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’.

(1)
Sha’áłchíní b 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:

(2)
Chidí k’asdą́ą́’ sh ’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:

(3)
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:

(4)
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

’adah

’Ahwééh ła’ yishdlą́.

coffee some 3-1-drink.I

’Ak’éégo ’éí chizh niléí keehaidi ninahdahiigééh nt’éé’.

autumn-GO that wood over.there winter.camp-at pl-3-1-unload.P past

’Ashkii yázhí éí bimá kingóó yił yi’ash.

boy little TOP 3-mother store-to 3-with 3-walk.du.Prog

’azhą́ndi

’Áádę́ę́’ nánísdzáago łį́į́’ bá nida’deeshjoł.

from.there 1-return.P-GO horse 3-for pl-1-set.out.NCM.F

’Áádę́ę́’ nánísdzáago łį́į́’ ni’deeshjoł.

from.there 1-return.p-GO horse 3-for pl-1-feed.F

’Áłah ’aleehgo ch’iyáán ’ádadiilnííł ’áko shį́į́ ’índa diné ndahidookah.

meeting-Comp food 3-1-Pl-make.F CONJ people 3-Pl.will-arrive.F

-ch’į’

-go

listenloadingplaying

verb followed by subordinating enclitic –go

-íyah

listenloadingplaying

under, supporting as a beam

-t’ááh

Bíla’ashdla’ii nishlį́.

3-hand-five-NOM 1-be.NI

I am a five-fingered being (= a person).

Chidí ’anáshdlééh, háálá doo naalnish da.

car 3-1-repair.I because NEG 3-work.I NEG

Da’ chidíísh bee hólǫ́ doodaii’ ni daats’í chidí nee hólǫ́?

Q car-Q 3-with 4-exist.NI or 2 maybe car 2-with 4-exist.NI

dashoołbéézh

pl-3DO-2dpl-boil.it.P

deiyą́

pl-3DO-3dpl-eat.it.I

Dibé yázhi bimá doo boosáni da, biʼnootsaał.

sheep little 3-mother NEG 3-love.I NEG 3-starve.O
listenloadingplaying

Don´t let the lamb starve to death because itʼs mother is rejecting it.

didadoołjéé’

pl-3DO-2dpl-start.fire.P

didoołjéé’

3DO-2dpl-start.fire.P

haa néelą́ą́’

listenloadingplaying

how much, how many, what quantity. [mass]

haa níłtso

listenloadingplaying

how big is it

hanołchaad

3DO-2dpl-card.it.(as.in.wool).I

Hastiin sání léi’ ’áłchíní bił yanáa’áago yił nahalne’.

man old INDEF children 3-with 3-pile.NI-COMP 3-with 3-tell.CI
listenloadingplaying

An old man is telling stories to a pile of children. (Lit. the children are piled with him)

Háadi lá ’ádeiit’į́?

where-at Q pl-3-be

Háí shą’ ’ałhosh?

who Q 3-sleep.I

Háísh ’ałhosh?

who-Q 3-sleep.I

Háísh b nanilnish?

who-Q 3-with 2-work.I

Hoozdohgóó daats’í deeshááł ’éí doodaii’ Be’eldííldahsínilgóó deeshááł.

Phoenix-toward maybe 1-walk.F or Albuquerque-toward 1-walk.F

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
listenloadingplaying

Curl your hair right now so that we won’t be waiting for you.

Naakidi tsin sitą́ądi daats’í kinaaldá b ’ahééniijéé’.

two mile 3-run.pl.P-at maybe purberty.ceremony 3-with RECIP-1dpl-run.pl.P
listenloadingplaying

We (pl.) ran about two miles with the girl who was running in the puberty ceremony.

Nádí daats’í ’éí doodaii’ nideezhí daats’í bááh ’íidoolííł?

older.sister perhaps or younger.sister perhaps bread 3-make.F

listenloadingplayingSpeaker: Lorene B LegahlistenloadingplayingSpeaker: Lorene B Legah

Is your older sister or your younger sister going to make bread? / Maybe your older sister or your younger sister is going to make bread.

Sha’ałchíní ayóó niłch’í naalkídi deineł’į́ ’áko ndi shí éí shináá bąą adin.

1-children very air 3-move.I 3-3.look.I however I 1-eyes 3-on doesn’t exist.

Shitah honeezgaigo, doo naashnish da dooleeł.

1-body 3-pain.P-GO NEG 1-work.I NEG 3-become.F

Shizhé’é bitsą́ądi haashį́į́ yidzaago tł’óó’góó yik’ee naalyiish.

1-father 3-stomach-at something 3-happen.P-GO outside-toward 3-on.account.of 2-bend/stoop.CI
listenloadingplaying

My father is going around outside stooped (and holding his stomach) because something happened to it.

Shí ’éí doo shił bééhozin da nít’éé’.

1-possessive TOP NEG 3-3-knowledge.CI NEG past

t’ahdii

T’áá ’ałkéé’ ’azee’ííł’íní bił yah ’adahaadzá.

just one-behind-another doctor 3-with into 1Dist-4-go.I

t’áá ’íiyisíí

T’áá ká ’adinoólgháásh.

neg 2-oversleep.O

T’áá ká baa hóólne’

Neg 3-about 2-tell.O
listenloadingplaying

Don’t tell it.

T’áá ká k’éé’óshchxǫǫh

Neg 1-erase.O
listenloadingplaying

See that I don’t erase it.

yishóóh

3DO-3-brush/comb.it.I

Yiską́ągo Bee’eldííldahsinilgóó ’adeesdee’.

tomorrow Albuquerque-to 4-PL.underway.F
listenloadingplaying

Tomorrow, they will be on their way to Albuquerque.

Yootóodi níyáago shik’éí daostse’ laanaa nisin.

Santa.Fe-at 1-arrive.P-GO 1-relatives 3-1-see.O wish 1-want.CI

yíní’aal

3DO-2-chew.it.P

yínídlą́ą́’

3DO-2-drink.it.P

Ła’ damóo yę́ędą́ą́’ dah ’iyétł’ónée, k’ad ’ałníí’góó ’eeshtł’óół.

one Sunday past up 3-1-set.P-past now middle-toward 1-weave.Prog

ʼAtʼééd doo bzhǫ́ǫ da dooleeł.

girl NEG 3-with HO-happy.NI NEG 3-become.F