[Nahuat-l] nahuatl hk < kk

[Magnus Pharao Hansen]

listeros

kk > hk is indeed a very common sound change in modern Nahuatl - it is also
found throughout Morelos and in southern Puebla. I do not think however tht
it is best understood as a dissimilation. I think it is a part of a much
more pervasive tendency in Nahuatl to turn all consonant clusters into
aspiration + consonant. For many dialects most consonant clusters, including
those with sonorants are pronounced /hC/. So that e.g. kalli is pronounced
[kahli], teopixki [teopihki], itta [ihta]. In my opinion this in turn is a
part of the nahuatl rule of devoicing and aspirating syllable final
consonants. The way I see there is a general "drift"  in Nahuatl making all
syllable final consonants tend towards becoming h.

Magnus
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