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
’Akóyaa ’adah, t’áá baa ’áhólchįįh.
there-down down, just 3-to 2-aware.NI’Ałk’idą́ą́’ tł’oh naadą́ą́’ dant’į́įhgo łį́į́’ doodaii’ béégashii da há hadahwiił’éés ńt’éé’.
long.ago grass corn 3-ripen.I-GO horse or cow etc. 4-for 3-stomp.I past-ee
-niiyé
Beehaz’áanii bik’ehgo baa hwiiníst’įįd.
laws 3-according-to-GO 3-about 3-discuss.PBibee’eldǫǫh haiyííłhan’ii’ ’bįįh yił ’adeesdǫǫh.
gun 3-jerk.out.P-and deer 3-shot.PHe jerked out his gun and shot the deer.
bookmark- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- hahiiłhan jerk it outfind in Navajo Verb Modes
- -ii’ and, and thereuponfind in Navajo Conjunction Lexicon
- -ił withfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- ’adiishdǫǫh shoot itfind in Navajo Verb Modes
bik’ídazhdidis
pl-3DO-4dpl-wrap.it.around.it.ICh’óóshdą́ą́dą́ą́’ Bilagáanaa Bizaad doo diists’a’ da. K’ad ’éí t’áá shxǫǫ t’áá bee yáshti’.
formerly English neg 1-understand.I neg. Now TOP good.thing barely 3.with 1.speak-IBefore, I didn’t understand English. Now, thankfully, I can speak some.
bookmark- Imperfective (I) (∅, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- diists’a hear, understandfind in Navajo Verb Modes
- Imperfective (I) (∅, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- yáshti’ speakfind in Navajo Verb Modes
- ch’óóshdą́ą́dą́ą́’ formerly, originallyfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- -ee by means offind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- instrumental
Chidí daats’í bee hólǫ́ ’éí doodaii’ niísh chidí nee hólǫ́?
car maybe 3-with 4-exist.N TOP or 2-Q car 2-with 4-exist.NIChidí daats’í bee hólǫ́ ’éí doodaii’ niísh chidí nee hólǫ́?
car maybe 3-with 4-exist.N TOP or 2-Q car 2-with 4-exist.NIDa’ chidíísh bee hólǫ́ doodaii’ ni daats’í chidí nee hólǫ́?
Q car-Q 3-with 4-exist.NI or 2 maybe car 2-with 4-exist.NIdeiitł’ó
pl-3DO-1dpl-weave.it.Ididíníilkał
3DO-1dpl-start.to.herd.them.(animals).Fstart to herd them (animals), 1st person dual
bookmarkDíí dziłígíí shádi’ááh bich’ijígo ’ałkéé’ ’adíítąąd.
this mountain-Comp southward 3-toward-GO one-behind-another 3Pl-scatter.NPDlǫ́ǫ́’ ’a’ą́ą́dę́ę́’ hanoolne’ dóó naneesne’.
prairie.dog hole-from stick.head.up.out.P and 3-look.around.PDoo łá’í ndi naash’áa da.
NEG one but 3-1-hold.SRO.CI NEGDíidí háísh bichidí?
this who-Q 3-carHa’át’íí lá nizhé’é yaa naaghá?
what Q 2-father 3-about 3-do.CIhadeidééłbįįd
pl-3DO-3dpl-fill.something.up.with.it.Pfill something up with it, 3rd person plural
bookmarkHáadi niyaa hazlį́į́’?
where-at 2-under area-grow.PHáágóó lá díníyá?
where-to.Q 2-go.FHodíina’go bááh dootł’izhí deeshį́į́ł dóó ’ahwéé bił ła’ deeshdlį́į́ł.
after.a.while-GO bread blue 3-1-eat.F and coffee 3-with some 3-1-drink.FHodíínáá’ágo bááh dootł’izhí ła’ deeshį́į́ł.
after.a.while-GO bread blue some 1-eat.FHooghan ’adeeshłííł ndi tsineheeshjíí’ shee ’ádin.
hogan 1-build.F but lumber 1-with 3-none.NIjidoołbish
3DO-4-boil.it.Fjííyą́ą́’
3DO-4-eat.it.PKin Łánídi daats’í ’éí doodago Bee’eldííldahsinildiísh naniná?
Flagstaff-at perhaps or Albuquerque-at-Q 2-go.around.CINa’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-GOWe are going to Gallup maybe then eat while the car is being repaired.
bookmark- -ił withfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- -á for, for the benefit offind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- Future (F)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- ’áko shį́į́ then maybe, then probablyfind in Navajo Conjunction Lexicon
- Imperfective (I) (∅, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
Nádí daats’í ’éí doodaii’ nideezhí daats’í bááh ’íidoolííł?
older.sister perhaps or younger.sister perhaps bread 3-make.FNi daats’í nił bééhózin ’éí doodaii’ nicheii daats’í bił bééhózin?
2 perhaps 2-with 3-know.CI TOP or 2-grandfather perhaps 3-with 3-know.CInidajiskáá’
pl-3DO-4dpl-investigate.it.Pnideidooleeł
pl-3DO-3dpl-carry.a.ropelike.thing.around.Fcarry a ropelike thing around, 3rd person plural
bookmarknideilé
pl-3DO-3dpl-carry.a.ropelike.thing.around.Icarry a ropelike thing around, 3rd person plural
bookmarknisínílá
3DO-2-carry.a.ropelike.thing.around.Pcarry a ropelike thing around, 2nd person singular
bookmark