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
’Anít’i’ ńtłóo’go biniinaa béégashii t’óó yigháníkah.
fence 3-loose.P-GO 3-because.of cow just 3-through-3-go.pl.P’Asdzą́ą́ ’éí ’ashkii ha’át’íí yeiní’ą́?
woman TOP boy what 3-to-3-3-move.SRO.P’Ashą́ą́ nít’ę́ę́’ t’áadoo hooyání shaa ’ílwod.
1-eat.Prog past suddenly 1-for 3-drive.P’Ałk’idídą́ą́’ kin ’áshłaa ńt’éé’ ’éí t’ahdii bii’ shighan.
quite.long.ago house 3-1-make.P past it still 3-in 1-home’Áádóó níléíjigo daaníigo t’óó ’áajigo shił dah ’adiilwod.
and.then over.there-toward pl-3-say.I-GO just that.way-toward 1-with start.off 3-drive.P’Ámá chaha’oh yiyaagi sidáago dádíníigaazh ’íílééh.
INDEF.mother brush.arber 3-under-at 3-sitting.SPN-GO frybread 3-3-make.I’Óshą́ą́’ laanaa’ dichin shi’niiłxį́.
1-eat.O wish hunger 1-3-kill.I-k’eh+-jí
-kéé’
-naashii
-ni
Béégashii yáázh bichá ninish’aah.
calf 3-bunch 3-1-put.I.SROBíla’ashdla’ii wolyéii bił dah nahaz’ą́ą́góó t’áá ’ał’ąą bizaad dahólǫ́.
3-fingers-five-NOM 3-be.called-NOM 3-with static areal-3-govern.P-toward just separate 3-language plBíni’dii ’awáalyaa sitį́.
3-let-stay jail 3-lay.SPNChidí nidabinóołtłáád.
car pl-3-2dpl-stop.ODa’ Cubadę́ę́’ tsinaa’eeł nił ní’éél?
Q Cuba-from boat 2-with 3-float.PDeenásts’aa’ shił naaldloosh ńt’éé’ shimá siiłtsą́, yiniinaa násineestsxas.
ram 1-with 3-trot.CI past 1-mother 1-3-see.P 3-because 1-3-whip.Pdeidííłhį́į́’
pl-3DO-3dpl-melt.it.PDiné ła’ nizhónígo kéédahojit’į́ danihó’ní, ’áko ndi doo ’ákót’ée da.
people some 3-nice.NI-GO pl-4-3-reside.NI 3-Pl. so but NEG 4-think.CI NEGDíí chidí ’ayóo dilwo’ ha’ní ’áko ndi doo baa jííníshłíi da.
this car very 3-fast 3-say.P CONJ NEG 3-about 4-1-rely.P NEGThey say this car is fast but even so I don’t have any expectation for it.
bookmarkDíí chizh shá ’ałk’íniishóósh.
this firewood 1-for 3-2-split.IDíí tsídii bit’oh yisdádeeshjoł, ’áko shį́į́ kónááhoot’éhé tsídii ła’ náábít’oh dooleeł.
this bird 3-nest 3-1-save.F-NCM then maybe next.year bird some again-3-nest futureDíí yiską́ągo ’íídííłtah.
this tomorrow 3-2-read.Fdíłhį́į́h
3DO-2-melt.it.IHa’a’aahgo doo jiztįį da, johonaa’ai hwił ołtáh jíní.
sunrise-GO NEG 4-lay.O NEG, sun 4-with count 4-say.IHahgo lá tá’dinigizh?
When part 2-shear.Fhaiigeed
3DO-1dpl-dig.it.out.Pháágeed
3DO-1-dig.it.out.Pjidííłhį́į́’
3DO-4-melt.it.PK’ad cháshk’eh góyaa tó de ’anool’ąął.
now wash down water up 3-rise.ProgMary ha’át’íí nayiisnii’?
Mary what 3-3-buy.PNaashnéego jooł báátis yímááz.
1-play-go.CI ball over 3-roll.Pnanilé
3DO-2-carry.a.ropelike.thing.around.Icarry a ropelike thing around, 2nd person singular
bookmarkNanise’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 futureNighéí na’ashch’ąą’ígíí níil’į́.
over.there painting-ÍGÍÍ 3-2-du.look.IŃléígóó díníyáa dooleel.
there-GÓÓ 2-go.sg.SP FUTShilééchąą’í bikéé’ yishááł.
my.dog 3-following 1-go.ProgShiníbaal doo tó biníkáogeeh le’ ’át’éégóó ’íishłaa.
1-tent NEG water 3-through-3-flow.O proof.against-NEG 3-1-make.PShį́įgo ch’ééh jiyáán yishį́į́h ’áádóó tó lą’í yishdlį́į́h.
summer-GO watermelon 3-1-eat.U and.then water lots 3-1-drink.UShį́į́dą́ą́’ na’niiłkaadgo t’áá ’áháníjį’ ’adeeshch’iłgo bik’ee deelyiz.
t’áá
T’áá ’ákwíízhíní tó dah siyínígóó ’ałnánáshdááh.
every summer lake-toward again-1-go.RTs’aa’ t’áá nitsaaígíí bídin nishłį́.
basket just 3-large.NI-nom 3-lack 1-be.NITsxį́įłgo łees’áán ’ádíílííł nimásání nihaa yighááh!
quickly tortilla 3-2-make.F 2.poss-mat.grandma-NOM 1.pl-to 3-come.Fyik’íididoodis
3DO-3-wrap.it.around.it.FYílk’idę́ę́’ télii ła’ ’adah náádáałgo yiiltsą́.
hill-from donkey INDEF down 3-return.Prog 3-1du-see.Pyóó’
away (disappearing, getting lost)
bookmark