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.

(1)
Sha’áłchíní b 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:

(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. 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 -ká (’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 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

’Azhą́ hasistih ndi t’ah honishyóí.

’AZHĄ́ 1-old.X NDI still 1-energetic.NI

’Éí naanishígíí haa nízahdę́ę́’ binanilnishgo hoolzhiizh?

that work-ÍGÍÍ how 3-long.N-past 3-2-work-GO time.move.P

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

certainly perhaps this stew stove 3-on up 3-1-put.OC.P

’Áádę́ę́’ nánísdzáago łį́į́’ ni’deeshjoł.

from.there 1-return.p-GO horse 3-for pl-1-feed.F

-chą́’

craving, addicted to, fond of

-de

-dę́ę́’

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from a general location or point in space or time (also out of, off of)

-k’eh + -jí

in a language e.g. diné k’ehjí ’in Navajo’

-k’é

for, in compensation for

-ni

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in, during

-tah, -taa-, -ta-

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among, mixing; accompaniment;

-ts’ą́ą́’, -ts’á

Ch’óóshdą́ą́dą́ą́’ Na’nízhoozhídi kééhasht’į́ ńt’éé’.

formerly Gallup-at 1-live.I past
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I used to live in Gallup. I lived formerly in Gallup.                                                                                                                                                                        

Chidí k’adę́ę yichxǫǫh lágo naháłnii’.

car almost 3-fall-apart.I altered 3-1-buy.P
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I bought a car just as it was about to fall apart.

Da’ dichinísh nínízin?

Q hunger-Q 2-feel.NI

dajiyą́

pl-3DO-4dpl-eat.it.I

Dá’ák’ehdi t’ah ńt’éé’ t’óó ’ayóigo nahachagii bizhiin yijiłgo yiiłtsą́.

field-at still past just very grasshoppers swarm 4-move.along.Prog-GO 3-1-see.P
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To my surprise, I saw a swarm of grasshoppers moving along a field.

Dichinísh doodaii’ dibáá’ísh jinízin?

hunger-Q or thirst-Q 4-want.NI

didiilyįh

3DO-1dpl-melt.it.F

dizhdínóołkał

3DO-4-start.to.herd.them.(animals).F

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
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Only the people with a decent education have good jobs.

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

how Q main road-up.to 1-back-on-go.F DISC
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How can I get back onto the main road?

haa nízah

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how far is it, how much time

haa nóoshóní

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how pretty is it

Haa’ísh neezgai?

where-Q 3-hurt.N

hadadíníilchał

pl-3DO-1dpl-card.it.(as.in.wool).F

Hastiin dóó ’at’ééd ha’át’íí lá ’áyiilaa?

man and girl what Q 3-3-make.P

Háadish nichidí nííníłbą́ą́z?

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

Hoozdodę́ę́’ Łééchąąłgaii bee nááshdááłgo Kinłánídi da’jiyání góne’ sédáago shiyaa haalwod lá.

Phoenix-from greyhound.bus 3-with 1-return.Prog-GO Flagstaff-at cafe into 1-sit.SPN-GO 1-under 3-run.P DISC

jidíníłkaad

3DO-4-start.to.herd.them.(animals).I

k’adę́ę lágo

k’asdą́ą́’

Mary łį́į́’ b yá’át’ééh.

Mary horse 3-with 3-good.NI
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Mary likes horses.

Náshdóítsoh shich’į ńdiilwodgo yíníiłdon ńt’éé’ k’asídą́ą́’ sésiih.

cougar 1-toward 3-run.P-GO 3-1-shoot.P past very.nearly 3-1-miss.P

neiskáá’

3DO-3-investigate.it.P

Nihimásání ha’át’íí lá yinízin?

1dpl-grandmother what LÁ 3-3-want.NI

nijizlá

3DO-4-carry.a.ropelike.thing.around.P

niséłkáá’

3DO-1-investigate.it.P

néishjį́į́h

R mode-1-become black, get sunburned.R

Shibéézh bik’í’óshch’iid le’ ’éé’ bitahgi yóó’ ’eelts’id.

1-knife 1-find.it.O clothes 3-among 3-move.P

Shimá sání Mary níigo yee ’ádójí.

1-grandmother Mary 3-say.I-GO 3-by reflexive-3-call.NI
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My grandmother calls herself Mary.

Shizhé’é nihwiiłdlaadgo bikéé’ naad’ ’adaashjaah łeh.

1-father 3-3-plow.I-GO 3-behind corn 3Pl-1-drop.I Cust.
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As my father plows it is my custom to follow along behind and drop the corn kernels.

Shizhé’é ’azee’ál’į́į́ góne’ b yah ’i’ííbą́ą́z.

1-father hospital into 3-with in 3-push.wheel.P
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My father was wheeled into the hospital.

Sitsiitł’óól tsásk’eh bikáá’ dah yishłééh.

Navajo.hair.tie bed 3-on up 3-1-put.SFO.U

yiitł’ó

3DO-1dpl-weave.it.I

yik’ídéideezdiz

pl-3DO-3dpl-wrap.it.around.it.P

Yiską́ągo Na’nízhoozhídi, háádish ’adeeshį́į́ł ninízin?

tomorrow Gallup-at where-Q 2-eat.F 2-want.CI

yiyííshóó’

3DO-3-brush/comb.it.P

Łah shicheii nahałáago bá ’asmaz ńt’éé’.

once 1-grandpa 3-perform.ceremony.CI-GO 3-for 3-1-twirl.CI past
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Once when my grandfather performed a ceremony, I twirled (the bullroarer tsin ndi’ni’) for him.

łahgo