Tlatoa
/t͡ɬaˈtoa/noun
A Nahuatl verb meaning to speak or talk.
Did you know?In Nahuatl, speech was treated as a powerful force, and the root behind tlatoa is tied to the broader idea that words could act in the world, not just describe it.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Uto-Aztecan
PUA
*tɨɨwV?
“An ancestral reconstructed root proposed for speech/voice in the Uto-Aztecan family, though exact reconstruction details are debated.”
Classical Nahuatl
Nahuatl
tlatoa
“to speak, talk, or say aloud”
16th Century
Spanish
tlatoa
“Recorded by Spanish chroniclers and missionaries as an indigenous Nahuatl verb”
Modern English
English
tlatoa
“A loanword used in linguistic and historical discussion of Nahuatl”