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
’Ach’íí’ ła’ deeshį́į́ł.
rolled.intestine some 1-eat.F’Adą́ą́dą́ą́’ shá bíighah ’atah ’adishdiłgo ’i’íí’ą́.
yesterday 1-for 3-passing down 1-play.stick.dice.RI-GO evening’Adeesdíilgo dibé sits’ą́ą́’ dah diijéé’.
3-thunder.P-GO sheep 1-away.from start-3-run.Pl.P’Ahbínídą́ą́’ ch’ééh niba’ hasht’e’ ’ádííníszin.
morning-Past in.vain 2-wait ready REFL-1-keep.CI’Áádóó haa hóót’įįd?
and.then how ho-happened.P’Íídeeshwosh daats’í doodaii’ saad naalkaah bindeeshnish.
1-sleep.F maybe or word research 3-1-work.F-dóó
from a specific location or point in space or time
bookmark-k’eh+-jí
Bilagáana ła’ níhit’ááh dookah jiní.
Anglo some 1Pl-close.to 3-go.Pl.F 4-say.NIChidí naat’a’íísh hooghankáá’góó ch’ínísaal ’éí doodaii’ dziłghą́ą́’góó daats’í?
airplane house-over-along over-3-fly.P TOP or mountain-attached-along perhapsDa’ naadą́’ísh nee hólǫ́?
Q corn-Q 2-with 3-exist.NIdeiitł’ó
pl-3DO-1dpl-weave.it.IDii éé’ shił nizhónígo nahideeshniih nisin nt’éé’ ’áko ndi ayóo ilį́į́ lá.
this clothing 1-with 3-like-GO 3-1-buy.F 1-think.Cl Past even then very 3-expensive DiscDíí tł’óół tsin bik’ídísdis.
this rope stick 3-on-3-1-wrap.IDoo choshijooł’į́į́’ le’ ’át’éégóó shił hóyéé’.
NEG 3-1-make.use.O proof.against-NEG 1-with lazy.NIDoo ndó’ daatsaah noolin da.
NEG but 3-be.sick.I 3-resemble.NP NEGGohwééh doo ndi łikan da.
coffee NEG but 3-taste-good.NI NEGHaa néelą́ą́’ nidá’ák’eh?
how 3-much.N 2-cornfieldhaołgéésh
3DO-2dpl-cut.it.out.IHastiin Nééz doo ’asht’é’égóó nihibéégashii yá doolnih.
Mr. Long extremely 1pl-cow 3-for 3-annoy.Proghazhdééłbįįd
3DO-4-fill.something.up.with.it.Phádą́ą́’
K’ad cháshk’eh góyaa tó deg ’anool’ąął.
now wash area-down water up 3-move.Progk’asdą́ą́’
Naaki nááhaigo shich’é’é náá’íídeeshtah, ní.
Two year.GO 1-daughter again.school.F said.Naaltsoos bikáá’ na’aníshí bikáa’gi si’ą́.
book desk 3-on-at up 3-lie.SRO.SPNThe book is on the table. (Young 2000:3)
bookmarkNaashnéego jooł báátis yímááz.
1-play-go.CI ball over 3-roll.Pnaashłé
3DO-1-carry.a.ropelike.thing.around.Icarry a ropelike thing around, 1st person singular
bookmarkNdáa’di shizhé’é diné ła’ yił ’ahi’niigą́ą’go bita’ niséyá.
summer.ceremony-at 1-father man one 3-fight.P-GO 3-between 3-1-go.siPNiísh ’ałdó’ t’áá ’ákwíinínízin?
2-Q also just 2-think.so.NINisneez sélį́į’go shicheii nahałáhági ’át’éego nahashłáa doo nisin.
1-tall.NI 1-become.P-GO 1-grandfather 3-perform.ceremony.CI-similar.to 1-perform.ceremony.CI future 3-want.NInitł’ó
3DO-2-weave.it.INizhónígo ha’íí’ą́ yę́ędą́ą́’ sxíiłgo da’ségis.
beautiful sunrise past quickly pl-3-1-wash.PShá bíighah na’ashkǫ́ǫ́’.
sun proportionate 1-swim.CIShilééchąą’í yázhí táa’go tsásk’eh yiyaa ’ahííjéé’.
1-dog small three-comp bed 3-under 3-lie.pl.NPShimá sání Mary níigo yee ’ádójí.
1-grandmother Mary 3-say.I-GO 3-by reflexive-3-call.NISitsóóké da’ółta’go t’óó bik’iisdził.
1-grandchildren pl-school-GO just 3-1-support.ProgT’ah ’ałk’idídą́ą́’ ’éí Diné tát’áá góyaa kéédahat’íinii t’éiyá díí tábąąhgóó bidáda’ak’eh naaznil ńt’éé’.
still quite.long.ago the people water-near areal-down pl-3-reside.NI-NOM only this water-edge-toward farm 3-lie.about.SPN pastTáá’ daats’í shinááhaigo Hwéeldi hoolyéégóó shił dah ’adiiná níigo halne’ łeh shicheii.
three maybe 1-year.P-GO Fort.Sumner-at areal-be.called-toward 1-with start.off 3-migrate.P 3-say.NI-GO 4-tell. usually 1-grandfatherAs my grandfather tells it, he was about three years old when he started off with the family on the move to Fort Sumner.
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