Problem:IOL/2011/i4/en(B)

IOL 2011 Problem #4 Nahuatl

Given are words in Nahuatl as well as their English translations in arbitrary order:

acalhuah, achilli, atl, callah, calhuah, chilatl, chilli, colli, coltzintli, conehuah, conehuahcapil, conetl, oquichconetl, oquichhuah, oquichtotoltzintli, tehuah, tetlah, totoltetl

water, child, master of house, water pepper, revered turkey-cock, mother, village, chili water, grandfather/ancestor, stony ground, boy, possessor of stones (= person who lives in a stony place), chili, turkey egg, canoe owner, mum(my), wife, revered grandfather/ancestor

(a) Determine the correct correspondences.

(b) Translate into Nahuatl: house, stone, possessor of water, revered man/husband.

(c) Translate into English: cacahuatl, cacahuatetl, cacahuaatl, cacahuahuah.

⚠ Classical Nahuatl was the language of the Aztec Empire in Mexico. c = qu = k, ch = ch in church, hu = w in win, tl and tz are consonants. Water pepper (Polygonum hydropiper) is a wild plant. Chili water is an Aztec drink containing chili pepper.

—Liudmila Fedorova