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’.

(1)
Sha’áłchíní b 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:

(2)
Chidí k’asdą́ą́’ sh ’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:

(3)
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:

(4)
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
listenloadingplaying

The baby is lying under the same covers with its mother.

’Awéé’ dah sidá.

baby up 3-sit.SPN

’Ayóo łį́į́’ sh 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
listenloadingplaying

You said you’re good at riding broncos; let’s see you get on this stallion!

’áko shį́į́

CONJ

’Óshą́ą́’ laanaa’ dichin shi’niiłxį́.

1-eat.O wish hunger 1-3-kill.I

-íniiká

-jį’

ch’ééh

listenloadingplaying

in vain, futilely, try, try in vain

Da’ Ron saad nináánéíłkaah ya’?

Q Ron word 3-3-investigate.I Q
listenloadingplaying

Ron’s investigating words again?

dajoodlą́ą́’

pl-3DO-4dpl-drink.it.P

Deenásts’aa’ sh 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.P
listenloadingplaying

I was riding around on a ram when my mother saw me and she gave me a whipping because of it.

Díí mósí yázhí hooghangóó nááshtééł.

this cat little home-towards 3-1-carry.Prog

Dííshjį́į́góó shizhé’é łáháda b ná’ahiistsééh.

nowadays 1-father seldom 3-with RECP-1-see.R

Doo ’atiin bąąhgóó ch’il ’ahwééh ’áłah ’ájíléeh da.

NEG road 3-beside-along plant coffee together 3-4-gather.SFO.I NEG

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.NI

Gólízhii dégo dasidoo’į́įgo da’oołzhish ni.

Skunk up-GO pl-3-look.I-GO pl-3-dpl-dance.I
listenloadingplaying

Skunk said, look up and dance.

haa níłnééz

listenloadingplaying

how long, how tall is it

hadajishgizh

pl-3DO-4dpl-cut.it.out.P

hadazhdoołtééł

pl-3DO-4dpl-carry.him/her.up.out.of.something.F

hadínííłchał

3DO-2-card.it.(as.in.wool).F

haidínóołchał

3DO-3-card.it.(as.in.wool).F

Hazeistsósí ńlááh ’akǫ́ǫ́ náádilyeed! Ho’dooniid.

Chipmunk 2-ahead over.there again-start-2-run.I 4-say.P
listenloadingplaying

Chipmunk was told to go over there. It was said.

Háadi lá ’ádeiit’į́?

where-at Q pl-3-be
listenloadingplaying

Where are we (pl)?

Háíshą’ tsinaa’eeł ’áyiilaa lá?

who-Q boat 3-3-make.P DISC

Hííłch’į’go ’íinda ta’iideeshnih.

evening.GO until 1-mix.dough.F
listenloadingplaying

I will mix the dough towards evening.

jidííłhį́į́’

3DO-4-melt.it.P

K’ad shicheii bíká ’iishyeed.

now 1-grandfather 3-for 1-run.I

k’asídą́ą́’

listenloadingplaying

very nearly, within an ace of, coming close to

Kin Łánídiísh ’éí doodago Bee’eldííldahsinildi daats’í naniná?

Flagstaff-at-Q TOP or Albuquerque-at perhaps 2-go.around.CI

Kintahdę́ę́’ łį́į́’ sh nááldlosh.

town-from horse 1-with 3-crawl.CI

Mosi ałtsi’si ndi nidaaz.

cat small but 3-heavy.NI

The cat is small but it is heavy.

Nichidíshą’ háadi nííníłbą́ą́z?

2-car-Q where-at 3-2-park.P

Nił hǫ́zhǫ́ǫ́sh doodaii’ doósh nił hózhǫ́ǫ da?

2-with-happy.NI-Q or neg-Q 2-with happy.NI neg

Shidá'í, nilį́į́’ sha’níłteeh.

1-maternal.uncle 2-horse 1-to-3-2-lend.AnO.I
listenloadingplaying

My uncle, lend me your horse.

Shighan bich’ą́ą́h łeeshch’ih désas.

1-hogan 3-protect ashes 3-1-strew.P
listenloadingplaying

I strewed ashes to protect my hogan.

Shikee’ ’ániidígo biniinaa shikee’ bąąh tó’diisool.

1-shoe recently because 1-foot 3-on 3-blister.form.P
listenloadingplaying

Because my shoes are new, they made a water blister on my foot.

Shiye’, t’áadoo nikídíltałí.

1-son NEG 2-stomp.IR-Í

Shínaaí chidí b dah diilwodgo bizánághah góne’ łeezh ’adzíísi’.

older.brother car 3-with up 3-run.I-GO 3-around areal-in dust 3-trail.P
listenloadingplaying

When my older brother started off in the car he left a trail of dust around the corner.

T’óó tá’ádeesgizii’ ’ííyą́ą́’.

just 3-reflex-wash.P-CONJ 3-eat.P

Tsé nitsaa ’áko nidaaz.

stone 3-big CONJ 3-heavy

ya’

yaa

Yadiizíní bigháníshgéésh.

can 3-through-1-cut.open.I

yidoołbish

3DO-3-boil.it.F

yóó’

yí’aal

3DO-1-chew.it.P

Łééchąą’í ’ałch’į’ yiil’aad.

dog RECIP-toward 3-1du-sic.P
listenloadingplaying

We sicced the dogs on each other.