Classical Nahuatl 4018-LEK-NAH0
The course involves systematic learning of the Classical Nahuatl (Aztecan) language, with a special focus on translation of 16th-century source texts. This is the language of the largest corpus of native texts in the Americas documenting the meeting of the native world with European culture and the colonial period after the Spanish conquest. As the lingua franca of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica and the language of the Aztec empire, it is also the key to learning about the richness of pre-Hispanic cultures. Despite many centuries of Hispanisation, Nahuatl is still used to this day in many dialects that have survived in numerous traditional communities in Mexico.
The aim of the course is for the students to develop basic skills in reading early-colonial texts and documents, allowing them to learn about the culture of the Nahua Indians and the complex reality of New Spain. Participants will learn basic grammar and vocabulary enabling them to translate source texts from the colonial period. Original texts - historical accounts, documentation related to various aspects of life, and native literature - will be introduced (first in adaptations, then in the original version) already in the first semester of the course. Some of the classes will be spent on reading pictographic-alphabetical documents and learning the rudiments of palaeography. The course has its continuation in an advanced translation course in the following academic year, and is supplemented by a seminar on the contemporary Nahuatl de la Huasteca and the lecture course “History of Ibero-American culture. Meetings between the Old and New Worlds”.
Grammar topics:
- rudiments of phonology and transcription
- nouns (identifying the stem and ending, plurals, introduction to compound nouns)
- pronouns (personal, possessive, interrogative, demonstrative pronouns)
- numerals
- verbs (introduction, groups, conjugation)
- tenses (present tense, past simple and continuous tense, future tense, past perfect tense)
- objects (definite, indefinite, animate, inanimate)
- introduction to syntax
- basic forms of compound nouns
- irregular verbs
- the conditional mood
- creating applicative forms
- creating causative forms of verbs
- the imperative and optative mood
- locative suffixes
- the passive voice
- diminutives, augmentatives, reverential forms
Tasks:
- translation of adapted texts
- translations of excerpts from original texts
- an integral approach to texts: palaeography, translation, interpretation
Type of course
Prerequisites (description)
Learning outcomes
Knowledge:
- basic skills in the classical Nahuatl language (writing conventions, phonology, grammar and basic vocabulary) which can later be developed in an advanced translation class
- basic knowledge on the specificity of the object and methodology of the discipline studying the Nahua culture and Ibero-American culture
- organized knowledge on the region’s culture and language
- basic knowledge on colonial literature in Nahuatl (genres, conventions, themes)
- issues of intercultural communication and the changes occurring in a language under the influence of intensive contact with another language on the example of Nahuatl and Spanish
- being aware of the importance of the comprehensive nature of language in philological and cultural studies
Skills:
- translating simple source texts from Nahuatl to Polish
- basic skills to analyse original texts
- basic skills in the palaeography of colonial texts in Nahuatl
- being able to take part in discussions on cultural and linguistic issues, including presenting logical argumentation and drawing critical conclusions
Social competences:
- developed awareness of the importance of the comprehensive nature of language in philological and cultural studies
- understanding the need for and principles of team work in an interdisciplinary group
- learning and understanding the main challenges involved in studies on culture and relations between civilizations
- understanding the importance of preserving the wealth, integrity and awareness of the cultural heritage of Europe, including individual Mediterranean traditions
Assessment criteria
Students will be graded for regular and active participation in classes, how well they prepare for class, and acquired skills. The latter will be checked during a formal oral test/exam. Two unexcused absences per semester are allowed.
Bibliography
Słowniki:
Alonso de Molina Vocabulario en lengua castellana y mexicana, y mexicana y castellana, Editorial Porrua, Meksyk
Francis Karttunen An Analytical Dictionary of Nahuatl, University of Oklahoma Press
Opracowania:
Arthur J.O. Anderson, Grammatical examples, exercises, & review for use with Rules of the Aztec language, University of Utah Press, Salt Lake City 1973
J. Richard Andrews, Introduction to classical Nahuatl, University of Texas Press, Austin 1975, 2005
R. Joe Campbell, Frances Karttunen, Foundation course in Nahuatl grammar, Institute of Latin American Studies, The University of Texas Press, Austin 1989
James Lockhart, Nahuatl as Written: Lessons in Older Written Nahuatl, with Copious Examples and Texts, Stanford Univ. Press, 2001
James Lockhart, We People Here, Nahuatl Accounts of the Conquest of Mexico, Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2004
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: