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’í nihaa nádzá.
1-sister NEG finish 3-read-NMLZ.NEG 1pl-to 3-return.PShilééchąą’í t’áadoo ’ayání 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.NIThe cafeteria ran out of food at noon before I could go there.
bookmark- ałní’ní’ą́ noonfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- -dą́ą́’ past timefind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- t’ah doo góó before
- -góó to, toward, along, on, with a numeral it indicates a datefind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- Imperfective (I) (∅, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- dishááh start to gofind in Navajo Verb Modes
- Neuter Imperfective (NI)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- ’ádįįh dwindle, become extinctfind in Navajo Verb Modes
’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’Éí lą́ą baa nitséskees nít’ę́ę́’.
that EMP 3-about 1-think.I pastBéeso bá hooghan góne’ saad hazlį́į́’.
bank inside words 3-pas-it.occured.PChidí 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.PChidí naat’a’í yá góde nínádadiit’ah.
car fly-NOM sky areal.up 3-fly.RDééh yaassííd léi’ ’ayóo sido lá.
tea 3-1-pour.I because very 3-hot.SPN discDichin dó’ nínízinísh łí?
hunger DÓ’ 3-2-want.I ŁíDlǫ́ǫ́’ ba’áán góne’ yah ’adeeshnii’go dlǫ́’áyázhí shishhash.
prairie.dog 3-hole into down1-3.to.reach.out.hand prairie.dog-little 1-bite.PI stuck my hand into a prairie dog hole and a little prairie dog bit me.
bookmarkDoo ’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.PHe never used to come, suddenly he’s here since it’s payday.
bookmark- doo --- da frame to negativize verbs and phrasesfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- -dę́ę́’ from a general location or point in space or time, also out of, off offind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- ńt’éé’ relates to past timefind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- ’áłt’ąą after all, in spite of unfortunately
- ’índa and only thenfind in Navajo Conjunctions
Doo hanii nighan béédi’nítséeh da.
NEG contrary 2-home 3-2-expand.I such.asDoo yéé łeetsʼaaʼ niłtseedahí.
PTL.NEG-better.not plate 2-shatter-IDooládó’ deesdoi hazlį́į’ da lá!
Certainly 3-hot.SP 3-become.P as.such discoveryDooládó’ dichin nisin da.
certainly hungry 1-want.N DADooládó’ T’iists’ózí nízaad da lá.
DOOLÁDÓ Crownpoint 3-far.NI DA DISCHaa’íyee’ shinááł Diné bizaad bíhwiidííł’aał.
lets.see 2-1-watch.Prog Navajo language 3-2-learn.FHaaláyéé ’ajiiłhosh tł’éé’ bíighá ha’íssííd
don’t.dare 4-sleep.I night 3-all 2-patrol.IHaashą’ ʼátʼé, shí bichʼįʼ haʼdiisdzih.
how-Q 3-be.NI 1 3-to 1-speak.FHow about this, let me speak to him.
bookmark- haashą’ ’át’é why sure, of course
- haa + Neuter V how / what Vfind in Navajo Questions Lexicon
- -shą’ enclitic for content questionsfind in Navajo Questions Lexicon
- Neuter Imperfective (NI)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- -ch’į’ to, towardfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- Future (F)find in Navajo Verb Modes



