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	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:

(2)

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:

(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’).

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surprise me

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’Adą́ą́dą́ą́’ísh tł’óo’di nishínílnish?

yesterday-Q outside-at 2-work.P

listen

Yesterday were you working outside?

Source: YM 1987:598, Speaker: John Harvey

Navajo

Postposition Lexicon

version 10.2023

Introduction to Navajo Postpositions

’Adą́ą́dą́ą́’ísh tł’óo’di nishínílnish?

’Ahbínídą́ą́’ hashbį’go baa nídiisdzá ’ákondi t’áadoo ’áłtso da.

’Ahbínídą́ą́’ t’áadoo ’ííyą́ą́’góó biniinaa wónáásdóó sitsiits’iin diniih.

’Ałk’ésdisí naháłnii’go sitsilí dóó shideezhí ’aheełt’éego bá ’ahá níjaa’.

’Ałk’idą́ą́’ shimá bił na’nishkaadgo ’aghaa’ yisdizígíí dibé yázhí yichíihgo yizénéíłt’ih.

’Ałk’idídą́ą́’ kin ’áshłaa ńt’éé’ ’éí t’ahdii bii’ shighan.

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

’Eii mósí tsásk’eh bik’i dah síłteeh.

’Eii łééchą̨ą’í t’áá ’áko taah yilwo’.

’Ániid ’iiyą́ą́’ ’áko ndi t’ah dichin nisin.

-ch’a

-níká

Bee ’atiní ’éí doo ’ashohodoobéézhgóó bee ’azk’az.

Béégashii yáázh ła’ shibee’í’diidłííd bik’i niní’ą́.

Ch’ééh jiyáán hooghangóó dah dii’ą́ągo shee nikihoníłtą́.

Chidí daats’í bee hólǫ́ ’éí doodaii’ niísh chidí nee hólǫ́?

Chidí naat’a’íísh hooghan yikáá’góó ch’éta’ ’éí doodago daats’í dził yąąhgóó ch’ét’a’?

Damóo yę́ędą́ą́’ dziłghą́ą́’dę́ę́’ shádí dóó ba’áłchíní bił ’adaashkai.

Díí tł’óół tsin bik’ídísdis.

Dlǫ́ǫ́’ ba’áán góne’ yah ’adeeshnii’go dlǫ́’áyázhí shishhash.

Doo ’ííłta’go biniinaa t’áá ’ałtsojį’ t’áá shídin hazlį́į́’.

Doo kingóó diit’ash da.

Ha’át’éego lá ’íiyisíí ’atiinjį’ ’ańdeeshdááł lá?

Ha’át’éegoshą’ t’áadoo ’azee’ál’į́į́góó nisíníyáa da?

Ha’át’íí lá nizhé’é yaa naaghá?

Hatáálgóó déyáago shikélchí t’óó tsxį́į́łgo bił ’ada’shéshiizhgo ńdaséłkad.

Háágóó lá díníyá?

Hooghan ’adeeshłííł ndi tsineheeshjíí’ shee ’ádin.

Jó nił bééhozin shibéeso ’adingo

K’aa’ísh ’aní’á biyaa doodago daats’í báhátis ’ayiist’oh ?

Kin Łánídiísh ’éí doodago Bee’eldííldahsinildi daats’í naniná?

Lą́ʼąą’, hágoóneeʼ nibééso łaʼ shaa níʼaah.

Mary hádą́ą́’sh ’ólta’dę́ę́’ nádzá?

Mexicogóó daashin déyáa ni’.

Mósí yázhí bimá yits’ą́ą́’ yóó’ííyá.

Nimásání kohgo dibé yá niná’áłjoł łeh.

Nídeezidgo ’índa hoł ní’deeswod.

Níwe, ni’éé’ t’óó bik’i na’ínil

Ńléí dził bighą́ą́’dóó łid yót’ááh yít’i’.

Sha’áłchíní Toohgóó bił ’eesbąs.

Shideezhí dóó sítsílí bidááh sézį́.

Shikindóó t’áá ’ahanidi nikin si’ą́

Shimá ła’í ndi béeso t’áado shaa yiní’ą́ą da.

Shínaaí chidí bił dah diilwodgo bizánághah góne’ łeezh ’adzíísi’.

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

Tó bee naat’ahí yę́ę bitł’áahdi yiichxii’ lá.

Tóógóó łį́į́’ ’ałkéé’ deíkááh.

Tsxį́įłgo ni’éé’ biih ni’nééh.

Łahgóó t’ah biláhígi ’át’éego ch’iyáán naas’nii’ lá.

Łį́į́’ hooghangóó nooshkaałgo táá’ shits’ą́ą́ bizánághah góne’ ’ałhaa’eekai.