 The root form of a typical Nawat ideophone is a CVCV sequence, e.g., "-chala-, -china-, -kelu-, -kina-, -kumu-, -kwala-, -tapa-, -tikwi-, -tzaya-, -tzili-, -tzutzu-".These roots are not words and only acquire full meaning when they enter into one or another of the derivational patterns for Nawat ideophones.Some at least are probably onomatopoeic in origin.