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
’Áádóó shą’?
and.then Q’Éí naanishígíí haa nízahdę́ę́’ binanilnishgo hoolzhiizh?
that work-ÍGÍÍ how 3-long.N-past 3-2-work-GO time.move.P’Ádą́ą́dą́ą́’ásh nishínílnish?
yesterday-Q 2-work.P*Nidlóóhísh doodaii’ doo sha’shin nidlóoh da?
2-cold.X-Q or NEG perhaps 2-cold.X-Q NEG-ísh
-shą’
Ch’iyáánísh hólǫ́?
food-Q 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’ ’ałní’ní’ą́ąjį’ tł’óo’di nishínílnish?
Q noon-until outside-at 2-work.PDid you work outside up to noon?
bookmark- da’ particle for yes/no questions
- ’ałní’ní’ą́ąjį’ noon-untilfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- -jį́’ up to, as far asfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- time
- -di atfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- location
- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- naashnish workfind in Navajo Verb Modes
Da’ dibé nee hólǫ́?
Q sheep 2-with 3-exist.NIDa’ Ron saad neiiłkaah?
Q Ron word 3-3-investigate.IDíí chąą’ shą’ háádę́ę́’ niníyęęzh?
this manure-Q where-from 3-ooze.PDíkwíísh ninááhai?
how.many-Q 2-winter.NIDoo bił bééhózin da ya’?
neg 3-with 3-know.CI neg QGohwééh nayiisnii’ídiísh bił bééhózin?
coffee 3-3-buy.P-at-Q 3-with 3-know.NIDo they know where he bought the coffee?
bookmark- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- nahashniih buy, sellfind in Navajo Verb Modes
- -ísh enclitic for yes/no questions
- -di atfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- location
- -ił withfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- Neuter Imperfective (NI)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- bééhózin there is knowledgefind in Navajo Verb Modes
Ha’át’éego lá ’íiyisíí ’atiinjį’ ’ańdeeshdááł lá?
how Q main road-up.to 1-back-on-go.F DISCHa’át’íí biniiyé shą́ą́h ńdídááh?
what 3-because 1-passing.by 2-go.IHa’át’íísh Mary nayiisnii’?
What-Q Mary 3-to.buy.IHa’át’íí lá nizhé’é yaa naaghá?
what Q 2-father 3-about 3-do.CIhaa néelą́ą́’
haa néelt’e’
haa nízah
haa’í
Haaʼí yeeʼ dibé naakaí?
where-Q show.me sheep 3-walk.around.CIhahgo
Hahgo hooghan ’ánílééh?
when hogan 3-2-make.IHastiin dóó ’at’ééd ha’át’íí lá ’áyiilaa?
man and girl what Q 3-3-make.PHastiin dóó ’at’ééd lá ha’át’íí ’áyiilaa?
man and girl Q what 3-3-make.PHáadi lá łį́į́’ naakai?
where-at Q horse 3dpl-walk.IHáágóó shą’ díníyá?
where-to.Q 2-go.FHádą́ą́’ ’áłtsé chidí naat’a’í nił nast’a’?
When past first airplane 2-with 3-fly.PHádą́ą́’ hooghan ’ájíilaa?
When-past this hogan 3-4-make.PHádą́ą́’sh Mary ’ólta’dę́ę́’ nádzá?
when-past-Q Mary school-from 3-return.PHái da shą’ tsinaa’eeł ’ájiilaa lá?
who DA Q boat 3-4-make.P DISCHáidíígíísh neidiyoołnih nínízin?
which.one-ÍGÍÍ-Q 3-3-buy.F 2-think.NIHáí lá ’ałhosh?
who Q 3-sleep.IHáísh ’ałhosh?
who-Q 3-sleep.IHáísh yiską́ągo ’adoogis?
who-Q tomorrow 3-wash.FHáíshą’ tsinaa’eeł ’áyiilaa lá?
who-Q boat 3-3-make.P DISCHáá’íshą’. ’Ákǫ́ǫ́ dílyeed!
what-Q there 2-run.FHáágóósh díníyá?
where-to-Q 2-go.INichidí háadish nííníłbą́ą́z?
2-car where-at-Q 3-2-park.PNichidí háadishą’ nííníłbą́ą́z
2-car where-at-Q 3-2-park.PNidlóóhísh ’éí doodago doo daats’í nidlóoh da?
2-cold.X-Q TOP or NEG perhaps 2-cold.X-Q NEGNidlóóhísh doodaii’ dooísh nidlóoh da?
2-cold.X-Q or NEG-Q 2-cold.X-Q NEGNiísh ’ałdó’ t’áá ’ákwíinínízin?
2-Q also just 2-think.so.NIYiską́ągo Na’nízhoozhídi háadish ’adeeshį́į́ł ninízin?
tomorrow Gallup-at where-Q 2-eat.F 2-want.CIWhen you go to Gallup tomorrow where do you want to eat?
bookmark- yiską́ągo tomorrowfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- háá-P.ENCLITIC where
- -sh enclitic for content questions
- -di atfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- Future (F)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- yíshą́ eat itfind in Navajo Verb Modes
- Continuative Imperfective (CI)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- nisin think, wantfind in Navajo Verb Modes