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

’Ak’ah ła’ dishhį́įhgo baa naashá.

lard some 3-1-melt.I 3-to 1-go.CI

’Adeesdíilgo dibé sits’ą́ą́’ dah diijéé’.

3-thunder.P-GO sheep 1-away-from start-3-run.Pl.P
listenloadingplaying

When thunder rumbled the sheep stampeded on me, ran away from me.

’Ahwééh bee yishdlį́hígíí bikáá’ ’adání bikáá’ dah yish’ááh.

coffee 3-with 3-1-drink.P-NOM table 3-on up 3-1-put.SRO.U

’Ííshją́ą́ ’at’ééd yázhí hooghandę́ę́’ ch’idoogááł.

certainly girl little house-from out-3-walk.F

’Ííshją́ą́ díí ’atoo’ béésh bii’ kǫ’í bikáá’ dah séką́.

don’t forget this stew stove 3-top up 1-put.P.OC
listenloadingplaying

Don’t forget that I put the stew on the stove.

-ááłk’iis

-dááh

listenloadingplaying

in front of, meeting, before, for

-ii’, yi’

inside of, within, at the interior of a solid object

-yaa

Asdzání ní’jookąąhgo kintahdi nijighá.

woman-NOM Rep-3a-beg.I-GO town-at about-3a-walk.I
listenloadingplaying

A lady is walking around in the city asking for help.

Béésh náábał dóó haa nízahdi nighan?

windmill and how 3-long.N-at 2-home
listenloadingplaying

How far is your place from the windmill?

Bich’ijí nishłį́.

3-toward-side 1-be.NI
listenloadingplaying

I’m on his side.

Bik’os gónaa ’ałch’į’ yiyiissił.

3-neck around toward.each.other 3-3-grab.CI
listenloadingplaying

s/he is grabbing it by the neck.

Bilagáana bizaad bił nantł’a.

English language 3-with 3-difficult.NI
listenloadingplaying

English is difficult for him/her.

Ch’ééh jiyáán hooghangóó dah dii’ągo shee nikihoníłt.

watermelon home-toward up 3-1-move.SRO.P 1-with area-start-rain.P
listenloadingplaying

When I set out for home with the melon it started to rain on me.

Da’ Cubadę́ę́’ tsinaa’eeł nił ní’éél?

Q Cuba-from boat 2-with 3-float.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 chizh shá ’ałk’íniishóósh.

this firewood 1-for 3-2-split.I
listenloadingplaying

Split these pieces of wood for me.

Díí mósí yázhí hooghangóó nááshtééł.

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

Doo tó tsíídkáá’ dididííkáał da.

NEG water charcoal-on start-3-2-put.OC.F NEG

Dził bíchį́į́shk’ą́ą́h gódeg hoołtį́į́ł.

mountain 3-nose-against areal-up areal-rain.Prog
listenloadingplaying

It’s raining up on the point of the mountain.

Dó’ísh t’ahdii nikee’ bii’ síní’eezísh łí?

DÓ’-Q still 2-shoe 3-in 2-have.on.P-Q ŁÍ

Ha’a’aahjíísh ’éí doodago ’e’e’aahjíísh nighan?

east-from-Q 2-home TOP or west-from-Q 2-home

Ha’át’éegishą’ nich’ah nííní’ą́?

where-at-Q 2-hat 3-2-set.down.SRO.P
listenloadingplaying

Where did you leave your hat? Where did you set your hat down?

Ha’át’éego lá ’íiyisíí ’atiinjį’ ’ańdeeshdááł lá?

how Q main road-up.to 1-back-on-go.F DISC
listenloadingplaying

How can I get back onto the main road?

Háádę́ę’shą’ díí ch’ah nizhóní léi’ naa yílts’id?

where-from-Q DEM hat 3-beautiful.NI INDEF 2-to 3-move.air.SRO.P

Háágóó lá díníyá?

where-to.Q 2-go.F

Hádą́ą́’sh Mary ’ólta’dę́ę́’ nádzá?

when-past-Q Mary school-from 3-return.P

K’ad cháshk’eh góyaa tó deg ’anool’ąął.

now wash area-down water up 3-move.Prog
listenloadingplaying

The water level is rising now down the wash.

Mary hádą́ą́’sh ’ólta’dę́ę́’ nádzá?

Mary when-past-Q school-from 3-return.P

Mósí yázhí bimá yits’ą́ą́’ yóó’ííyá.

kitten 2-mother 3-from away-3-go.P
listenloadingplaying

The kitten got lost from its mother.

Na’nízhoozhígóó nihił ’adeeswod ’áko shį́į́ ’adiidį́į́ł chidí nihá ’ánálnéehgo.

Gallup-to 1-with INDEF-drive.P then maybe 1-dual-eat.F car 1-for 3-fix.I-GO

Na’nízhoozhígóósh díníyá?

Gallup-to-Q 2-go.SP

Naalyéhé hooghandi tł’oh hániikai ńt’éé’ ’áníídí yee’ ’ásdįįd lágo ’áadi niikai.

trading.post-at hay 1dpl-go.pl.P past recently very 3-disappear.P DISC-GO there 1dpl-go.pl.P
listenloadingplaying

We went to the trading post after hay only to find that the supply had just run out.

Ná’oolkiłí sits’ą́ą́’ tanáóó’nił lágo!

watch 1-away 3-1-take.apart.O don’t

Nitsilí ’abínígo tóógóó łį́į́łchíí’ bił ’ałnánáldlosh łeh.

2-brother morning-GO water-to horse-red 3-with 3-go.R usually

Ńléí dził bighą́ą́’dóó łid yót’ááh yít’i’.

over.there mountain 3-over there smoke to.rise.up into-I.
listenloadingplaying

There’s a column of smoke rising into the sky from the mountaintop.

Saad naashkaahgo baa naash.

word 3-1-research.CI-GO 3-to 1-go.Prog

Sha’áłchíní Toohgóó bił ’eesbąs.

1-children Shiprock-to 3-with 1-drive.Prog

She’abe’ sits’ą́ą́’ wóódlą́ą́’ lágo.

1-milk 1-from 3-2-drink.O LÁGO

Shichá si’ą́ągo ’iiłhaazh.

1-huddle 3-put-SPN-GO 1-sleep.P
listenloadingplaying

I went to sleep huddled up into a ball.

Shilééchąą yázhí shikéé’ yildlosh ńt’éé’ hashtł’ish yiih yildloozh.

1-dog little 1-behind 3-walk.Prog past mud 3-into 3-walk.P
listenloadingplaying

My puppy went into the mud as he trotted along behind me.

Shimá sitsilí bibéésh bee hane’í bits’ą́ą́’ náádii’ą́.

1-mother 1-little.brother 3-cellphone 3-away.from 3-3-return.P
listenloadingplaying

My mother took my little brother’s cellphone away.

Shizhé’é ńléí dá’ák’ehdi naayiishgo yish’į́.

1-father there cornfield-at 3-stoop.Prg-GO 3-1-see.Prg
listenloadingplaying

I can see my father moving about there in the field.

Sitsóí yik’i sidáhí béé’éshdlééh.

1-grandchild 3-on 3-sit.SPN-nom 3-1-copy.I

Táá’ daats’í shinááhaigo Hwéeldi hoolyéégóó sh 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-grandfather
listenloadingplaying

As my grandfather tells it, he was about three years old when he started off with the family on the move to Fort Sumner.

Tsxį́įłgo łees’áán ’ádíílííł nimásání nihaa yighááh!

quickly tortilla 3-2-make.F 2.poss-mat.grandma-NOM 1.pl-to 3-come.F

Wónáasdóó t’óó tsé’édin nihee deezhchííl.

so.then just overwhelm 1pl-with 3-snow.P

Ła’ nídeezid yę́ędą́ą́’ ’áajigo niséyá.

one month past that-way-GO 1.go.P