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

Shideezhí t’áadoo ’ałtso ’íiłta’ nihaa nádzá.

1-sister NEG finish 3-read-NMLZ.NEG 1pl-to 3-return.P
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My little sister came back to us before she finished school.

Shilééchąą’í t’áadoo ’ayán dibé yikéé’ ’eelwod.

1-dog NEG 3-eat.I-NEG sheep 3-after 3-run.P

’Adáádą́ą́’, hééł sinil góne’ hasht’ehooshłaa.

Day.last belongings storage inside 3-1-clean.P

’Azháánee’ shi dibé hólǫ́ǫ ndi, dibé ła nahiideeshnih.

even.though my sheep 3-exist.NI sheep one 1-buy.F

’Azhą́ shaa jidiijéé’ ndi, t’áá hwéé deeshwoł.

even.though 1-from-4-start-run.P just but 1-run.F

’Ałní’ní’ą́ą́dą́ą́’ t’ah doo da’adánígóó dishááhgóó ch’iyáán ’ásdįįd.

noon-past still NEG cafeteria-to 1-go.I-NEG food 3-dwindle.NI

’Eii ’at’ééd ’ak’e’elchí doozhǫǫgo yóhoołą́ą́’ lá, nihíká ’azhdoolwoł.

that girl pass-write.I decent 3-3-learn.P DISC 1dpl-for 4-run.F
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That girl learned writing decently enough to help us.

’Éí lą́ą baa nitséskees nít’ę́ę́’.

that EMP 3-about 1-think.I past

Béeso bá hooghan góne’ saad hazlį́į́’.

bank inside words 3-pas-it.occured.P
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There was an arugment inside the bank.

Chidí bee anídítį́hí bits’ą́ą́’ nídídeesh’į́į́ł ’ííshjáán doo nił bééhózín da lá jiní!

Car 3-by.means.of 3-open-NOM 3-away 3-1-hide.F let’s.see NEG 2-with 3-knowledge.CI NEG disc 4-say.P
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I’m going to hide car keys and let’s pretend that you don’t know about it!!

Chidí naat’a’í yá góde nínádadiit’ah.

car fly-NOM sky areal.up 3-fly.R
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Airplanes fly up into the sky.

Dééh yaassííd léi’ ’ayóo sido lá.

tea 3-1-pour.I because very 3-hot.SPN disc
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I’m pouring tea and it’s very hot.

Dichin dó’ nínízinísh łí?

hunger DÓ’ 3-2-want.I Łí

Dlǫ́ǫ́’ ba’áán góne’ yahadeeshnii’go dlǫ́’áyázhí shishhash.

prairie.dog 3-hole into down1-3.to.reach.out.hand prairie.dog-little 1-bite.P

Doo ’áádę́ę́’ naagháa da nít’éé’áłt’ąą nida’iilyéego ’índa níyá.

NEG there.from 3-go.about.I NEG past after.all pass.pay.I-go only.then 3-arrive.P

Doo hanii nighan béédi’nítséeh da.

NEG contrary 2-home 3-2-expand.I such.as
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Why don’t you expand your house.

Doo yéé łeetsʼaaʼ niłtseedahí.

PTL.NEG-better.not plate 2-shatter-I
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You better not drop the plates.

Dooládó’ deesdoi hazlį́į’ da lá!

Certainly 3-hot.SP 3-become.P as.such discovery
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Goodness it got very hot!

Dooládó’ dichin nisin da.

certainly hungry 1-want.N DA

Doodó’ T’iists’ózí nízaad da lá.

DOOLÁDÓ Crownpoint 3-far.NI DA DISC
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It sure is a long way Crownpoint!

Haa’íyee’ shinááł Diné bizaad bíhwiidííł’aał.

lets.see 2-1-watch.Prog Navajo language 3-2-learn.F

Haaláyéé ’ajiiłhosh tł’éé’ bíighá ha’íssííd

don’t.dare 4-sleep.I night 3-all 2-patrol.I
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Don’t dare fall asleep patrol all night.

Haashą’ ʼátʼé, shí bichʼįʼ haʼdiisdzih.

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

Hastiin t’áá ’ádzaagóó nahasne’.

man at.random 3-tell.P

K’ad nitsii’ yiilch’ííł ’ákó doo niba’ da doo.

now 2-hair 3-2-curl.I so.then.NI NEG 2-wait NEG will.be.F

Kintagóó shį́į́ diikah.

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

Kodóó dah dinohbįįh.

from.here up 2pl-sit.I
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You all sit right here.

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.

Nilį́į́’ de’lóós.

2-horse here 3-2-lead.I

Nitsilíké t’ą́ą́ ’ííłdį́į́ł yit’éego hasht’e ’ádidoolnííł.

2-younger.brother-pl just ready

Shimá kin góne’ sidá.

1-mother house areal.inside 3-sit.SPN
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My mother is sitting inside the house.

Shimá dóó shizhe’é ’éiyáhá Kin Łánígóó naazh’áázh.

1-mother and 1-father TOP building many-to 3-roundtrip.pl.SP
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My mother and my father made a trip to Flagstaff.

Shitsilíké ’éiyáhá nda’ałkǫ́ǫ́’.

1-little.brother-pl TOP 3-pl-swim.IP

Shiye’, t’áadoo nikídíltał.

1-son NEG 2-stomp.IR-Í

Shí hanii na’nishkaad, shicheii ga’.

1 contrary 1-herd.CI 1-grandfather EMP
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I’m not the one herding, it’s my grandfather.

Siláo yishłeeh haashąʼ ʼátʼé.

police 1-become.I of course
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I’m becoming a police, of course.

T’ah doo béeso ’ałtso ’ádįįhdą́ą́’ chidí bitoo’ nahíłniih.

still NEG money all 3-not.exist.NI-past vehicle 3-fuel 3-2-buy.I

T’ahádą́ą́’ niha’áłchiní ’ólta’di bá hada’didoołííł.

right.now 2pl-children school-at 3-for pl-2dpl-enroll.F

T’ahádóó yéego nahodoołtį́į́ł.

later really area-rain.F
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Later on it will rain hard.

T’áadoo hosh niyą́n.

T’ÁADOO cactus 3-2-eat.I-Í

T’áadoo lą’í ’íyánígo t’éiyá nítsaazígíí yaa kódoonííł.

NEG many 2-eat.I-NEG-GO only.then 2-big.NI-IGII 3-down 3-happen.F
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Your weight will go down only if you do not eat a lot.

T’áadoo ná’iilwosh.

NEG 2-sleep.R

T’áadoo ’idlanígo t’éíyá kintahgóó nił deesh’ash.

before 3-drink-alcohol(I)GO only town-among.GOO 2-with 2-walk.(F)
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Only if you don’t drink alcohol, I will take you to town.

T’áá binaa naasháa dooleeł

just 3-nearby 1-walk.I FUTURE

t’ą̨́́ą́ ’íídį́į́ł yit’éego

just ready 3-BE.I ser.down.2-lay

Tóshjeeh yah ’adíí’ááł nidishnínéesh yah’ííní’ą́?

water.jug into 3-2-take.in.F 1-say-PP-Q.P PP-3-2-take.in.P.SRO

Tseebíidigo chidíłtsooí nálwo’ łeh.

eight-at-GO bus 3-come.P usually
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The bus usually arrives at eight.

Tʼah doo laʼ nááʼáshdlą́ą da.

anymore LA’ again-1-drink.P NEG
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I wonder why I havenʼt had a drink again.

Łíí’ bił naaldloosh doo ndi yééhósin da.

horse 3-with 3-run.CI NEG but 3-3-know.NI NEG