Introduction to Conjunctions
This Saad Dílzin lexicon illustrates various conjunctions, words like dóó (and), doodaii (or), ndi (but), háálá (because), and others. The term we use for a word that holds constituents together is conjunction (zaatą’ii). Conjunctions combine two or more sentences, phrases, or words 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.
Sometimes adverbs appear with conjunctions, and they influence or modify the meaning of the conjunction.
Joe and Louise are conjoined in the sentence below to make a single phrase:
The verb hataał, is intransitive, meaning that it can only have one argument:
Joe | hataał. |
Joe | 3-sing.CI |
Joe is singing. |
*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 then we have to connect them with the conjunction dóó (and). This is what happens in (1). When dóó is in the middle you know there are two people.
In Navajo, more than two phrases can be conjoined, but the verb will have the plural marker da in it when three or more actors are involved in the event being described:
Joe | dóó | Louise | dóó | Kii | dahataał. |
Joe | and | Louise | and | Kii | pl-3-sing.CI |
Joe, Louise, and Kii are singing. |
The examples, (1) and (4), above include conjunctions of noun phrases. Other phrases can be conjoined in the same way. Here are examples with postpositional enclitic phrases:
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. |
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:
Kin | Łánídi | naashnish | háálá | ’áadi | shaghan. |
Flagstaff | 1-work.I | because | there | 1-live.NI | |
I work in Flagstaff because I live there. |
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]. This list appears in Young & Morgan (1987:23-24).
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
With coordination, two phrases have the same status. With subordination, one clause modifies the other. In this way, they are different. When there are two clauses and -go appears in the first, the two become one sentence. Then the first clause modifies the second.
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:
’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
’Ak’ah kǫ’ dishtłi’go sédá.
candle 3-1-cause.burn.NI-GO 1-sit.SPN’Aoo’, ’ashdladigóó ’oolkiłgo ’áádę́ę́’ shił ná’ílwod.
yes five-at-toward clock-GO there-from 1-with 3-return.PYes, I drove back from there at 5 o’clock.
bookmark- -di atfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- location
- -góó to, toward, along, on, with a numeral it indicates a datefind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- goal
- -dę́ę́’ from a general location or point in space or time, also out of, off offind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- location
- -ił withfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- transportation
- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- na‘oolwoł returnfind in Navajo Verb Modes
-deená
Asdzání ní’jookąąhgo kintahdi nijighá.
woman-NOM Rep-3a-beg.I-GOtown-at about-3a-walk.IBéégashii yáázh ła’ shibee’í’diidłííd bik’i niní’ą́.
calf one 1-cattle.brand 3-on 3-1-put.NPbik’ídazhdidis
pl-3DO-4dpl-wrap.it.around.it.Ibik’ídisoodiz
3DO-2dpl-wrap.it.around.it.Pbik’ídóhdis
3DO-2dpl-wrap.it.around.it.Ibik’ízhdídis
3DO-4-wrap.it.around.it.IChidí naa’na’í ’ayóo bídin nishłį́.
tractor really 3-without 1-be.NIChidí bitooʼ ʼásdįįdgo doo diitsʼį́į da dooleeł.
truck 3-gas 3-exhaust.NP-GO NEG 3-start.I NEG 3-become.Fdadínółkaad
pl-3DO-2dpl-start.to.herd.them.(animals).Istart to herd them (animals), 2nd person plural
bookmarkDamóo 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.PDamǫ́ǫgo tódilchxoshí yishdlį́į́h.
Sunday-GO soda 3-1-drink.Udaoo’aal
pl-3DO-2dpl-chew.it.Pdeitł’ó
pl-3DO-3dpl-weave.it.IDibé tó yił yáánii’á.
sheep water 3-with 3-crowd.PDiné k’asdą́ą́’ t’áá ’ałtso bichidí dahólǫ́ dííshjį́į́góó.
person nearly everyone 3-car pl-exist.N nowadaysDíidí háísh bichidí?
this who-Q 3-carDíí chąą’ shą’ háádę́ę́’ niníyęęzh?
this manure-Q where-from 3-ooze.PDíí tł’éé’ t’áá ká dóola dá’ák’eólyeed lágo, dádiʼnítįįh.
this night NEG bull into.field-3-run.O hope.not 3-2-close.gate.IDon’t let the bull get into the field tonight, so close the gate.
bookmark- I-A-Command, negative
- I-i-Optative with t’áá ká and lágo
- t’áá ká don’tfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- lágo negative particle used with the optative modefind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- Optative (O)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- I-A-Command, affirmative
- I-i-Imperfective
- Imperfective (I) (∅, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
Díkwíísh ninááhai?
how.many-Q 2-winter.NIHa’ąądi dibé bighan.
areal-other.side sheep 3-corralhaa + Neuter V
how / what V. The ’h’-expressions formed with ’haa’ plus a neuter verb are used to pose questions about “physical characteristics, quantity, and degree”.
bookmarkHaa’ísh nínígai?
where-Q 2-hurt.Ihadadoołbįįd
pl-3DO-2dpl-fill.something.up.with.it.Pfill something up with it, 2nd person plural
bookmarkhaiłgéésh
3DO-3-cut.it.out.IHáadi lá lį́į́’ naakai?
where-at Q horse 3-walk.pl.IHádą́ą́’sh Mary ’ólta’dę́ę́’ nádzá?
when-past-Q Mary school-from 3-return.PHáí lá sis ligái ííł’įįh?
who-Q belt silver 3-make.UHodíina’go bááh dootł’izhí deeshį́į́ł dóó ’ahwéé bił ła’ deeshdlį́į́ł.
after.a.while-GO bread blue 3-1-eat.F and coffee 3-with some 3-1-drink.FMósí yázhí bimá yits’ą́ą́’ yóó’ííyá.
kitten 2-mother 3-from away-3-go.Pneiilyé
3DO-1dpl-carry.a.ropelike.thing.around.Icarry a ropelike thing around, 1st person dual
bookmarknisíníłkáá’
3DO-2-investigate.it.PNizhéʼé nilą́ąjįʼ yigáałgo bikééʼ yilwoł.
2-father 2-in.front-to 3-walk.Prog-GO 3-behind 2-run.ProgRun along behind your father as he walks ahead of you.
bookmark- I-A-Command, affirmative
- I-i-Progressive
- -go verb and subordinating encliticfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- -jį́’ up to, as far asfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- -kéé’ behind, followingfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- Progressive (Prog)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- yishwoł run alongfind in Navajo Verb Modes
Shicheii déidiiłjeeh’ii’, hoozdohgóó nahisiitą́.
1-grandfather 3-3-built.fire.P-and warm-to 3-sit.PShilééch’ąą’í hats’ąą ńdóosht’į́į́ł laanaa nízin yę́ę bik’íníyá.
1-dog areal-away.from 1-hide.O wishful 3-want past 3-1-find.PShį́į́dą́ą́’ łį́į́’ yázhí shee hazlį́į́’.
summer-past pony 1-with 3-become.PT’áadoo ’anit’íní!
neg 2-do.NI-ÍT’ááłáhádi kin binída’shiilzhiizh dóó hooghangóó dah ńdiikai.
once-at house 3-into-Pl-1dpl-dance.P home-toward start start-1dpl-go.pl.PTózis biníká dínísh’į́į́’.
bottle 3-through 1-look.XTsé ’ayóí ’áníłtso léi’ tsékooh góyaa hadah ch’ééłmááz.
rock remarkably large INDEF canyon areal-down areal-edge out-3-1-roll.PI rolled a big rock over the edge and into the canyon.
bookmark