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
’Abe’ yistiní hazhóó’ógo ni’ ninishtłeeh ńt’éé’ nááłhęęsh.
ice.cream carefully stop 3-1-stop.carry.I past 3-fall.P’Ashkii nishłínę́ędą́ą́’ łah yoostsah bik’íníyá.
boy 1-be.NI-past once ring 3-1-find.P’Awéé’ bimá bit’ah sitį́.
baby 3-mother 3-undercover 3-lying.SPN’Azhą́ hasistih ndi ’ayóo ’eesh’į́.
even.though 1-be.old.P even.though very 3-1-see.Prog’Áádóó éí haa daadzaa?
and.then TOP what pl-3-do.P-kéé’
ch’ínígóó
Chizh ła’ ’ahidíłkaał ’áko ’índa nich’į’ n’deeshłééł.
firewood some 2-chop CONJ 2-to 1-pay.Fdashiilbéézh
pl-3DO-1dpl-boil.it.Pdidííníłjéé’
3DO-2-start.fire.PDíí chizh shá ’ałk’íniishóósh.
this firewood 1-for 3-2-split.IDííshą’ látsíní háádę́ę́’ naa ninídee’?
this-Q bracelet where-from 2-to 3-arrive.PlO.PDooshą’ gah t’áá gééd náshdááh lá.
ensure rabbit just without 1-return.I DISCDził bíchį́į́shk’ą́ą́h gódeg hoołtį́į́ł.
mountain 3-nose-against areal-up areal-rain.ProgGah bik’ee’ taah yí’áhígóó ’eesbąs.
rabbit foot water 3-into1-drive.Progha’át’éégóó
Ha’át’ííshą’ hastiin dóó ’at’ééd ’áyiilaa?
what-Q man and girl 3-3-make.Phadadoołbįįd
pl-3DO-2dpl-fill.something.up.with.it.Pfill something up with it, 2nd person plural
bookmarkhadajiłgéésh
pl-3DO-4dpl-cut.it.out.Ihadasoogeed
pl-3DO-2dpl-dig.it.out.Phadeidééłbįįd
pl-3DO-3dpl-fill.something.up.with.it.Pfill something up with it, 3rd person plural
bookmarkhadééłbįįd
3DO-1-fill.something.up.with.it.Pfill something up with it, 1st person singular
bookmarkhayííłgizh
3DO-3-cut.it.out.PHáágóó díníyá?
where-to 2-go.FHáí lá yiską́ągo Tónaneesdizígóó bił ’adeeswod?́
who discovery tomorrow.GO Tuba.City.GOO with 3-drive.F-QHáísh tsinaa’eeł ’áyiilaa?
who-Q boat 3-3-make.PHooghan bikáá’ dah si’áánígíí biyah danii’áago ’ádíílį́į́ł ’áko hooghan doo ałhiinídoołdas da.
hogan 3-on up 3-sit.SPN-ÍGÍÍ 3-under pl-3-extend.NP-GO 3-2-make.F so hogan NEG RECIP-3-collapse.F NEGUse strong pillars to build the hogan so that the roof will not cave in.
bookmark- -káá’ on, on top of
- dah up at an elevation, off, static, holdingfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- Si-Perfective Neuter (SPN)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- -yah under, beneath
- Neuter Perfective (NP)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- -go verb and subordinating encliticfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- Future (F)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- ’áko so, so that, so thenfind in Navajo Conjunction Lexicon
- doo --- da frame to negativize verbs and phrasesfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
hááłgizh
3DO-1-cut.it.out.PJoołísh ’atiin tsé’naa ’ahííníłhan doodaii’ daats’í ’anít’i’ báhátis ’ahííníłhan?
ball-Q road across 3-2-throw.P or perhjaps fence 3-over 3-2-throw.Ple’ ’át’éégóó
Na’nízhoozhígóósh díníyá?
Gallup-to-Q 2-go.SPNaakaii bizaad jółta’ le’ dzinízingo dzizdá.
mexican language 4-read.I wish 4-wish.O-GO 4-sit.PNahółtą́ą́’ laanaa t’óó daniidzin.
rain hope just pl-3pl-want.ONibéézh bee hane’é doo ndi naalnish da.
2-cellphone NEG but 3-work.P NEGnidazhdooleeł
pl-3DO-4dpl-carry.a.ropelike.thing.around.Fcarry a ropelike thing around, 4th person plural
bookmarkNizhé’é ha’át’íísh nahideeshnih nízin.
2-father-Q what 3-1-buy.F 3-want.NINił hǫ́zhǫ́ǫ́sh doodaii’ doósh nił hózhǫ́ǫ da?
2-with-happy.NI-Q or neg-Q 2-with happy.NI negAre you happy or not happy?
bookmark