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
’Ahwééh yishdlį́į́h ’áádóó naanishgóó yishááh.
coffee 3-1-drink.U and.then work-toward 3-1-go.U’Ajóółháásh laanaa.
4-sleep.O wish’Ałk’ésdisí naháłnii’go sitsilí dóó shideezhí ’aheełt’éego bá ’ahá níjaa’.
candy 3-1-buy.CI-GO 1-little.brother and 1-little.sister 3-1 split-GO.I 3-for 3-1 gave.I’Ałní’ní’ą́ągo tó háálínídi ’ahéédidiit’ash.
noon-GO spring-at refl-1du-meet.F’Áádóó hainidzaa?
and.then what-3-2-do.P-diníná
-doondó’ --- da, doo ndi ---da, doondó’ ndi --- da
-ts’ą́ą́’, -ts’á
away from, separating from, derived from
bookmarkCh’aa déyá ńt’éé shichídí bikee’ dilkǫǫh.
travel 1-go past 1-vehicle 3-tires worn.Chidíłtsooí bidááh síńzį́į dooleeł.
car-yellow-REL 3-for 2-stand.SPN FUTChizh ła’ yah ’aníjááh.
firewood some in 2-bring.Idadiilyį́į́’
pl-3DO-1dpl-melt.it.PDah nóóljííd lágo.
up 2-jump.O don’tdaoo’aal
pl-3DO-2dpl-chew.it.Pdaołhį́į́h
pl-3DO-2dpl-melt.it.(snow).Ideitł’ó
pl-3DO-3dpl-weave.it.IDibé bits’į́’ daodą́ą́’ lágo.
sheep 3-meat pl-3-1dpl-eat.O LÁGODoo ’áłah dadiidleeł da.
NEG together pl-1dpl-meet.pl.F NEGDoo t’áá k’ad ’ííłta’ da.
NEG just now 1-go.school.P NEGdó’
Gohwééh doo ndi łikan da.
coffee NEG but 3-taste-good.NI NEGHa’át’íí baa ’áłah ’aleeh jiní?
what 3-for meeting 4-say.NIHahgosh Daniel hidilníísh?
when-GO-Q Daniel 3-start.workHaidą́ą́’ shich’ą́ą́h ’ííchííl na’nishkaadgo.
winter-past 1-protect 3-snow.P 3-1-herd.CI-GOhajiłgéésh
3DO-4-cut.it.out.IHáágóó lá Bíl doogááł nízin Jáan?
where-toward Q Bill 3-go.sg.F 3-want.CI JohnHáísh yiską́ągo ’adoogis?
who-Q tomorrow 3-wash.Fjidoołbish
3DO-4-boil.it.FK’ad cháshk’eh góyaa tó de ’anool’ąął.
now wash down water up 3-rise.ProgKinŁánídi ’ííníshta’ ńt’éé’ ’áádóó t’áá ’ániidígo ’áadi náánísdzáá ńtéé’ ’ééhosisya’ lá.
Flagstaff-in 1-study.P past and.then just recently there-at 1-return.P past 1-get.hazy.P discKǫ’ ’ayóigo bee n’deezdíín ndi doo shiníłdoi da.
fire very 3-with 3-sheds.light.P but NEG 1-3-warm.SPN NEGNa’nízhoozhígóó chídí doo nił dah didoolwoł da.
Gallup-to car NEG 2-with up start-3.drive.F NEGYou will not go to Gallup with the car. (YM 1987: 319)
bookmark- Command, negativefind in Navajo Imperatives
- Futurefind in Navajo Imperatives
- -góó to, toward, along, on, with a numeral it indicates a date
- doo --- da frame to negativize verbs and phrasesfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- -ił with
- dah up at an elevation, off, static, holdingfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- Future (F)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- ’oolwoł drivefind in Navajo Verb Modes
Na’nízhoozhígóó deeyá, ya’?
Gallup-toward 2-go.sg.F Qnaashłé
3DO-1-carry.a.ropelike.thing.around.Icarry a ropelike thing around, 1st person singular
bookmarknideiilyé
pl-3DO-1dpl-carry.a.ropelike.thing.around.Icarry a ropelike thing around, 1st person plural
bookmark