Introduction to Conjunctions

This lexicon illustrates various conjunctions, words like dóó (and), doodaii (or), ndi (but), háálá (because), and others. Conjunctions combine two or more sentences or phrases into a single sentence or phrase. Each conjunction has its own meaning.

This lexicon is mainly focused on coordination, but it includes other expressions that can connect two sentences (like yę́ędą́ą́’). It is sometimes difficult to distinguish conjunctions from adverbs, and it is sometimes difficult to distinguish coordination from subordination.

Sometimes adverbs appear with conjunctions, and they influence the meaning of the conjunction.

Coordination is a kind of syntactic structure that allows two similar constituents to act as one. For example, Joe and Louise are conjoined in the sentence below:

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(1)
Joe dóó Louise hataał.
Joe and Louise 3-sing.CI
Joe and Louise are singing.

The verb hataał is intransitive, meaning that it can have only one argument:

(2)
Joe hataał.
Joe 3-sing.CI
Joe is singing.
(3)
*Joe Louise hataał.
Joe Louise 3-sing.CI
Joe Louise is singing.

Example (3) is only grammatical if Joe Louise is the name of a particular person. If we take the two names to refer to two different people, the sentence does not make sense because the verb is intransitive. Coordination, used in (1), allows two or more phrases to act as one.

In Navajo, more than two phrases can be conjoined, but the verb will need to have a plural marker in it when three or more actors are involved in the event being described:

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(4)
Joe dóó Louise dóó Kii dahataał.
Joe and Louise and Kii pl-3-sing.CI
Joe, Louise, and Kii are singing.

The examples above include conjunctions of noun phrases. Other phrases can be conjoined in the same way. Here are examples with postpositional enclitic phrases:

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(5)
Tsé’áándę́ę́’ dóó tsédáajį’ ninish’na’.
cave-from and cliff-to 1-crawl.P
I crawled out of the cave and to the edge of the cliff.

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(6)
Na’ná’á biyaa góne’ dóó báhátis ’adiłt’oh.
bridge 3-under below and 3-across 3-3-shoot.P
S/he shot them (e.g., arrows) over the bridge and under it.

Sentences can also be coordinated, and several different conjunctions can be used:

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(7)
Kin Łánídi naashnish háálá ’áadi shaghan.
Flagstaff 1-work.I because there 1-live.NI
I work in Flagstaff because I live there.

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(8)
Kin bighą́ą́’dę́ę́’ hadah ’adzííłhaal ndi t’áadoo ’ádadénih da.
house 3-to-from down 1-tumble.P but NEG RFLX-1-hurt.P NEG
I tumbled off the housetop but I didn’t get hurt.

The table below shows the expressions in this lexicon, except that the complementizer -go is listed in the Adverbs lexicon [link].

Navajo English Is the expression a coordinating conjunction? categories that can be conjoined
dóó ‘and’/‘and then’ yes clause, NP, PP, EP
’áádóó ‘and then’ yes clause
’áko ‘so, so that, so then’ yes clause
’áko ’índa ‘when, then’ yes clause
’áko ndi ‘even so, even then’ yes clause
’áko shį́į́ ‘then maybe/ then probably’ yes clause
’áko shį́į́ ’índa ‘then only’ yes clause
doodago ‘or’ yes clause, NP, PP, EP?
doodaii’ ‘or’ yes clause, NP, PP, EP?
-go no clause, NP
háálá ‘for, because’ yes clause
-ii’ ‘and, and thereupon’ yes clause
’índa ‘and only then’ no clause
léi’ ‘because’, ‘inasmuch as’ or ‘in view of the fact that’ yes clause
ndi ‘but’ yes clause
’azhą́…ndi ‘even though, despite the fact that, notwithstanding’ yes (or else ’azhą́ is an adverb and ndi is a conjunction) clause
ńt’éé’ past maybe clause
yę́ędą́ą́’ past no clause
NP
noun phrase
PP
postpositional phrase
EP
postpositional enclitic phrase

Subordination is a different way that two sentences can be combined into one. The enclitic -go attached to the first sentence subordinates it to the second:

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(9)
Shilééchąą’í bił na’nishkaadgo jooł bá ’abíńjíshhałgo yikéé’ náádiilwo’.
1-dog 3-with 1-herd.CI ball 3-for 3-1-bat.R-GO 3-after 3-run.R
When I’m out herding with my dog I bat fly balls for him and he chases them.

The first clause modifies the second by describing its reference time. A range of interpretations for -go is possible. In the following example, the -go clause is understood as describing the cause for the main clause:

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(10)
’Ádihodideesht’ih sha’shin nisingo t’áadoo ’atah haasdzíi’ da.
Joe dóó Louise dóó Kii dahataał.
I didn’t say anything because I thought I might get myself into trouble.

Examples of clauses subordinated using -go can be found in the Adverbs lexicon [link].

Some observations

Our understanding is that -go is a complementizer, sometimes called subordinating conjunction in traditional grammar (we follow Schauber 1975 [link] in concluding this).

When clauses are coordinated, a conjunction appears in place of -go. Ńt’éé’ can also take the place of -go. We take it that it can be either a conjunction or a complementizer. (Occasionally, it can appear along with -go, suggesting that it could be an adverb as well!)

Some of the expressions in this lexicon can only appear when -go appears on the first clause. These expressions are likely to be adverbs.

Concerning ’azhą́…ndi, we have already concluded that ndi is a conjunction. We could analyze ’azhą́ as an adverb, or we could consider ’azhą́…ndi to be a two-part conjunction, similar to either…or.

An example search has returned 50 entries

’Ach’íí’ ła’ deeshį́į́ł.

rolled.intestine some 1-eat.F
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I will eat rolled intestines now and then.

’Amásání léi’ dibé yázhí yootééł.

grandmother INDEF sheep little 3-3-carry.AnO.Prog

’Atsiniltł’ish dóó tó dayókeedígíí baa ’áłah ’aleeh lá.

electricity and water pl-3-request.I-NOM 3-for meeting DISC

-ghá

Béeso bá hooghan góne’ shił ha’ashch’ą́ą́l dóó ’azéé’ííł’íní bił yah ’ííyá.

money 3-for building inside 1-with 3-go.up.as.elevator.P and doctor 3-with into 1-GO.P

Bichidí yichǫ’ yę́ędą́ą́’ ’ashkii t’áani’ nálwod.

3-vehicle 3-P-ruin past boy on.foot 3-P-return
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The boy returned on foot when his car broke down.

Bini’ íídeeshtah doodago ’éiyá yóó’ ’adeeshwoł.

let will-1-school or only away 1-off-run.P

Ch’ééh jiyáán náánááshdą́ą́’.

watermelon again-1-eat.R
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I ate watermelon again.

Ch’óóshdą́ą́dą́ą́’ Diné Bizaad naalkaah doo baa ’áhonissin da. K’ad ’éí t’áá shxǫǫd bik’i’diitą́.

formerly Navajo language research NEG 3-about 1-aware.CI NEG | now TOP at.least 3-of-1-understand.P

Da’ Cubadę́ę́’ tsinaa’eeł nił ní’éél?

Q Cuba-from boat 2-with 3-float.P

Damóo yę́ędą́ą́’ dziłghą́ą́’dę́ę́’ shádí dóó ba’áłchíní bił ’adaashkai.

sunday past-time mountain top.of-from 1-elder.sister and 3-children 3-with downward-1-go.Pl.P

Damǫ́ǫgo tódilchxoshí yishdlį́į́h.

Sunday-GO soda 3-1-drink.U
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On Sundays I drink soda.

daooshóó’

pl-3DO-2dpl-brush/comb.it.P

deiyííyą́ą́’

pl-3DO-3dpl-eat.it.P

dididiiljah

3DO-1dpl-start.fire.F

didołjeeh

3DO-2dpl-start.fire.I

Dził bíchį́į́shk’ą́ą́h gódeg hoołtį́į́ł.

mountain 3-nose-against areal-up areal-rain.Prog
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It’s raining up on the point of the mountain.

Ha’át’íísh neidiyoołnih nínízin?

who-Q 3-3-buy.F 2-think.NI

hadanoołchaad

pl-3DO-2dpl-card.it.(as.in.wool).P

hadeiniłchaad

pl-3DO-3dpl-card.it.(as.in.wool).I

hah

Haidą́ą́’ shich’ą́ą́h ’ííchííl na’nishkaadgo.

winter-past 1-protect 3-snow.P 3-1-herd.CI-GO

Hastiin dóó ’at’ééd ha’át’íí lá ’áyiilaa?

man and girl what Q 3-3-make.P

Hastiin nééz doondó’ ndi ’alzhish da.

man tall NEG but 3-dance.DI NEG

Háísh ’átsą́ą́’ jóyą́ą́’ laanaa nízin?

Who ribs 4-eat.O hope 3-3-want.CI
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“Who would like to eat ribs?”

joodlą́ą́’

3DO-4-drink.it.P

K’ad niba’ sédáa dooleeł.

now 2-wait 1-sit.SPN FUT

léi’

because, inasmuch as, or in view of the fact that

Mary bimá sání yá ’ata’ halne’.

Mary 3-grandmother 3-for indef.between 3-talk.DI

Mary ha’át’íí nayiisnii’?

Mary what 3-3-buy.P

Na’nízhoozhígóó nihił ’adeeswod ’áko shį́į́ ’adiidį́į́ł chidí nihá ’ánálnéehgo.

Gallup-to 1-with INDEF-drive.P then maybe 1-dual-eat.F car 1-for 3-fix.I-GO

Nádí daats’í ’éí doodaii’ nideezhí daats’í bááh ’íidoolííł?

older.sister perhaps or younger.sister perhaps bread 3-make.F
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Is your older sister or your younger sister going to make bread? / Maybe your older sister or your younger sister is going to make bread.

nidazhdooleeł

pl-3DO-4dpl-carry.a.ropelike.thing.around.F

Nił hǫ́zhǫ́ǫ́sh doodaii’ doósh nił hózhǫ́ǫ da?

2-with-happy.NI-Q or neg-Q 2-with happy.NI neg

Níléí dá’ák’ehdi ła’ joogááł.

there corn.field-at some 4-walk.Prog

Shi’éé’ kin bikáá’dóó hadah (or bidah, ’adah) ’ahé’ah.

1-clothes house 3-on-from areal-downward 3-1-toss.FFO.P

Shicheii hastą́diin nááhai yilááhdę́ę́’ ’aníłdįįd.

1-grandfather sixty years 3-beyond-from 3-3-survive.P

Shighan bíighahgi yas biyi’dę́ę́’ tsé hahíí’ą́.

3-house 3-inside of snow 3-inside-from rock 3-stick.out.NP

shiilbéézh

3DO-1dpl-boil.it.P

Shimá dóó shizhé’é Yootóodi ’ółta’ ńt’éé’.

1-mother and 1-father Santa.Fe-at 3-go.to.school.NI past

Shizhé’é nihwiiłdlaadgo bikéé’ naad’ ’adaashjaah łeh.

1-father 3-3-plow.I-GO 3-behind corn 3Pl-1-drop.I Cust.
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As my father plows it is my custom to follow along behind and drop the corn kernels.

Shíká ’anilyeed, Obi-Wan Kenobi.

1-for 2-run.F Obi-Wan Kenob

t’áá

Ts’aa’ t’áá nitsaaígíí bídin nishłį́.

basket just 3-large.NI-nom 3-lack 1-be.NI

Tł’éédą́ą́’ shį́į́ nida’a’nééhgóó nidadziskai.

last.night perhaps game-to pl-3-3-go.pl.P
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Perhaps they attended the game last night.

yidííłhį́į́’

3DO-3-melt.it.P

yiidą́ą́’

3DO-1dpl-eat.it.P

yiigish

3DO-2-make.one.cut.in.it.I

Ąąh háá’á wolyéii k’ad doo ’asht’é’égóó bik’ee ntsinisdzá.

debt 3-extend.NP 3-be.called.NI now extremely 3-on.account.of 1-???? YÁ
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I’m really fed up with bills now.

Łį́į́’ bá ni’níłjoolgo ’índa Kintahgóó diikah.

horse 3-for 2.feed.NCM.P only.then town-GO 3pl.go.F
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I will feed the horse only then we will go to town.