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
’Ałk’idą́ą́’ dahane’ yę́ę k’ad ’índa baa nídahane’.
past pl-3.tell.story.I old now until.now 3-for pl-3.tell.story.I’Ałk’idą́ą́’ tóniteel bąąhgóó tádííyáhę́ę bénááshnii’.
long.ago ocean 3-beside-along around-1-past 3-1-remember.P’Áádóó haa hóót’įįd?
and.then how ho-happened.P’Ádihodideesht’ih sha’shin nisingo t’áadoo ’atah haasdzíi’ da.
RFLX-1-get.into.trouble.F perhaps 1-think.CI-GO NEG among 1-say.P NEGI didn’t say anything because I thought I might get myself into trouble.
bookmark- Future (F)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- ’ádihodiisht’ééh get oneself into troublefind in Navajo Verb Modes
- sha’shin perhapsfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- Continuative Imperfective (CI)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- nisin think, wantfind in Navajo Verb Modes
- t’áadoo notfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- doo --- da frame to negativize verbs and phrasesfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- haasdziih speak, exclaimfind in Navajo Verb Modes
’Íídeeshwosh daats’í doodaii’ saad naalkaah bindeeshnish.
1-sleep.F maybe or word research 3-1-work.FBaa dahwiinít’ínígíí shił bééhodoozįįł nissin.
agenda 1-with 3-about-ho-find.out.F 3-1-want.NIBíla’ashdla’ii wolyéii bił dah nahaz’ą́ą́góó t’áá ’ał’ąą bizaad dahólǫ́.
3-fingers-five-NOM 3-be.called-NOM 3-with static areal-3-govern.P-toward just separate 3-language pldajitł’ó
pl-3DO-4dpl-weave.it.IDibé hólǫ́ǫgo ła’ níjół’ah laanaa.
sheep exist-GO some 4-butcher.O hopedidííłhįh
3DO-2-melt.it.Fdidííłjéé’
3DO-1-start.fire.PDlǫ́ǫ́’ ba’áán góne’ yah ’adeeshnii’go dlǫ́’áyázhí shishhash.
prairie.dog 3-hole into down1-3.to.reach.out.hand prairie.dog-little 1-bite.PDoo choshijooł’į́į́’ le’ ’át’éégóó shił hóyéé’.
NEG 3-1-make.use.O proof.against-NEG 1-with lazy.NIDoo hanii kintahgóó díníyáa da nisin.
NEG contrary town-toward 2-start.go.P NEG 1-think.CIDoo ńdeeshdááł da, háálá kwii doo shił yá’áhoot’éeh da.
NEG 1-return.F NEG because here NEG 1-with 3-good.NI NEGDoo yéé shaa yáníłti’go ndiséts’ą́’į́.
NEG fear 1-to 2-talk.DI-GO 2-1-hear.PHa’át’íísh nizhé’é nahideeshnih nízin.
what-Q 2-father 3-1-buy.F 3-want.NIHaa néelą́ą́’ nidá’ák’eh?
how 3-much.N 2-cornfieldhaa nízahdę́ę́’ hoolzhiizh
Haa’ísh neezgai?
where-Q 3-hurt.Nhadeeshtééł
3DO-1-carry.him/her.up.out.of.something.Fcarry him/her up out of something, 1st person singular
bookmarkhadííníłbįįd
3DO-2-fill.something.up.with.it.Pfill something up with it, 2nd person singular
bookmarkHaidą́ą́’ shich’ą́ą́h ’ííchííl na’nishkaadgo.
winter-past 1-protect 3-snow.P 3-1-herd.CI-GOhaidééłbįįd
3DO-3-fill.something.up.with.it.PHatáálgóó déyáago shikélchí t’óó tsxį́į́łgo bił ’ada’shéshiizhgo ńdaséłkad.
ceremony-1-go-Fut-GO 1-moccasin merelyhurry.GO 3-with 3-1-pierce-GO 3-1-sew-Phayííłgizh
3DO-3-cut.it.out.PHáágóó lá díníyá?
where-to.Q 2-go.FK’ad shicheii bíká ’iishyeed.
now 1-grandfather 3-for 1-run.IMary hádą́ą́’sh ’ólta’dę́ę́’ nádzá?
Mary when-past-Q school-from 3-return.PNiłísh bééhosin doodaii’ biłísh bééhozin?
2-with-Q 3-know.CI or 3-with-Q 3-know.CIDo you know or does s/he know?
bookmark- -ísh enclitic for yes/no questionsfind in Navajo Questions Lexicon
- -ił with
- accompaniment
- Continuative Imperfective (CI)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- nisin think, wantfind in Navajo Verb Modes
- doodaii’ particle orfind in Navajo Questions Lexicon
- Continuative Imperfective (CI)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- nisin think, wantfind in Navajo Verb Modes
Ronshą’ saadísh neiiłkaah?
Ron-Q word-Q 3-3-investigate.IWhat about Ron, is he investigating words? / Is Ron studying words (too)?
bookmarkSha’áłchíní Toohgóó bił ’eesbąs.
1-children Shiprock-to 3-with 1-drive.ProgShichá si’ą́ągo ’iiłhaazh.
1-huddle 3-put-SPN-GO 1-sleep.PShighanídóó ’e’e’aah bich’ijígo shádí bighan.
1-home-from west 3-in.the.direction.of older.sister 3-dwell.NShilééchąą’í yázhí táa’go tsásk’eh yiyaa ’ahííjéé’.
1-dog small three-comp bed 3-under 3-lie.pl.NPShimá bighangóó náshdáahgo łééchąą’í baná’ástso’.
1-mother 3-house-toward again-1-go-GO dog 3-again-1-feed.RShí shighan nihígíí bilááh ’áhoníltso.
1 1-house 2-Comp 3-beyond areal-big.NISitsóí yik’i sidáhí béé’éshdlééh.
1-grandchild 3-on 3-sit.SPN-nom 3-1-copy.IT’áá ’ałkéé’ ’azee’ííł’íní bił yah ’adahaadzá.
just one-behind-another doctor 3-with into 1Dist-4-go.IT’áá hooshch’į’ déshnish.
suddenly 1-start.work.PTówónaanígóó ch’aazhdóya’ laanaa.
overseas-to 3-1-travel.O hopeTsinaabąąs t’éiyá bee ch’aa nida’asdee’ ha’níigo dahane’.
wagon only 3-it travel pl-3-go.P 3-say-GO.NI pl-3-tell.PYiską́ągo Na’nízhoozhídi háadish ’adeeshį́į́ł ninízin?
tomorrow Gallup-at where-Q 2-eat.F 2-want.CIWhen you go to Gallup tomorrow where do you want to eat?
bookmark- yiską́ągo tomorrowfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- háá-P.ENCLITIC wherefind in Navajo Questions Lexicon
- -sh enclitic for content questionsfind in Navajo Questions Lexicon
- -di at
- Future (F)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- yíshą́ eat itfind in Navajo Verb Modes
- Continuative Imperfective (CI)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- nisin think, wantfind in Navajo Verb Modes
yiłhį́į́h
3DO-3-melt.it.(snow).IÁniid iiyą́ą́ ’áko ndi t’ah dichin nisin.
Recently 1-eat.P even then still 3-hungry 1-want.NII recently ate even then I am still hungry.
bookmark