Introduction to Particles

This is a lexicon of simple and complex particles, miscellaneous small words that are important to formulating coherent sentences and expressing meaning. Some of them have a similar effect to what intonation does in English. Particles are small words that are not nouns, verbs, postpositions, or adjectives, but are nevertheless important. Particles and adverbs are similar, but particles are small and adverbs are bigger.

This lexicon is built on Young & Morgan’s (1948) pamphlet “The Function and Signification of Certain Navajo Particles,” which was reprinted with corrections in Fernald & Platero (2000). We have included some additional particles, and removed certain ones for reasons we will explain below. The Young & Morgan list of particles overlaps with the list of adverbs from Young & Morgan (1987:12-17). This list was the basis for the Adverb Lexicon on this website. For example, doo…da, le’ ’át’éégóó, and hanii appear on both lists. The Young & Morgan (1948/2000) list of particles includes some enclitics. However, we assume particles to be independent words (free morphemes), and enclitics, (by definition,) must attach to other words.

The Young & Morgan list of particles includes several postpositional enclitics (e.g., -gi, -góó, -jį’), which we have included in our Postpositions Lexicon, and we do not reproduce them here. Certain other enclitics in their list appear in other sections of our website and so are not listed here. These include -go, which is in the Adverb Lexicon; -ii’, which is in the Conjunctions Lexicon -ísh, -sh, and shą’, which are question focusing enclitics and appear in the Grammar of Questions.

The Young & Morgan particles list also includes several examples of what we have called complex particles, which are composed of more than one particle (e.g., ła’í ndi, t’áá ’ááłdįį, t’áá ká). Several include frames, often involving negation (e.g., doo t’áá k’ad —— da, dó’ —— -ísh łí). Complex particles sometimes include an enclitic (e.g., -gile’ ’át’éego), and possibly an adverb (e.g. t’áadoo —— -ígo t’éiyá).

An example search has returned 50 entries

’Ashkii ’éí łį́į́’ bił naaldloosh łá’í nidi doo yiyiichįįh da.

boy TOP horse 3-with 3-ride.I one but 3-3-know.NP NEG

’Asdzą́ą́ t’ah doo naalyéhé bá hooghangóó dighááh da.

woman still NEG trading.post-to 3-walk.I NEG

’Ayóo la’ deesdoi, nahóółtą́ą́’ laanaa.

very disc 3-hot.SPN 3-rain.O hope

’Ałchíní ’ólta’di t’áá ’áhą́dígo ’ahąąh naazį́.

boy school-at just together-GO abreast pl-3-stand.SPN

’Áde’óóyą́ą́’ lágo.

self-2-eat.O don’t

At’ééké dził gó’ąą nída’iilááh.

3-girls mountain areal.over 3pl-gather.CI
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The girls are gathering pinon over the hill.

Ałk’idą́ą́’ ’éiyá naadą́ą́’ ’ayóo k’éédadiilyééh ńt’éé’. Díísh jį́įdi ’éiyá kindę́ę́’ nidahiilniih.

long.ago TOP corn very pl-3-1dpl-plant.R past | this day-at TOP store-from pl-3-1dpl-buy.CI
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Long ago, we planted corn. Now, we buy corn from the store.

Dibé t’áá daaztsą́ą́ lágo bik’íníyá.

sheep just pl-3-die.P DISC-GO 3-onto-1-come.P
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I found that the sheep was already dead when I came upon it.

Doo ndi bił ílíí da.

not.even 3-with-grateful.NI NEG

Doo yéé chizh yah ’ííjaa’í hooghan shį́į́ ’adííłk’ą́ą́’ nít’éé’.

DOO YÉÉ firewood into 3-1-carry.pl.P-Í hogan probably 3-1-burn.P past

Doochǫǫł á’ego!

repulsive 3-be.NI-GO

Doozáagi naahné?

how.long 2dpl-play.I
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How long are you two gonna play for?

Doozáagi Diné bíbee hazʼaanii bi nanilnish?

PTL.NEG navajo.people 3-government ? 3-2-to.work-I
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How long are you going to work at the Navajo Nation Government?

Díí ké tʼóó laʼ ʼáłtsʼíísí nahalin.

this shoe T’ÓÓ LA’ small 3-3-resemble.NI
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This shoe looks too small.

Ha’átíísh diidííł? Díí daats’í: naa’oł’í da, naadą́ą́’ da, ’ats’í da, éí hólǫ́ǫ́ lá.

What-Q 1pl.eat,F This maybe: beans, corn, meat, 3-become.P DISC
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What should we eat? Perhaps these: beans, corn, meat, they are on hand.

Haalá t’áá ’éiyá naaltsoos niníłtsooz ni’.

what-Q just TOP paper 3-1-put.FFO.P recall

Haashą’ ʼátʼé, shí bichʼįʼ haʼdiisdzih.

how-Q 3-be.NI 1 3-to 1-speak.F

Haánee’ haa nóolnin dooleeł.

what-NEE’ how 3-3-resemble.NI future
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We’ll just wait and see how it looks.

Haánee’ náánááshdáał dooleeł.

well 1-again-walk.R future

Kintagóó shį́į́ diikah.

house-among-to maybe go
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Maybe we will go to town.

KinŁánídi ’ííníshta’ ńt’éé’ ’áádóó t’áá ’ániidígo ’áadi náánísdzáá ńtéé’ ’ééhosisya’ lá.

Flagstaff-in 1-study.P past and.then just recently there-at 1-return.P past 1-get.hazy.P disc
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I was young I went to school in Flagstaff but I returned there recently to find that I’m so hazy about things that I barely recognize the place.

Kóhoot’éédą́ą́’ dibé yázhí t’óó ’ahayóí hazlį́į́’. K’ad ’éí doo t’óó ’ahayói da.

last.year sheep baby a.lot 3-Pas-it.occured.P now this NEG a.lot NEG

Lą́ʼąą’, hágoóneeʼ nibééso łaʼ shaa níʼaah.

okay well 2-money some 1-for 3-2-give.SRO.I

Masí dó’ nee holǫ́ǫ́’ísh łí?

cat DÓ’ 2-with exist.NI-Q ŁÍ

Naadą́ą́’ t’ah doo dadiigááhdą́ą́’ deiiti’.

corn before pl-3-leaves.turn.white.I-past pl-3-1dpl-harvest.P
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We harvested the corn before the leaves turned white.

Naaki yiskánídą́ą́’ da’iiníílta’go hahoolzhiizh.

two day-past pl-1dpl-school.NI-GO start-time.passing.P
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We started school a couple of days ago.

Nida’iilyéego ’áłt’ąą yiską́ągo ’índanááł doo.

pass.pay.I-go after.all tomorrow only.then 2-come.Prog future

Nimásání kohgo dibé niná’áłjoł łeh.

2-grandmother this.time sheep 3-for 3-3-feed.NCM.R usually
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Your grandmother usually feeds her sheep around this time.

Ná’áł’ah doo ndi yiyiichįįh da.

3-butcher.CI NEG 3-good.at.NP NEG

Nízhánee’ saabiihi’níłí bóhwiinił’ą́ą́’.

2-good.thing-NEE’ computer 3-2-learn.P
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It’a a good thing you learned about computers.

Shikindóó t’áá ’ahanidi nikin si’ą́

1-house-at just near-at 2-house 3-sit.P.SRO

Shiníbaal doo tó biníkáoogeeh le’ ’át’éégóó ’íishłaa.

1-tent NEG water 3-through-3-flow.I prepare.against 3-1-make.P

Sh naa’aash shį́į́! T’áá shǫǫdí shaná’níłtsóód!

1-with 3-go.dl.CI maybe please 1-to-back-3-2-feed.I

Shí hanii ’adishníigo shik’ihoodiit’ą́ .

1 contrary INDEF-1-say.P-GO 1-4-blame.P
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I didn’t say it but I got the blame.

T’ah doo ashą́ą da.

not.yet 1-eat.I NEG

T’áadoo naníchxǫ’go t’éíyá naalyéhí bá hooghangóó shikee’ ’iihdíiwoł.

before 2-pout.CI-NEG-GO only goods 3-for house.GOO 1-follow 3-2-ride.I

T’áadoo ná’iilwosh.

NEG 2-sleep.R

T’áá sáhí hooghandi sédá ’áko t’áá ’ádíighahágo ch’iyáán ’ánéish’įįh.

just alone home-at 1-sit.SPN so just refl-sufficient food 3-1-make.R
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I usually cook enough food for myself when I am home alone.

italic highlight particle_0" aria-label="particle">T’áadoo ’iishxáshí łį́į́’ tł’oh bá niníłjool.

before 1-sleep.(I)NEG horse for 2-1-give.(P)NCM
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I feed hay to the horse before I went to sleep.

T’áá ’aaníigo chizh yigééł.

really firewood 3-pass-haul.PROG

T’áá ’íiyisíí dootł’izhii ’át’é.

really turquoise 3-be.NI

T’ááła’í naahai yę́ędą́ą́’ naanish yiséłbą́.

one year past work 3-1-earn.P

T’óó la’ sékwii.

contrary.to.appearances 1-naseous.SP

Tsoodził gódei yishááł.

Mt.Taylor areal.up 1-walk.P
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I’m hiking up Mount Taylor.

Yah ’aninááh.

into 2-enter.I
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Come in.

Yiską́ągo ’azee’ííłíní niwoo’ yideeshnish doo.

tomorrow doctor 2-teeth 3-2-work.F will.be

Łééchąą’í bighan ’íilnééh nít’ę́ę́’ tsineheeshjíí’ nihits’ą́ą́’ ’ásdįįd ’áko t’áá ’ádíjį’ nishiilnish.

dog 3-house 1dpl-make.I past lumber 1pl.on dwindle so just there-up.to 1-go.du.P
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We were making a dog house until we ran out of lumber.

Łééchąą’í léi’ níléíjí yildlosh.

dog indef. there-to 3-crawl.I
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There is a dog walking over there.

ʼAdoodį́į́ł hodooʼniid nítʼééʼ ʼałtʼąą níyá.

pass-eat.F pass-say.P past after.all 3-arrive.P
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It was mentioned that there will be eating, so he showed up after all.

“Shich’é’é baa shíni’" diníine’. T’ahdiísh t’áá ’ákónít’é?

1-daughter 3-about 1-mind 2-say.P still-Q just 2-well.NI