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
’ayóo
’áko
CONJ’áko ndi
CONJ-diníná
Ashkii tó nílinígíi yiih dzółhaał.
Boy flowing.water-ÍGÍÍ 3-in 3-3-fall.OBéégashii ndahaniihdi dóola ’ayóí ’ánóolin léi’ t’óó bidánééł’į́į́’.
cattle-NOM pl-3-sell.CI-at bull remarkable 3-resemble.N INDEF just 3-1-look.at.PBibee’eldǫǫh haiyííłhan’ii’ ’bįįh yił ’adeesdǫǫh.
gun 3-jerk.out.P-and deer 3-shot.Pbik’ídadiidis
pl-3DO-1dpl-wrap.it.around.it.ICh’aa déyá ńt’éé shichídí bikee’ dilkǫǫh.
travel 1-go past 1-vehicle 3-tires worn.Ch’į́į́góó baa ntséskees.
fail 3-about 1-think.IDa’ dichinísh nínízin?
Q hunger-Q 2-feel.NIdadoołhį́į́’
pl-3DO-2dpl-melt.it.PDah díníilghaazh ’áshįįh bik’ídíínił.
fry.bread salt 3-on-3-2-sprinkle.PlO.Fdeiilyį́į́’
pl-3DO-1dpl-melt.it.(snow).Pdizhdínóołkał
3DO-4-start.to.herd.them.(animals).Fstart to herd them (animals), 4th person
bookmarkDíkwíí lá ninááhai?
how.many Q 2-winterdooshą’ dó’ léi’ --- lá
Gohwééh ła’ shaa níkaah.
coffee some 1-to 2-give.OC.IHa’át’íísh baa hane’?
What Q 3-for be.told.CIhaa nízahdę́ę́’ hoolzhiizh
hadadiiltééł
pl-3DO-1dpl-carry.him/her.up.out.of.something.Fcarry him/her up out of something, 1st person plural
bookmarkHatáaldi 'iikááh 'atah 'ajóle’.
ceremony-at sandpainting among 4-make.Ohá’at’é-go
Háí lá́ bá nidáá’?
who Q 3-for 2-enemyway.ceremonyHoozdohdi ’éí doo ’ashohodoobéézhgóó deesdoi.
Phoenix-at TOP extremely 3-hot.SPNK’ad shį́į́ deesk’aaz hodooleeł.
now probably cold area-become.FLąʼí nahółtą́ągo t’éiyá hodookʼááłígíí yaa hódoonííł.
much 3-rain.O-GO only areal-fire.I-IGII down HO-happen.FThe forest fire will go down only if there is heavy rain.
bookmarkNaat’áanii bich’į’ yáshti’.
leader 3-toward 1-talk.INahółtą́ą́’ laanaa t’óó daniidzin.
rain hope just pl-3pl-want.Onaohłé
3DO-2dpl-carry.a.ropelike.thing.around.Icarry a ropelike thing around, 2nd person dual
bookmarkNaʼazhǫǫshgóó dooʼáazhgo nihikééʼ ʼiih deeshwoł.
casino-GÓÓ 2du-go.F-GO 2pl-behind 3-into 1-run.Fnideeshłeeł
3DO-1-carry.a.ropelike.thing.around.Fcarry a ropelike thing around, 1st person singular
bookmarkNidlóóhísh ’éí doodago doo daats’í nidlóoh da?
2-cold.X-Q TOP or NEG perhaps 2-cold.X-Q NEGRonshą’ saadísh neiiłkaah?
Ron-Q word-Q 3-3-investigate.IWhat about Ron, is he investigating words? / Is Ron studying words (too)?
bookmark