Using the Nahuatl Language in Academic Writing

This article proposes to foster the use of the Nahuatl language in academic writing, from papers at the undergraduate level to scientific research, by developing the specialized vocabulary needed through the generation of neologisms. It is proposed to implement this development through the parasynthetic method and epistemological equivalence translations, since the (European) languages from which the new concepts are taken belong to an epistemic context different from that of Nahuatl. The current proposal is also replicable for other indigenous languages of Mexico (68 in total with around 360 dialects, according to the National Institute of Indigenous Languages). Likewise, it is believed to be possible to expand the vocabulary of Nahuatl to other fields of knowledge as diverse as physics or theatre, since the method of lexical expansion proposed is in tune with the logic of the language and does not depend on a specific discipline. The absence of Nahuatl in academic writing is due, among other reasons, to the historical obstacles that have impeded the access of the indigenous peoples of Mexico to health, education, and justice systems, since most of the services related to these three areas are offered almost exclusively in Spanish, although some basic documents such as the Political Constitution of Mexico are translated into various native languages. This situation has relegated these languages to mainly colloquial use, thus causing a lack of vocabulary for certain disciplines. A fragment of a case study devoted to the social functioning of the Nahuatl dialectal variety of the town of San Antonio Alpanocan in the state of Puebla, Mexico, is attached as an example of academic writing in Nahuatl. Likewise, the first article of the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States is included as an example of specialized Nahuatl vocabulary use in law.