Ñähñu and Otomí

Ñähñu is the Otomí people's name for their language and linguistic group. Several spellings of Ñähñu have been proposed. Ñähñu is a common spelling used in these Web pages. There are several other spellings. Ñähñu is spelled phonetically as in the International Phonetic Alphabet, a system for phonetic spelling that gives one a very good idea how the words sound.  Non native speakers have difficulty recognizing and pronouncing the voiceless palatal nasal  , so this sound has been symbolized in various ways with roman characters in the different spellings. The Ñähñu language contains many other nasal sounds like . The word is derived from   meaning ‘word’ or ‘speech’ and  meaning ‘nose.’ Thus   means ‘nasal word’ or ‘nasal language.’ The Ñähñu people also sometimes call themselves  meaning ‘we of the nasalized language.’ The word ‘Otomí,’ which was previously applied to this linguistic group, is an Aztec word that could be derived from otocac meaning ‘walk’ and mitl meaning ‘arrow,’ implying that the Ñähñu were simple bow-and-arrow bird hunters (Soustelle 1937), an incorrect notion perhaps resulting from Aztec prejudices.  This negative connotation is rejected by Ñähñu intellectuals who prefer the name   for the ethnic group (Martín, Gómez and Godínez 1986:6; Bernard and Salinas 1989:11). When non-Ñähñu are able to pronounce "" and when it is spelled in a standard form, it should become the literate label for the ethnic/linguistic group.

Magical paper figures used by Sierra Ñähñu shamans to heal pysical and emotional illness

References

Martín C., Donaciana, Victorino V. Gomez B., and Pedro M. Godínez S. (1986). Ra thogi né yä nfädi yä ñähñu / La historia y los conocimientos de los Ñähñu. Cardonal, Hgo.: Dirección General de Educación Indígena, Centro Social de Cardonal, A.C.

Soustelle, Jacques. (1937). La famille Otomí-pame du Mexique central. Travaux et memoires de l'Institut d'ethnologie, 26. Paris: Institut d'ethnologie