November 30 – December 2, 2021 [Rescheduled]

Environmental Adaptation of Spatial Grammar in Dialects of Nahuatl

The Nahuatl Space Project at the University of Copenhagen investigates whether four varieties of the Mexican indigenous language Nahuatl have changed the grammar used to describe spatial relations to fit the very different landscapes that their speakers live in. In Nahuatl spatial categories, such as movement and position, are inflected on verbs; spatial relations tend to be anchored in landscape features. Very little research has examined this aspect of Nahuatl, until now. In 2020, a research team, including members from Mexico, Denmark, the US and Japan, have used linguistic and ethnographic methods to document differences in spatial grammar in four Nahuatl dialects spoken in different locations and landscapes. The Research Team Seminar will take place during the project’s write-up phase as team members work on their contributions to a monograph volume on Nahuatl Space. It will provide the opportunity to conduct collective peer-review and quality control of ongoing work.

Magnus Pharao Hansen, Chair
Postdoctoral Fellow, Dept. of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies, University of Copenhagen