Tlahtolli
/t͡ɬaʔˈtoɬi/noun
A word, speech, or language in Classical Nahuatl.
Did you know?In Nahuatl tradition, *tlahtolli* was more than vocabulary: it could mean eloquent speech, discourse, or even an authoritative spoken tradition, showing how deeply voice and knowledge were bound together.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Uto-Aztecan
PUA
*taʔ
“to speak, say”
Classical Nahuatl
Nahuatl
tlahtoa
“to speak, say, utter”
Classical Nahuatl
Nahuatl
tlahtolli
“speech, word, discourse”
16th Century
Spanish/Nahuatl
tlahtolli
“recorded by Spanish friars and scribes in colonial-era Nahuatl texts”
Modern English
English
tlahtolli
“a Nahuatl word for speech or language, used in linguistic and cultural discussion”