Introduction to Navajo Postpositions
This is a lexicon of Navajo postpositions and postpositional enclitics.
Postpositions are pretty much the same as prepositions in English but a postposition appears after its noun phrase object rather than before it. Postpositions tend to be short words with meanings that indicate information about location, direction, or timing of an event described by the verb in the sentence, or about the kind of role played by the noun phrase in the event.
There is a relatively small number of postpositions, so by memorizing them, language learners can quickly improve their comprehension of Navajo.
This lexicon includes 14 postpositional enclitics and 75 postpositions based on Young & Morgan (1987:25-26).
In example (1), sha’áłchíní bá is a postpositional phrase, meaning ‘for my children’.
Sha’áłchíní | bá | ch’iyáán | ’íishłaa. |
1-children | 3-for | food | 3-1-cook.P |
I cooked for my children. |
The postposition is -á, and the pronoun prefix is b-. This is a third person prefix, which is why the gloss underneath bá has a 3 in it. The meaning of -á is ‘for’, and this is also indicated in the gloss. Also, the sh in the word sha’áłchíní, ‘my children’, is a first person pronoun prefix. This pronoun prefix also appears inside the verb ’íishłaa. Note that the gloss is 3-1-cook.P; this indicates that the word means ‘I cooked it’: 3-1 in the gloss indicates that the subject of the verb is first person (‘I’), and the object is third person (‘it’). For a guide to glossing, click here.
The first person prefix appears again on the postposition -ił (‘with’), in the example below:
Chidí | k’asdą́ą́’ | shił | ’adah | ch’éélwod. |
car | almost | 1-with | down | off-3-go.P |
The car almost ran off (the road) with me. |
Postpositional Enclitics do not have pronoun prefixes, and instead attach directly onto another phrase. In the example below, the enclitic is -di (‘at’). It is attached directly to Na’nízhoozhí (‘Gallup, New Mexico’). There is no pronoun prefix:
Ch’óóshdą́ą́dą́ą́’ | Na’nízhoozhídi | kééhasht’į́ ńt’éé’. |
formerly | Gallup-at | 1-live.I past |
I used to live in Gallup. |
In the example below, the enclitic -gi is attached to the postpositional phrase tsé biká (‘on the rock’). The pronoun prefix bi- is attached to the postposition -káá (‘on’), not to the enclitic:
Tsé | bikáa’gi | béésh | dah | si’ą́. |
rock | 3-on-at | knife | up | 3-sit.SNP |
The knife is on the rock. |
Note that both -di and -gi are glossed as ‘at’. The enclitic -di is used for more general locations, and -gi is used for more specific ones.
The postpositional enclitics in this lexicon are, from the list in YMM (1992:938-09):
- -dą́ą́’
- past time
- -dę́ę́’
- from a general location or point in space or time, also out of, off of
- -di
- at a general location
- -dóó
- from a specific location or point in space or time
- -ę́ę-dą́ą́’ =yę́ędą́ą́’
- back when
- -gi
- at a specific location
- -góó
- to, toward, along, on, with a numeral it indicates a date
- -í-jígo
- over in the direction of the place where
- -jigo
- toward, northward
- -jí
- designates ceremonies, religious and political institutions and lifeways
- -jí
- on the side of, in the direction of, in the manner of
- -jí-k’ehgo
- in the manner of
- -jį́’
- up to, as far as
- -k’eh -jí
- in the way(s) of
The pronoun prefixes, which can appear on postpositions, are shown below:
singular | dual-plural | |
---|---|---|
1st person | shi- | nihi- |
2nd person | ni- | nihi- |
3rd person | yi-/bi- | |
4th person | ho- | |
unspecified | ’a | |
reciprocal | ’ahi- | |
reflexive | ’ádi- | |
area | ha-; ho-; go- |
In using these prefixes, the final vowel sometimes changes due to the sound that comes next (e.g. shi-ałchiní → sha’áłchíní; ni- ’asdzą́ą́ → ne’asdzą́ą́; bi- ’awéé’ → be’ewéé’ / be’awéé’).
An example search has returned 50 entries
’Adą́ą́dą́ą́’ísh tł’óo’di nanilnishgo nee ’ałní’ní’ą́?
yesterday-Q outside-at 2-work.CI-GO 2-with noon’Ahbínídą́ą́’ ch’ééh niba’ hasht’e’ ’ádííníszin.
morning-Past in.vain 2-wait ready REFL-1-keep.CI’Ashdladi oolkiłgo ’áko shį́į́ ’índa ákǫ́ǫ́ diikah.
five.at time-GO only until then there 1dpl-go.pl.I’Ashkii yázhí ’ayóo hwe’ádílááh.
little boy very 3-mischief’índa
-íniiká
-nah
Béégashii báháchxį’go bik’ee neeshchééł.
cattle 3-become.angry.I-GO 3-on.account.of 1-flee.ProgChidí ’anáshdlééh, háálá doo naalnish da.
car 3-1-repair.I because NEG 3-work.I NEGChidí bitoo’ hadi’dííłbį́į́łgo ’índa Na’azhǫǫshgóó diikah.
car 3-fuel 3.fill.up-GO.P only.then casino-GOO 3pl.go.FDa’ dichinísh nínízin?
Q hunger-Q 2-feel.NIdadiilyį́į́h
pl-3DO-1dpl-melt.it.Idadínółkaad
pl-3DO-2dpl-start.to.herd.them.(animals).Istart to herd them (animals), 2nd person plural
bookmarkDah doónááł lágo!
up 2-go.F don’tDamóo 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.PDaniel hahgosh hidilníísh?
Daniel when-Q 3-start.work.Idashoołbéézh
pl-3DO-2dpl-boil.it.PDichinísh doodaii’ dibáá’ísh jinízin?
hunger-Q or thirst-Q 3-4-want.NIdididiiljah
3DO-1dpl-start.fire.Fdidołjeeh
3DO-2dpl-start.fire.Ididííníłjéé’
3DO-2-start.fire.Pdizhdínóołkał
3DO-4-start.to.herd.them.(animals).Fstart to herd them (animals), 4th person
bookmarkDíí chąą’ shą’ háádę́ę́’ niníyęęzh?
this manure-Q where-from 3-ooze.PDoo hanii kintahgóó díníyáa da nisin.
NEG contrary town-toward 2-start.go.P NEG 1-think.CIhadeidééłbįįd
pl-3DO-3dpl-fill.something.up.with.it.Pfill something up with it, 3rd person plural
bookmarkhadiiltééł
3DO-1dpl-carry.him/her.up.out.of.something.Fcarry him/her up out of something, 1st person dual
bookmarkháajį’
Hái da shą’ tsinaa’eeł ’ájiilaa lá?
who DA Q boat 3-4-make.P DISCHííłch’į’go ’íinda ta’iideeshnih.
evening.GO until 1-mix.dough.FHooghangóó nikéédeeshdááł nisin ndi ółta’di ’éí náshiilkááh.
home-toward 1-go.F 1-want.NI but school-at there 1-spend.night.N CHECK VERB GLOSSESHoozdohgóó daats’í deeshááł ’éí doodaii’ Be’eldííldahsínilgóó deeshááł.
Phoenix-toward maybe 1-walk.F or Albuquerque-toward 1-walk.FMary hádą́ą́’sh ’ólta’dę́ę́’ nádzá?
Mary when-past-Q school-from 3-return.PNa’nízhoozhídi Naasht’éshí ’Atsá’jí yee nááda’alzhish.
gallup.at Zuni.people eagle-way 3-with again-pl-3-dance.RNanise’ígíí ch’iiyáán daohsą́ ’áko bee nihits’íís bitah ya’ádahoot’ééh dooleeł.
plant-ÍGÍÍ food pl-2-eat.I so 3-with 2pl-body 3-among pl-3-good.NI futureNidlóóhísh doodaii’ doo daats’í nidlóoh da?
2-cold.I-Q or neg perhaps 2-cold.I negnisoolá
3DO-2dpl-carry.a.ropelike.thing.around.Pcarry a ropelike thing around, 2nd person dual
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