' suffix that derives "thing related to X". The root ''pawa'' would be coined in Eastern Nahua also from pewa, with the anticipatory vowel assimilation of /e/ preceding syllables with /a/.

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:03, 28 April 2025
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	'''Etymological Scenario 2 - Formation in Pre-Nahua:		'''Etymological Scenario 2 - Formation in Pre-Nahua:

	2a. Dakin proposes that the word is formed in pre-Nahua, based on the root ''pawa'' "wild avocado" + with the added suffix -''ka'', here meaning soething like "thing related to X". It would have been borrowed before the p>Ø sound change in order to turn ''pawaka'' into ''awaka''. This proposal does not account for the Nahuan forms with initial ''e''- and ''ye''-, or for the coracholan forms derived from *''yewka''.		'''2a.''' Dakin proposes that the word is formed in pre-Nahua, based on the root ''pawa'' "wild avocado" + with the added suffix -''ka'', here meaning soething like "thing related to X". It would have been borrowed before the p>Ø sound change in order to turn ''pawaka'' into ''awaka''. This proposal does not account for the Nahuan forms with initial ''e''- and ''ye''-, or for the coracholan forms derived from *''yewka''.

	2b. Another proposal associates awakatl with the root ''awa-'' "oak" (''Quercus spp.''), also with the suffix -''ka'', meaning "thing related to oak". This does not account for the root ''pawa'', or for the Nahuan forms with initial ''e''- and ''ye''-, or for the coracholan forms derived from ''yekwa''.		'''2b.''' Another proposal associates awakatl with the root ''awa-'' "oak" (''Quercus spp.''), also with the suffix -''ka'', meaning "thing related to oak". This does not account for the root ''pawa'', or for the Nahuan forms with initial ''e''- and ''ye''-, or for the coracholan forms derived from ''yekwa''.

	2c. My own proposal, suggests that it was formed based on the root ''pewa'' "skin, hide", with the -''ka'' suffix that derives "thing related to X". The root ''pawa'' would be coined in Eastern Nahua also from pewa, with the anticipatory vowel assimilation of /e/ preceding syllables with /a/.		'''2c.''' My own proposal ([[Pharao Hansen, Magnus. 2021. Avocado og testikelsovs: et internet-meme og en aztekisk etymologi. Mål og Mæle 3, 9-11.\|Pharao Hansen 2021]]), suggests that it was formed based on the root ''pewa'' "skin, hide", with the -''ka'' suffix that derives "thing related to X". The root ''pawa'' would be coined in Eastern Nahua also from pewa, with the anticipatory vowel assimilation of /e/ preceding syllables with /a/.

	''pewaka'' would then have become ''hewaka'' in early proto-Nahuatl, and *''yewaka'' in late proto-Nahuatl before becoming ''ewakatl'' and ''awakatl'' in proto-Eastern Nahua (Eastern Nahua drops /y/ before /e/, and changes /e/ to /a/ in syllables preceding syllables with /a/).		''pewaka'' would then have become ''hewaka'' in early proto-Nahuatl, and *''yewaka'' in late proto-Nahuatl before becoming ''ewakatl'' and ''awakatl'' in proto-Eastern Nahua (Eastern Nahua drops /y/ before /e/, and changes /e/ to /a/ in syllables preceding syllables with /a/).