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
’Aoo’, shí dó’ t’áá ’ákwíinisin.
yes 1 also just 1-think.so.NI’Ashkii yázhí éí bimá kingóó yił yi’ash.
boy little TOP 3-mother store-to 3-with 3-walk.du.Prog-íighah
-naashii
bik’ídadeediz
pl-3DO-1dpl-wrap.it.around.it.Pbik’ídazhdeezdiz
pl-3DO-4dpl-wrap.it.around.it.PCh’íníyáá nít’ę́ę́’ t’áá hooshch’į’ łééchąą’í shich’į’ ch’élwod.
out-1-go.P past suddenly 1-to dog out-3-come.PWhen I went out, all of a sudden a dog came out to me.
bookmark- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- ch’éghááh go outfind in Navajo Verb Modes
- t’áá hoosch’į’ suddenlyfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- -ch’į’ to, towardfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- ch’élyeed run outfind in Navajo Verb Modes
Ch’óóshdą́ą́dą́ą́’ Diné Bizaad naalkaah doo shił bééhózin da. K’ad éí t’áá shxǫǫd shił báá hózin.
formerly Navajo language research NEG 1-with 3-of ho-know.CI NEG | now TOP luckily 1-with 3-about-ho-know.CIFrom the beginning, I didn’t know about Navajo linguistics. Now I’m finally able to understand it.
bookmark- bééhózin there is knowledgefind in Navajo Verb Modes
- ch’óóshdą́ą́dą́ą́’ formerly, originallyfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- -ił withfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- -ił withfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- Continuative Imperfective (CI)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- k’ad nowfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- Continuative Imperfective (CI)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- bééhózin there is knowledgefind in Navajo Verb Modes
- doo --- da frame to negativize verbs and phrasesfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
Chidí ’ániidígíí naháłnii’ nít’éé’ bee lą́ą́ shąąh háájil.
car new-ÍGÍÍ One 3-1-buy.P-GO 3-with many 1-on 3-charge.PChidí bitoo’ hadi’dííłbį́į́łgo ’índa Na’azhǫǫshgóó diikah.
car 3-fuel 3.fill.up-GO.P only.then casino-GOO 3pl.go.FChidí nidabinołtłáád.
car pl-3-2dpl-stop.IChidíísh bee hólǫ́ doodago ni daats’í chidí nee hólǫ́?
car-Q 3-with 4-exist.N or 2 maybe car 2-with 4-exist.NIdeidíníłkaad
pl-3DO-3dpl-start.to.herd.them.(animals).Istart to herd them (animals), 3rd person plural
bookmarkdeiidą́
pl-3DO-1dpl-eat.it.IDibé bitsį’ doodago béégashii bitsį’ daats’í nínízin?
sheep 3-meat or cow 3-meat possibly 3-2-want.NIDíigi ’át’éegoósh ’ájiił’įįh?
this-at 3-be-GO-Q SUP-4-do.PDíí yihahígíí biyi’, háísh tówónaanígóó ch’aa deeyá?
this year.IGII within who overseas.GOO travel 3-going.F-QDoo hanii ni ’ałdó’ nilį́į́’ bik’i dah ’íníił da.
NEG contrary 2 also 2-horse 3-on up saddle 3-2-put.PlO.I NEGDoo nídahiyoołnaah da.
neg pl-3-2dpl-resuscitate.I negDoo t’áá k’ad chidí na’ní’ą́ą da.
NEG just now vehicle 2-3-1-lend.P NEGdooshą’ dó’ léi’ --- lá
Ha’a’aahgo doo jiztįį da, johonaa’ai hwił ołtáh jíní.
sunrise-GO NEG 4-lay.O NEG, sun 4-with count 4-say.IHa’a’áahgo shilį́į́’ bá niná’áshjoł.
east-GO 1-horse 3-for again-1-feed.NCM.RHa’át’éegishą’ nich’ah nííní’ą́?
where-at-Q 2-hat 3-2-set.down.SRO.Phaa yídéetą́ą́’
Hágoónee’, t’áá ’ákódí shahane’.
well that’s.all 1-storyHáíshą’ tsinaa’eeł ’áyiilaa lá?
who-Q boat 3-3-make.P DISCHodíina’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.FHosh doo jiyą́ą da.
cactus NEG 3-4-eat.DI NEGMósí yázhí bimá yits’ą́ą́’ yóó’ííyá.
kitten 2-mother 3-from away-3-go.PNaʼazhǫǫshgóó dooʼáazhgo nihikééʼ ʼiih deeshwoł.
casino-GÓÓ 2du-go.F-GO 2pl-behind 3-into 1-run.FNáás heesháałgo chidí bine’ ’ííyá.
forward 1-step.Prog-GO car 3-behind 1-go.PNádí daats’í ’éí doodaii’ nideezhí daats’í bááh ’íidoolííł?
older.sister perhaps or younger.sister perhaps bread 3-make.FNeeznáadigóó ’oolkiłgo ’áłah ’aleeh daaní.
ten.at-toward time-GO meeting pl-4-say.NInideidooleeł
pl-3DO-3dpl-carry.a.ropelike.thing.around.Fcarry a ropelike thing around, 3rd person plural
bookmarkShicheii t’áá ’íiyisíí hastihgo biniinaa kónááhoot’éhí doo na’ádódlíi da.
1-grandfather very 3-old.N-GO because next.year NEG 3-expect.live.NP NEGShidá'í, nilį́į́’ sha’níłteeh.
1-maternal.uncle 2-horse 1-to-3-2-lend.AnO.IShileechąą’í halǫ́ǫ́ ńt’éé’ są biisxé.
1-dog have past old.age 3-die.of.PSitsóí yik’i sidáhí béé’éshdlééh.
1-grandchild 3-on 3-sit.SPN-nom 3-1-copy.IT’áadoo hosh biih dadoołtaałí.
neg cactus 3-in pl-2dpl-step.O-ÍT’áá ’ákódí na’ach’ąą’ígíí bee nihił hweeshne’.
just here.at 3-picture.I-ÍGÍÍ 3-by.means.of 2du-with 1-tell.PThat is all I have to say about the picture.
bookmarkT’áadoo hooyání łį́į́’ shidáagi ch’éltáál.
suddenly horse 1-front-at 3-bolt.PTsé ’ayóí ’áníłtso léi’ tsékooh góyaa hadah ch’ééłmááz.
rock remarkably large INDEF canyon areal-down areal-edge out-3-1-roll.PTsinaabąąs t’éiyá bee ch’aa nida’asdee’ ha’níigo dahane’.
wagon only 3-it travel pl-3-go.P 3-say-GO.NI pl-3-tell.PÁniid iiyą́ą́ ’áko ndi t’ah dichin nisin.
Recently 1-eat.P even then still 3-hungry 1-want.NII recently ate even then I am still hungry.
bookmark