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
ʼAshiiké chahaʼoh ʼádeidoolííł, ʼatsʼos bee ʼazhish biniiyé.
boy-pl shade-house 3-3-pl-build.F feather 3-means-of dance 3-reason’Ahbínídą́ą́’ t’áadoo ’ííyą́ą́’góó biniinaa wónáásdóó dichin shi’niiłhį́.
morning-past NEG 1-eat.P-NEG.GO because soon hunger 1-3-kill.PBecause I did not eat this morning I am hungry now.
bookmark- ’ahbínídą́ą́’ this morningfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- t’áadoo notfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- ’ashą́ eatfind in Navajo Verb Modes
- -niinaa because of, on account of
- wónáásdóó soon, finallyfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- sisxé killfind in Navajo Verb Modes
’Aoo’, shí dó’ t’áá ’ákwíinisin.
yes 1 also just 1-think.so.NI’Asdzą́ą́ ’éí ’ashkii ha’át’íí yeiní’ą́?
woman TOP boy what 3-to-3-3-move.SRO.P-ghá
Bibee’eldǫǫh haiyííłhan’ii’ ’bįįh yił ’adeesdǫǫh.
gun 3-jerk.out.P-and deer 3-shot.PChidí bąąh dah sitání bąąh dah shishtįįh ńt’éé’ ’ił adaagizí doo ’éí da lá.
car license plate 3-1-put. I SSO past Sup-with screw neg that neg Disc.Chidí binaashnish yę́ę ’áádóó t’óó ni’ kwíishłaa.
vehicle 3-1-work.CI past and.then just stop 1-stop.PChidí kǫ́ǫ́ ndaajeehígíí t’áá ’ániidígo dahodeezlįįd.
car here 3-run.pl.I-COMP just recently pl-3-become.PChidíísh bee hólǫ́ ’éí doodago ni daats’í ła’ nee hólǫ́?
car-Q 3-with 4-exist.N TOP or 2 maybe one 2-with 4-exist.NIChʼééh jiyáán doo łikan da, wóóyą́ą́ʼ.
watermelon NEG sweet NEG 3-3-eat.Odadiidį́į́ł
pl-3DO-1dpl-eat.it.Fdeididínóołkał
pl-3DO-3dpl-start.to.herd.them.(animals).Fstart to herd them (animals), 3rd person plural
bookmarkDibé tóógóó neeshkał.
sheep water-toward 3-1-herd.Progdiilyį́į́’
3DO-1dpl-melt.it.PDíigi ’át’éegoósh ’ájiił’įįh?
this-at 3-be-GO-Q SUP-4-do.PDíí ’ashkii Bilagáana bizaad shá bíbiyiił’aah.
this boy English 3-language 3-2-teach.IDíí jį́ ’áłchíní nááda’ołta’.
this day children again-pl-3-study.RDíí yiską́ągo ’íídííłtah.
this tomorrow 3-2-read.Fdoołhį́į́’
3DO-2dpl-melt.it.PHaa néelą́ą́’ nidá’ák’eh?
how 3-much.N 2-cornfieldhaa níldííl
haa nízahdę́ę́’ hoolzhiizh
hadajishgizh
pl-3DO-4dpl-cut.it.out.Phazhnííłchaad
3DO-4-card.it.(as.in.wool).Pjidííłhį́į́’
3DO-4-melt.it.PK’os jóhonaa’éí yich’ą́ą́h ’i’ííjool.
cloud sun 3-protect 3-drift.PKǫ’ ’ayóigo bee n’deezdíín ndi doo shiníłdoi da.
fire very 3-with 3-sheds.light.P but NEG 1-3-warm.SPN NEGKwe’é k’ad łe’esh’aah.
here now earth-1-put.into.I.SROnitł’ó
3DO-2-weave.it.INíwe, naaltsoosgo yee' baa nitsíníkees!
stop paper-GO really 3-with 3-2-think.INíwe, t’óó bee nídinine’!
stop just 3-with 3-2-play.PNíyolgo t’áá ’áko niishch’ił.
wind-GO immediately 3-blink.URonshą’ saadísh neiiłkaah?
Ron-Q word-Q 3-3-investigate.IWhat about Ron, is he investigating words? / Is Ron studying words (too)?
bookmark