Customer Reviews

Dic Hippocrene Concise Nahuatl-English/English-Nahuatl (Aztec): Dic Hippocrene Concise (Hippocrene Concise Dictionary)

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2 star:		(2)
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Hippocrene publishes several dozen "concise dictionaries" and most of these get ratings of one or two stars from readers. They seem to specialize in what some might call the more "exotic" or "unusual" languages, such as Sicilian, Uzbek, Twi, Sanskrit, Macedonian, Nepali and in this case Nahuatl. (None of the dictionaries I have listed have an average customer rating higher than two stars.) These books are not concise, and are arguably not even dictionaries, because for example, the Nahuatl-English/English-Nahuatl (Aztec) dictionary lacks any type of critical apparatus or source material commonly found in dictionaries. Also, as the previous reviewer pointed out we do not know whether this is a dictionary of Classical Nahuatl or of current Nahuatl dialects. My guess it's a combination of the two, which makes matters even more confusing. The small 6'' x 4" x 1" format suggests that these books are to be carried in the pockets of travelers and that they be used as guides, so that words such as airplane, polishing machine, crocodile, and observatory can be said to the "natives" when traveling in rural Veracruz, Tlaxcala or San Luis Potosi.

But the book is not completely useless, it is the only dictionary with an English-Nahuatl section and when used in conjunction with the dictionaries by Karttunen or Molina it can be helpful for translation. The back of the book also contains a reference section with every day phrases, numbers, parts of the body, animals, colors etc. but as with the English-Nahuatl section this needs to be used with extreme caution. Unless you have other dictionaries do not rely on this book.

Review by Walter O. Koenig

This dictionary does not tell the reader if the translation is a word from "Classic Nahuatl" of the 16th -18th centuries; if it is from the Central Mexico area or from the peripheral Nahuatl dialects; or if it is a modern word from a regional dialect; or in the case of "Czech republic" or "United States" words that were totally made up (by the author perhaps?). It also leaves out very important information (such as glottal stops long and short vowels, etc). As a quick reference to look up words, it is OK, but for the serious Nahuatl momachtiquetl....

This is a part of a series of "dictionaries" that "cover" many langauges short types of translations. I guess each author is given a set list of words that they have to translate.

For serious Nahuatl studies, "An Analytical Dictionary of Nahuatl" by Frances Karttunen and the 1571 dictionary of Fray Molina (soon to be republished by Editorial Porrua in Mexico City) or the Dictionnaire de la Langue Nahuatl ou Mexicaine. by Remi Simeone are better.

This book is very informational and good for simple conversations NOT to be a fluent Nahuatl speaker but it helps you how to pronounce the Nahuatl words and MANY MANY definitions.

I bought the book for a friend. He is studying the Nahuatl language. He really enjoyed the book and has learned a lot. I plan to buy more for him.

I used this dictionary extensively to add realism to my novels on the Conquest of Mexico--'Skull Rack' and 'Hummingbird God'. In order to add to the flavor of diaglogues involving Tenochca-Mexica characters, I sometimes added Nahuatl words and phrases. Not being intimate with Nahuatl, I relied extensively on both this dictionary as well as Karttunen's 'An Analytical Dictionary of Nahuatl'. Hopefully they are accurate otherwise I stand to be embarrassed.

The Author Fermin Herrera put an extraordinary amount of work into this dictionary. The dictionary contains classical and contemporary Nahuatl. This is a great dictionary for students of Nahuatl and Mexica history.

I am actually currently a student of Prof. Herrera and I can tell you that this man is better versed in the Nahuatl language than anyone you know. This pocket guide is a great reference guide and I recommend it to anyone looking to explore Mesoamerican culture and tradition.