Snow

The Southern Uto-Aztecan languages have a set of words for "snow", that is separate from the Northern Uto-Aztecan words. PSUA had the root *kɨpa "snow" (as opposed to *nɨpa in Numic, Hopi and Tübatülabal, and *yuyu in Takic (Stubbs 2011:#2074). This root was however apparently lost in Cahitan, and in Corachol-Nahua, unless we consider that Nahuan sepayawi comes from *kepa-yawi.

Stubbs (2011) misses a Nahuatl cognate, sepa-yawi "snow", which could come either from *kepa-yawi or *sepa-yawi. The root *se(k) is reconstructed as "ice, frost" while *yawi can be reconstructed as "precipitation" for Pre-Nahuatl. Either pre-Nahuatl formed *kepayawi and then altered to sepayawi by analogy with the root *setl "ice". Or else SUA has a second root *sepa "snow" which is also reflected in Cahitan as sapa-m and Nahuatl as *sepa-yawi.

Lionnet 1985:#83: *kɨра, "nieve". - ТЕР kɨva-; Vb kehpá, Va ТА kepá; TR kewá-t.

Stubbs 2011#2074: based on Tbr kewá-t; v: kewá; AYq sapam; v: sapa weče; My sáppam; Wr kepá; v: keba-ní; TO gew; Tr gepá/kepá-(mea) n-(v); Nv kïba; Cr seeri; Wc ’ïïví 'ice'; NT kïvai; CN sek-tli;