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
Yadiizíní bigháníshgéésh.
can 3-through-1-cut.open.I’Anishkeed, t’áá ká nóólk’oł lágo.
2-3-photograph.I neg 2-blink.O LÁGO’Asdzą́ą́ Báhoozhóní yinishyé.
woman happy 1-called.NI’Awéé’ bimá bit’ah sitį́.
baby 3-mother 3-undercover 3-lying.SPN’Awéé’ dah sidá.
baby up 3-sit.SPN’Ayóo łį́į́’ shił naalgeed diní, ’ííshją́ą́shį́į́ díí łį́į́chogii bikáá’ dah ńdaah!
very horse 1-with 3-buck.CI 3-2-say.NI lets.see this stallion 3-on up 2-sit.I’Óshą́ą́’ laanaa’ dichin shi’niiłxį́.
1-eat.O wish hunger 1-3-kill.I-íniiká
-jį’
Da’ Ron saad nináánéíłkaah ya’?
Q Ron word 3-3-investigate.I Qdajoodlą́ą́’
pl-3DO-4dpl-drink.it.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.PDíí mósí yázhí hooghangóó nááshtééł.
this cat little home-towards 3-1-carry.ProgDííshjį́į́góó shizhé’é łáháda bił ná’ahiistsééh.
nowadays 1-father seldom 3-with RECP-1-see.RDoo ’atiin bąąhgóó ch’il ’ahwééh ’áłah ’ájíléeh da.
NEG road 3-beside-along plant coffee together 3-4-gather.SFO.I NEGDon’t gather tea along the roadside.
bookmark- Indirect command with negationfind in Navajo Imperatives
- doo --- da frame to negativize verbs and phrasesfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- 4th person admonition, negative, Imperfectivefind in Navajo Imperatives
- -ąąh on, beside
- location
- -góó to, toward, along, on, with a numeral it indicates a date
- Imperfective (I) (∅, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
Doozhǫǫgo da’ííłta’ígíí t’éiyá yá’át’éehgo naanish bá dahólǫ́.
satisfactory pl-3-study.P-NOM only 3-good.N-GO work 3-for pl-3-exist.NIGólízhii dégo dasidoo’į́įgo da’oołzhish ni.
Skunk up-GO pl-3-look.I-GO pl-3-dpl-dance.Ihadajishgizh
pl-3DO-4dpl-cut.it.out.Phadazhdoołtééł
pl-3DO-4dpl-carry.him/her.up.out.of.something.Fcarry him/her up out of something, 4th person plural
bookmarkHazeistsósí ńlááh ’akǫ́ǫ́ náádilyeed! Ho’dooniid.
Chipmunk 2-ahead over.there again-start-2-run.I 4-say.PHáíshą’ tsinaa’eeł ’áyiilaa lá?
who-Q boat 3-3-make.P DISCHííłch’į’go ’íinda ta’iideeshnih.
evening.GO until 1-mix.dough.Fjidííłhį́į́’
3DO-4-melt.it.PK’ad shicheii bíká ’iishyeed.
now 1-grandfather 3-for 1-run.IKin Łánídiísh ’éí doodago Bee’eldííldahsinildi daats’í naniná?
Flagstaff-at-Q TOP or Albuquerque-at perhaps 2-go.around.CIKintahdę́ę́’ łį́į́’ shił nááldlosh.
town-from horse 1-with 3-crawl.CINichidíshą’ háadi nííníłbą́ą́z?
2-car-Q where-at 3-2-park.PNił hǫ́zhǫ́ǫ́sh doodaii’ doósh nił hózhǫ́ǫ da?
2-with-happy.NI-Q or neg-Q 2-with happy.NI negShidá'í, nilį́į́’ sha’níłteeh.
1-maternal.uncle 2-horse 1-to-3-2-lend.AnO.IShighan bich’ą́ą́h łeeshch’ih désas.
1-hogan 3-protect ashes 3-1-strew.PShikee’ ’ániidígo biniinaa shikee’ bąąh tó’diisool.
1-shoe recently because 1-foot 3-on 3-blister.form.PShiye’, t’áadoo nikídíltałí.
1-son NEG 2-stomp.IR-ÍShínaaí chidí bił dah diilwodgo bizánághah góne’ łeezh ’adzíísi’.
older.brother car 3-with up 3-run.I-GO 3-around areal-in dust 3-trail.PT’óó tá’ádeesgizii’ ’ííyą́ą́’.
just 3-reflex-wash.P-CONJ 3-eat.Pya’
yaa
Yadiizíní bigháníshgéésh.
can 3-through-1-cut.open.Iyidoołbish
3DO-3-boil.it.Fyóó’
away (disappearing, getting lost)
bookmark