Expert: Maria - 10/16/2004

Question
I was just curious as to know why certain Aztec names are spelled the way they are in English when really, their origins are from the Nahuatl language ( hope I spelled that correctly). Like for example, the name Xochitl ( when pronounced Soshee) Like why do most of the names end in tl. when they are never pronounced? Who started that? Also like in the indian traditions, I know that a god named Siva is really pronounced Shiva. Why is that? Why not just spell it out Shiva? I was just curious as to why this happens in the english language given that many cultures and their languages do not derive from the english language. Thank you very much for your time.

Andrea

Answer
Hello,

I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I cannot help you as I am not an expert on Aztec or  the English pronunciation of certain Aztec words.

In fact my field of expertise covers  ANCIENT GREEK  and LATIN, i.e. the language of ancient Rome(see  my profile).

Best regards
Maria