Introduction to classical Nahuatl

the long version

Nahuatl is the language used by the ancient Aztecs and the Nahua Indians of Central Mexico. This text introduces the language using an anthropological approach, teaching learners to understand Nahuatl according to its own distinctive grammar and to reject translationalist descriptions based on English or Spanish notions of grammar. In particular, the author emphasizes the nonexistence of words in Nahuatl (except for the few so-called particles) and stresses the nuclear clause as the basis for Nahuatl linguistic organization.