Introduction to Navajo Questions
Any competent speaker of any language will be able to form questions. This resource is a combined grammar and lexicon of Navajo questions. We provide a description of three kinds of questions along with glossed examples and audio recordings of them. We think this resource will be useful to students and teachers of this language, and to professional linguists within and outside Navajo communities.
We distinguish three distinct kinds of questions: Yes/no questions, Content Questions, and Alternative Questions. We treat Tag Questions as a subtype of Yes/no questions. For this project we draw on previous work by Fernald & Perkins (manuscript), Young & Morgan (1987), Young, Morgan & Midgette (1992), and others cited in References [link].
Da’ | Na’nízhoozhígóó | díníyá? |
Q | Gallup-to | 2-go.F |
Are you going to Gallup? |
Mary | ha’át’íí | nayiisnii’? |
Mary | what | 3-3-buy.P |
What did Mary buy? |
’Atsį́’ísh | ’éí | doodaii’ | łóó’ísh | nínízin? |
meat-Q | TOP | or | fish-Q | 3-2-want.NI |
Do you want meat or fish? |
Example (1) is a yes/no question, which has ‛yes’ or ‛no’ as an answer. Questions like this are used to ask whether a particular statement is true or not. In this example, the statement being asked about is Na’nízhoozhígóó díníyá, which means ‛You are going to Gallup’.
Content questions, like example (2), do not have simply ‛yes’ or ‛no’ as an answer. Rather than supplying a statement and asking whether it is true or not, they have the effect of providing a statement with some missing information, and they ask what that information is. In (2), the idea is that Mary bought something, and the question asks what that something is.
Alternative questions present the addressee with a choice between two or more options. Note that the English gloss in example (3) can be understood as either a yes/no question (if the intonation is rising on fish) or an alternative question (if the intonation is falling on fish). In Navajo, the sentence is an alternative question for which the appropriate answer will indicate which one of the choices is desired.
Glossing conventions and a note on morphology are here [link].
An example search has returned 50 entries
’Ahbínídą́ą́’ t’áadoo ’ííyą́ą́’góó biniinaa wónáásdóó sitsiits’iin diniih.
morning-past neg 1-eat.P-GO.NEG because soon 1-head 3-ache.CII didn’t eat this morning, so my head is aching.
bookmark- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- ’ashą́ eatfind in Navajo Verb Modes
- Continuative Imperfective (CI)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- díníshniih ache, be in painfind in Navajo Verb Modes
- ’ahbínídą́ą́’ this morningfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- -niinaa because of, on account offind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
’Ałk’idą́ą́’ tóniteel bąąhgóó tádííyáhę́ę bénááshnii’.
long.ago ocean 3-beside-along around-1-past 3-1-remember.P’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’Áłchíní hastą́ą́ binááhaidóó deigo hodees’áago t’áá ’ałtso da’ółta’go yá’át’ééh.
children six 3-year.P-from up areal-extend.NP all pl-3-study.NI-GO 3-good.N’Eii łééchą̨ą’í t’áá ’áko taah yilwo’.
that dog immediately water.into 3-run.U-naashii
-niiyé
Béésh ’áłts’ózí bee ’atsidí bee ’aháníłne’.
wire hammer 3-with 3-1-beat.PBilagáana bizaad bił nantł’a.
English language 3-with 3-difficult.NIBitsii’ nineez nít’ę́ę́’ k’íinígizh lá.
3-hair 3-long.N past 3-3-cut.P DISCDa’ dichinísh nínízin?
Q hunger-Q 2-feel.NIdajishóóh
pl-3DO-4dpl-brush/comb.it.Idaohtł’ó
pl-3DO-2dpl-weave.it.Idazhdiłhį́į́h
pl-3DO-4dpl-melt.it.Idazhdíníłkaad
pl-3DO-4dpl-start.to.herd.them.(animals).Istart to herd them (animals), 4th person plural
bookmarkdidííłjéé’
3DO-1-start.fire.PDíí dziłígíí shádi’ááh bich’ijígo ’ałkéé’ ’adíítąąd.
this mountain-Comp southward 3-toward-GO one-behind-another 3Pl-scatter.NPDíísh haa yit’éego ’atiin?
this-Q how 3-be.NI roaddoo ’ashohodoobéézhgóó
Doo hazhó’ó ’adiist’a’ da léi’ t’óó shaa daadloh.
NEG good reflex-1.hear.NI NEG since just me.at pl.3.laugh.IDoo kingóó diit’ash da.
NEG town-to 1dpl-go.du.Prog NEGLet’s not go to town.
bookmark- Proposal with negationfind in Navajo Imperatives
- Progressivefind in Navajo Imperatives
- doo --- da frame to negativize verbs and phrasesfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- -góó to, toward, along, on, with a numeral it indicates a datefind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- Progressive (Prog)find in Navajo Verb Modes
Doo tó tsíídkáá’ dididííkáał da.
NEG water charcoal-on start-3-2-put.OC.F NEGdooshą’ dó’ léi’ --- lá
hadeiilgizh
pl-3DO-1dpl-cut.it.out.Phadeishgizh
pl-3DO-3dpl-cut.it.out.PHaʼdiinééh biniiyé hę́ę́ł bee naagéhé bits'aʼ ʼádinígíí nidoochʼąh.
parade 3-reason pack 3-means-of 3-haul.I 3-box 3-exist.NI-ÍGÍÍ 3-decorate.FHáadi lá lį́į́’ naakai?
where-at Q horse 3-walk.pl.Iháá-P.ENCLITIC
where. The expressions formed with ’háá-’ have a postpositional enclitic following them which indicates information about direction, location, or path.
bookmarkHádą́ą́’sh Mary ’ólta’dę́ę́’ nádzá?
when-past-Q Mary school-from 3-return.Pháidí
K’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 questions
- doodago particle or
- daats’í particle for perhaps
- -yaa under, beneath, downfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- location
- -tis overfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- location
- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- ’adisht’oh be an archer, shoot arrowsfind in Navajo Verb Modes
naa
Naʼahóóhai baa nídiikai ʼakó ʼakʼidahiʼniłí bee shíká ʼadíílwoł.
rodeo 3-about 1pl-do.pl.F so saddle.blanket 3-with 1-after 2-help.FWe are having a rodeo, so help me with a saddle blanket.
bookmark- Command, affirmativefind in Navajo Imperatives
- -aa tofind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- Future (F)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- Futurefind in Navajo Imperatives
- ’áko so, so that, so thenfind in Navajo Conjunction Lexicon
- -ee by means offind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- -ká after, forfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
Ná’oolkiłí sits’ą́ą́’ tanáóó’nił lágo!
watch 1-away 3-1-take.apart.O don’tNimá yázhí bighangóó díílwoł dóó ’áájí ’awéé’ baa ’áhólyą́ą dooleeł.
2-auntie 3-house-toward 2-run.F and there-at baby 3-to 2-care.CI FUTGo to your aunt’s house and take care of the baby over there.
bookmark- -góó to, toward, along, on, with a numeral it indicates a datefind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- goal
- Future (F)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- yishwoł run alongfind in Navajo Verb Modes
- -jí on the side of, in the direction of, in the manner offind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- location
- -aa tofind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- benefactive
- Continuative Imperfective (CI)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- ’áháshyą́ carefind in Navajo Verb Modes
- dooleeł futurefind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
Nishą́? Náádilyeed ho’dooniid.
2-Q It. 2-run 3-2-said.PShich’ah tsékooh góyaa ’adah bił ’ííyol.
1-hat gorge areal-down downward 3-with 3-blow.PShimá sitsilí bibéésh bee hane’í bits’ą́ą́’ náádii’ą́.
1-mother 1-little.brother 3-cellphone 3-away.from 3-3-return.PShí ’éí t’áá naanishdóó kingóó déyá.
I TOP just work-from town-to 1-go.IAs for me, I went to the town from work.
bookmark- Imperfective (I) (∅, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- déyá gofind in Navajo Verb Modes
- -dóó from a specific location or point in space or timefind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- location
- -góó to, toward, along, on, with a numeral it indicates a datefind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- goal
Tó tsíídkáá’ didíkaah.
water charcoal-on start-3-2-put.I.OCTs’aa’ t’áá nitsaaígíí bídin nishłį́.
basket just 3-large.NI-nom 3-lack 1-be.NITł’óodiísh t’ah ’áłchíní nidaané?
outside-Q still children pl-3-play.IYiską́ągo nighandi naadeeshááł.
tomorrow 2-home-at 2-to-1-go.FŁa’ damóo yę́ędą́ą́’ dah ’iyétł’ónée, k’ad ’ałníí’góó ’eeshtł’óół.
one Sunday past up 3-1-set.P-past now middle-toward 1-weave.ProgLast week I set up a loom, and now I am halfway finished with weaving (a rug).
bookmark- -dą́ą́’ past timefind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- yę́ędą́ą́’ pastfind in Navajo Conjunction Lexicon
- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- ’iishtł’ǫ́ set up a loomfind in Navajo Verb Modes
- k’ad nowfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- Progressive (Prog)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- ’ashtł’ó weavefind in Navajo Verb Modes