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).
Postpositions appear with pronoun prefixes attached to them.
Sha’áłchíní | bá | ch’iyáán | ’íishłaa. |
1-children | 3-for | food | 3-1-cook.P |
I cooked for my children. |
In example (1), sha’áłchíní bá is a postpositional phrase, meaning ’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. 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 -ká (’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 a language
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.
An example search has returned 50 entries
’Adą́ą́dą́ą́’ shá bíighah ’atah ’adishdiłgo ’i’íí’ą́.
yesterday 1-for 3-passing down 1-play.stick.dice.RI evening’Adeesdíilgo dibé sits’ą́ą́’ dah diijéé’.
3-thunder.P-GO sheep 1-away-from start-3-run.Pl.P’Aoo’, ’ashdladigóó ’oolkiłgo ’áádę́ę́’ shił ná’ílwod.
yes five-at-toward clock-GO there-from 1-with 3-return.PYes, I drove back from there at 5 o’clock.
bookmark- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- na‘oolwoł returnfind in Navajo Verb Modes
- -di at
- location
- -góó to, toward, along, on, with a numeral it indicates a date
- goal
- -dę́ę́’ from a general location or point in space or time, also out of, off of
- location
- -ił with
- transportation
’Óshą́ą́’ laanaa’ dichin shi’niiłxį́.
1-eat.O wish hunger 1-3-kill.I*Nidlóóhísh doodaii’ doo sha’shin nidlóoh da?
2-cold.X-Q or NEG perhaps 2-cold.X-Q NEG-ch’ijí
-ídin
-jigo
-nánii
Béésh ’áłts’ózí bee ’atsidí bee ’aháníłne’.
wire hammer 3-with 3-1-beat.Pbíhoosh’aah
1-learn.it.IBíla’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 plCh’ah ’éí doodaii’ nák’ee sinilí łizhinígíí daats’í nee hólǫ́’?
hat or sunglasses perhaps 2-with 4-exist.NIChidí naat’a’íísh hooghankáá’góó ch’ínísaal ’éí doodaii’ dziłghąą’góó daats’í?
airplane house-over-along over-3-fly.P TOP or mountain-attached-along perhapsDá’ák’ehdi t’ah ńt’éé’ t’óó ’ayóigo nahachagii bizhiin yijiłgo yiiłtsą́.
field-at still past just very grasshoppers swarm 4-move.along.Prog-GO 3-1-see.PDíí dziłígíí shádi’ááh bich’ijígo ’ałkéé’ ’adíítąąd.
this mountain-Comp southward 3-toward-GO one-behind-another 3Pl-scatter.NPdoo ’asht’é’égóó
Doo t’áá k’ad chidí na’ní’ą́ą da.
NEG just now vehicle 2-3-1-lend.P NEGGohwééh nayiisnii’ídiísh bił bééhózin?
coffee 3-3-buy.P-at-Q 3-with 3-know.NIHa’át’ííshą’ hastiin dóó ’at’ééd ’áyiilaa?
what-Q man and girl 3-3-make.PWhat did the man and the girl make?
bookmarkHaash nízah kodóó nighanjį’?
how-Q 3-long.N here-from 2-home-toHastiin dóó ’at’ééd lá ha’át’íí ’áyiilaa?
man and girl Q what 3-3-make.PWhat did the man and the girl make?
bookmarkHáadi lá ’ádeiit’į́?
where-at Q pl-3-beHáágóósh díníyá?
where-to-Q 2-go.IHádą́ą́’sh Mary ’ólta’dę́ę́’ nádzá?
when-past-Q Mary school-from 3-return.Pháidí
Háidíígíí lá neidiyoołnih?
which.one-ÍGÍÍ Q 3-3-buy.FHáíshą’ tsinaa’eeł ’áyiilaa?
who-Q boat 3-3-make.PK’adę́ę ’ałné’e’áahgo díchin bik’ee shitah ’anahodí’niitłi’.
now noon hunger 3-account 1-among 1-shake.RMary hádą́ą́’sh ’ólta’dę́ę́’ nádzá?
Mary when-past-Q school-from 3-return.PNaalyéhé bá hooghandi t’ah doo dá’deelkaałdą́ą́’ nisingo na’ńle’dii tsį́į́ł shiisxį́ (siisxį́).
trading.post-at just NEG 3-PASS-close.I-past 1-think.N-GO dismay speed 1-3-kill.PNaalyéhé bá hooghandi tł’oh hániikai ńt’éé’ ’áníídí yee’ ’ásdįįd lágo ’áadi niikai.
trading.post-at hay 1dpl-go.pl.P past recently very 3-disappear.P DISC-GO there 1dpl-go.pl.PWe went to the trading post after hay only to find that the supply had just run out.
bookmark- -go verb and subordinating encliticfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- -á for, for the benefit of
- benefactive
- -di at
- location
- ńt’éé’ relates to past timefind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- time
- ’ániidígo recently, not long agofind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- time
- -go verb and subordinating encliticfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
Nidlóóhísh doodaii’ dooísh nidlóoh da?
2-cold.X-Q or NEG-Q 2-cold.X-Q NEGNił bééhózinísh ’éí doodaii’ nicheii daats’í bił bééhózin?
2-with 3-know.CI-Q TOP or 2-grandfather perhaps 3-with 3-know.CISha’áłchíní béeso ’ashladiin baa nínil ńt’éé’ t’ááła’ajį́ ’ałtso yibadooskai.
1-children money 50 3-for 2-put.PlO.P past at-once all 3-3-exhaust.PShicheii t’áá ’íiyisíí hastihgo biniinaa kónááhoot’éhí doo na’ádódlíi da.
1-grandfather very 3-old.N-GO because next.year NEG 3-expect.live.NP NEGShikee’ ’ániidígo biniinaa shikee’ bąąh tó’diisool.
1-shoe recently because 1-foot 3-on 3-blister.form.PYadiizíníshą’ haa néelt’e’go nínízin?
can-Q how 3.many.N-GO 2-want.NIHow many cans do you want?
bookmark