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
’At’ééd ’éí ch’iyáán ’ál’į́įgi łá’í nidi doo bił bééhózin da.
girl TOP food 3-make.NI-at one but 3-with 3-know.CI NEGThe girl does not know how to cook food.
bookmark- ’éí topicfind in Navajo Particle Lexicon
- Neuter Imperfective (NI)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- -gi at
- łá’í ndi not even one, not a single onefind in Navajo Particle Lexicon
- doo expresses negationfind in Navajo Particle Lexicon
- -ił with
- Continuative Imperfective (CI)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- da expresses negationfind in Navajo Particle Lexicon
’Ahwééh bidáádít’áhí bikáá’ dah sí’aah.
coffee 3-lid 3-on up 3-SRO.CI’Ashkii yázhí bee’eldǫǫh yik’ee ’ádadeeznih.
boy little gun 3-on.account.of REFL-3-hurt.P’At’ééd t’áá ’áhánídi ’ółta’ ’éí biniinaa doo hah dah nídiidáah da.
girl just far-at school TOP 3-cause NEG quickly up start-3-go.I NEGIt’s not far to school so the girl takes her time starting off.
bookmark- t’áá ’áhánídi near, nearbyfind in Navajo Particle Lexicon
- -di at
- ’éí topicfind in Navajo Particle Lexicon
- -niinaa because of, on account of
- doo expresses negationfind in Navajo Particle Lexicon
- haa quicklyfind in Navajo Particle Lexicon
- dah upfind in Navajo Particle Lexicon
- Imperfective (I) (∅, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- da expresses negationfind in Navajo Particle Lexicon
’Atiingi chidí léi’ yiiłtsą́.
road-at car INDEF 3-1-see.PI saw some car on the road OR I saw a strange car on the road.
bookmark’Ałk’idą́ą́’ shimá bił na’nishkaadgo ’aghaa’ yisdizígíí dibé yázhí yichíihgo yizénéíłt’ih.
long ago 1-mother 3-with SUP-1-herd.I-GO wool 3-spin.P-ígíí lamb 3-birth.P-GO 3-neck-around-3-tie.PLong ago, while herding sheep with my mother, she used to tie a yarn around the newborn lamb’s neck.
bookmark- ’ałk’idą́ą́’ long ago, formerlyfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- -dą́ą́’ past time
- -ił with
- Imperfective (I) (∅, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- na’nishkaad herd, go out herdingfind in Navajo Verb Modes
- -go verb and subordinating encliticfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- -go verb and subordinating encliticfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
’Ałk’idídą́ą́’ kin ’áshłaa ńt’éé’ ’éí t’ahdii bii’ shighan.
quite.long.ago house 3-1-make.P past it still 3-in 1-home’Ałní’ní’ą́ągo tó háálínídi ’ahéédidiit’ash.
noon-GO spring-at refl-1du-meet.F’Ólta’dóó ’azee’ ’al’íníjį’ t’áá ná’ahanaad.
school-from hospital-to just long.time.pass.I-ba-
to the point of exhaustion, used up, completed
bookmark-dááh
-ę́ę+-dą́ą́’ (yę́ędą́ą́’)
-k’eh
-na’
beside, at one’s side, in place of, waiting for
bookmark-niiyé
-tah, -taa-, -ta-
Béésh ’áłts’ózí bee ’atsidí bee ’aháníłne’.
wire hammer 3-with 3-1-beat.PCh’ééh jiyáání hooghangóó dah dii’ą́ągo shee nahóółtą́.
watermelon home-toward up 3-1-move.SRO.P 1-with area-rain.PChidí sits’ą́ą́’ hashtł’ish yiih yilwodgo t’áá ch’į́į́góó ch’ééh ’ííł’įįd.
car 1-away mud 3-into 3-go.P-GO just fail in.vain 3-1-act.PI did everything possible to get my car out of the mud.
bookmark- -ts’ą́ą́’ away from, separating from, derived from
- location
- -iih into
- location
- -go verb and subordinating encliticfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- ch’į́į́góó, ch’ínígóó everything possible without resultfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- ch’ééh in vain, futilely, tryfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
Damóo yę́ędą́ą́’ Yootóógóó niséyá.
Sunday past Santa.Fe-to 1-go.PDá’ák’ehdi t’ah ńt’éé’ t’óó ’ayóigo nahachagii bizhiin yijiłgo yiiłtsą́.
field-at still past many grasshoppers swarm 4-move.along.Prog-GO 3-1-see.PDichin bik’ee doo bííchįįd da.
hunger 3-account neg 3-become.hopeless.P negDíí dziłígíí shádi’ááh bich’ijígo ’ałkéé’ ’adíítąąd.
this mountain-Comp southward 3-toward-GO one-behind-another 3Pl-scatter.NPDziłdę́ę́’ hoołtį́į́ł ńt’éé’ t’áá nihich’į’jį’ ’ásdįįd.
mountain-from areal-rain.Prg past just 1pl-toward-up.to 3-disappear.PGohwééh haa néeląą’ nee hólǫ́?
coffee how 3-much.N 2-with 4-exist.NIHa’át’éego lá ’íiyisíí ’atiinjį’ ’ańdeeshdááł lá?
how Q main road-up.to 1-back-on-go.sg.F DISCHa’át’éegoshą’ t’áadoo ’azee’ál’į́į́góó nisíníyáa da?
why-Q NEG hospital-to 2-go.sg.P NEGHa’át’íí́sh baa hane’?
What Q 3-for be.told.CIHak’az bik’ee shíchį́į́h doo ’áháłchįįh da.
Hatáaldi 'iikááh 'atah 'ajóle’.
ceremony-at sandpainting among 4-make.OK’aa’ísh ’aní’á biyaa doodago daats’í báhátis ’ayiist’oh?
arrow-Q bridge 3-under or perhaps 3-over 3-3-shot.PDid s/he perhaps shoot arrows under or over the bridge?
bookmark- -ísh enclitic for yes/no questionsfind in Navajo Questions Lexicon
- doodago particle orfind in Navajo Questions Lexicon
- daats’í particle for perhapsfind in Navajo Questions Lexicon
- -yaa under, beneath, down
- location
- -tis over
- location
- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- ’adisht’oh be an archer, shoot arrowsfind in Navajo Verb Modes
Kintahdę́ę́’ łį́į́’ shił nááldlosh.
town-from horse 1-with 3-crawl.CIKóhoot’éédą́ą́’ dibé yázhí t’óó ’ahayóí hazlį́į́’. K’ad ’éí doo t'óó ’ahayói da.
last.year sheep baby a.lot 3-Pas-it.occured.P now this NEG a.lot NEGNa’nízhoozhígóó chídí doo nił dah didoolwoł da.
Gallup-to car NEG 2-with up start-3.drive.F NEGYou will not go to Gallup with the car. (YM 1987: 319)
bookmark- Command, negativefind in Navajo Imperatives
- Futurefind in Navajo Imperatives
- -góó to, toward, along, on, with a numeral it indicates a date
- doo --- da frame to negativize verbs and phrasesfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- -ił with
- dah up at an elevation, off, static, holdingfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- Future (F)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- ’oolwoł drivefind in Navajo Verb Modes