III. TABLE OK AZTEC ROOTS COMPARED WITH SANSCRIT, ETC.
Several lists of Aztec words compared with those of various Indo-European languages have been given by philologists. The present is larger than any I have met with; several words in it are taken from Buschmann’s work on the Mexican languages. It is desirable in a philological point of view that comparative lists of words of this kind should be made, even when, as in the present instance, they are not of sufficient extent to found any theory upon.
As the Aztec alphabet does not contain nearly all the Sanscrit consonants, many of them must be compared with the nearest Aztec sounds, as:
| SANSCRIT, t, th, d, dh, &c. | AZTEC, t. | |
| SANSCRIT, k, kh, g, gh, &c. | AZTEC c. q. | |
| SANSCRIT, l, r. | AZTEC, l. | |
| SANSCRIT, b, bh, v. | AZTEC, v. or u. |
The Aztec c is soft (as s) before e and i, hard (as k) before a, o, u. The Aztec ch as in cheese. I have followed Molina’s orthography in writing such words as uel or vel (English, well) instead of the more modern, but I think less correct way, huel.
1. a-, negative prefix (as qualli, good; aqualli, bad). SANS., a-; GREEK, a-, &c.
2. o-, preterite augment (as nitemachtia, I teach; onitemachti, I taught); SANS., a-; compare GREEK ε-.
3. pal, prep. by: compare SANS. prep., para, back; pari, circum; pra, before; GREEK, παρα; LAT., per.
4. ce-, cen-, cem-, prefix collective (as tlalla, to place, centlalla, to collect); SANS., sa-, san-, sam-; GREEK, συν; LAT., syn.
5. ce, cen-, cem-, one. SANS., sa (in sa-krit, once: comp. Bopp, Gloss., p. 362.) LAT., se-mel, si-mul, sim-plex.
6. metz (metz-tli), moon. SANS., mas.
7. tlal (tlal-li), earth. SANS., tala, dhara. LAT., terra, tellus.
8. citlal (citlal-in), star. SANS., stri, stâra. LAT., stella. Eng., star.
9. atoya (atoya-tl), river. SANS., udya.
10. teuh (teuh-tli), dust. Sans., dhû-li (from dhû, to drive about.)
11. teo (teo-tl), god. Sans., deva. Greek, θεος. Lat., deus.
12. qual (qual-li), good. Sans., kalya, kalyâna. Greek, καλος.
13. uel, well. Sans., vara, excellent; vli, to choose. Lat., velle. Icel., vel. Eng., well.
14. uel, power, brave, &c., (uel-e, tla-uel-e.) Sans., bala, strength. Lat., valeo, valor.
15. auil, vicious, wasteful. Sans., âvila, sinful, guilty; abala, weak. Eng., evil.
16. miec, much. Sans., mahat, great; manh or mah, to grow. Icel., miok, much. Eng., much.
17. vey, great. Sans., bahu, much.
18. -pol, augmentative affix (as tepe-tl. mountain; tepepol, great mountain.) Sans., puru, much; pula, great, ample. Greek, πολυς.
19. naua (naua-c), near, by the side of. Sans., nah, to join or connect. German, nah, near.
20. ten (ten-qui), fuil. Sans., tûn, to fill.
21. izta (izta-c), white. Sans., sita.
22. cuz (cuz-tic), red. Sans, kashãya, kasãya.
23. ta (ta-tli), father. Sans., tãta.
24. cone (cone-tl), child. Compare Sans., jan, to beget. Lat., gen-itus. German, kin-d. Eng., kin.
25. pil (pil-li), child. Compare Sans., bâla, boy, child; bhri, to bear children, &c. Greek, πωλος, foal. Lat., pullus, filius. Eng., foal, &c., &c.
26. cax (cax-itl), cup. Sans., chasbaka.
27. paz(?)(a-paz-tli), vase, basin. Sans., bajana. Compare Lat., vas. Eng., vase.
28. com (com-itl), earthen pot. Sans., kumbha.
29. xuma (xuma-tli), spoon. Sans., chamasa; from Sans., cham, to eat.
30. mich (mich-in), fish. Sans., machcha.
31. zaca (zaca-tl), grass. Sans., sâka.
32. col (te-col-li, col-ceuia, &c.), charcoal. Sans., jval, to burn, flame; Icel., kol; Eng., coal; Irish, gual.
33. cen (cen-tli), grain, maize. Sans., kana, grain.
34. ehe (ehe-catl), wind. Sans., vâyu.
35. mix (mix-tli), cloud. Sans., megha; Icel., and Eng., mist.
36. cal (cal-ii), house. Sans., sâlâ. Greek, καλια; Lat., cella.
37. qua (qua-itl), head. Sans., ka.
38. ix (ix-tli), eye, face. Sans., aksha, eye; âsya, face.
39. can (can-tli), cheek, Sans., ganda; Lat., gena.
40. chichi (chichi-tl), teat. Sans., chuchuka.
41. nene (nene-tl), pupil of eye. Sans., nayanâ.
42. choloa, to run or leap. Sans., char.
43. caqui (caqui-ztli), sound. Sans., kach, to sound.
44. xin (xi-xin-ia), to cut, ruin, destroy. Sans., ksin, to hurt, kill.
45. tlacç (tlacç-ani), to run. Sans., triks, to go; Greek, τρεχω.
46. patlani, to fly. Sans., pat.
47. mati, to know. Sans., medh, to understand; mati, thought, mind; Greek root μαθ.
48. it (it-ta), to see. Sans., vid; Greek root ιδ, ειδομαι, &c.; Lat., video.
49. meya, to flow, trickle. Sans., mih.
50. mic (mic-tia), to kill. Sans., mi, mith.
51. cuica, to sing. Sans., kûj. to sing, as birds, &c.
52. chichi to suck. SANS., chûsh.
53. ahnachia, to sprinkle: compare SANS. uks.
54. coton (coton-a), to cut. SANS. kutt.
55. nex (nex-tia), to shine. SANS, nad; LAT., niteo.
55. notz (notz-a), to call. SANS., nad.
57. choc (choc-a), to lament, cry. SANS, kuch, to cry aloud, scream; such, to wail.
58. me(?)(in me-catl, binding-thing, chain?) to bind SANS., mû, mava.
59. qua, to eat, bite: compare SANS. charv, to chew, bite, gnaw; chah, to bruize; khad, to eat.; GERMAN, kauen; ENG., to chew.
60. te, thou. SANS. tvam; LAT., tu.
61. quen, how? SANS. kena.
Other curious resemblances between the Aztec and European languages are:
62. pepeyol, poplar. LAT., populus; ICEL., popel.
63. papal (papal-otl), butterfly; LAT., papilio.
64. ul (ul-li), juice of the India-rubber tree, used as oil for anointing, &c. LAT., oleum; ENG., oil, &c.