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].

The three kinds of questions are exemplified below:
(1)
Da’ Na’nízhoozhígóó díníyá?
Q Gallup-to 2-go.F
Are you going to Gallup?
(A yes/no question)
(2)
Mary ha’át’íí nayiisnii’?
Mary what 3-3-buy.P
What did Mary buy?
(A content question)
(3)
’Atsį́’ísh ’éí doodaii’ łóó’ísh nínízin?
meat-Q TOP or fish-Q 3-2-want.NI
Do you want meat or fish?
(An alternative question)

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

ʼÁłah ʼaleehdi ʼamá bééhániih daats'í bá dazhniiyą́ą́? ʼÁko daatsʼí nímasii łaʼ ʼakǫ́ǫ́ dííkááł.

meeting-at mother 3-remember perhaps 3-for 4-pl-eat.F potatoes perhaps some there 3-2-take.F
listenloadingplaying

Are they perhaps having a Mother’s Day dinner at the chapter meeting? Perhaps you could take some potatoes there.

’Ashkii yázhí éí bimá kingóó yił yi’ash.

boy little TOP 3-mother store-to 3-with 3-walk.du.Prog

’Awééh kweʼé ninishteeh, adaʼoogeeh.

baby here 3-carry.AnO.I 3-fall.O

’Azhą́ deesk’aaz ndi t’áá ’ákwíí jį́ na’nishkaad.

even. though 3-cold.SPN but just every day 1-herd CI

’Áádóó éí haa daadzaa?

and.then TOP what pl-3-do.P

’Ádi’óóyą́ą́’ le’.

self-2-eat.O don’t

’Ííyą́ą́dóó bik’ijį’ tsinyaagi nétį́į́ dóó ’iiłhaazh.

1-eat.P and 3-after tree-under-at.spec 1-lie.down.P and 1-sleep.P

-jí

-k’é

-níká

Béégashii yáázh bichá ninish’aah.

calf 3-bunch 3-1-put.I.SRO

bik’ídadisoodiz

pl-3DO-2dpl-wrap.it.around.it.P

Ch’ééh jiyáán hastiin baa nahashniihgo ch’ééh ’ííł’įįd ’ahbínídą́ą́’.

watermelon man 3-from 3-1-buy.CI-GO tried in.vain 1-act.P morning-past

Ch’óóshdą́ą́dą́ą́’ shichidí naaki. K’ad ’éí t’ááłá’i.́

formerly 1-car two now it one
listenloadingplaying

I used to have two cars. Now I have only one.

Chidí ’anáshdlééh, háálá doo naalnish da.

car 3-1-repair.I because NEG 3-work.I NEG

Chidí sits’ą́ą́’ hashtł’ish yiih yilwodgo t’áá ch’į́į́góó ch’ééh ’ííł’įįd.

car 1-from mud 3-into 3-go.P-GO failure in.vain 1-act.P

Chidí bitooʼ ʼásdįįdgo doo diitsʼį́į da dooleeł.

truck 3-gas 3-exhaust.NP-GO NEG 3-start.I NEG 3-become.F
listenloadingplaying

If the truck runs out of gas, it will not start.

Díí chizh shá ’ałk’íniishóósh.

this firewood 1-for 3-2-split.I
listenloadingplaying

Split these pieces of wood for me.

Díí tł’éé’ ’iidííłhosh.

this night 2-sleep.F

dooshą’ léi’ --- lá

Dziłdę́ę́’ hoołtį́į́ł ńt’éé’ t’áá nihich’į’jį’ ’ásdįįd.

mountain-from areal-rain.Prg past just 1pl-toward-up.to 3-disappear.P

díníshkaad

3DO-1-start.to.herd.them.(animals).I

ha’át’íí

hadajizgeed

pl-3DO-4dpl-dig.it.out.P

Halah doo bíighah jiztį́į da.

opposite.sibling NEG 3-beside 4-lay.O NEG
listenloadingplaying

Do not lie down beside your brother or sister.

Hastiin dóó ’at’ééd lá ha’át’íí ’áyiilaa?

man and girl Q what 3-3-make.P

What did the man and the girl make?

hááji

háí

listenloadingplaying

who

Háíshą’ tsinaa’eeł ’áyiilaa?

who-Q boat 3-3-make.P

K’ad cháshk’eh góyaa tó de ’anool’ąął.

now wash down water up 3-rise.Prog

Na’nízhoozhígóó deeyá, ya’?

Gallup-toward 2-go.sg.F Q

Naadą́ą́’ lá haa néelą́ą́’ nida’ak’eh biyi’ góne’?

corn Q how 3.much.N 2-cornfield 3-in there

Nimá yázhí bighangóó díílwoł dóó ’áájí ’awéé’ baa ’áhólyą́dooleeł.

2-auntie 3-house-toward 2-run.F and there-at baby 3-to 2-care.CI FUT

Nizhéʼé nilą́ąjįʼ yigáałgo bikééʼ yilwoł.

2-father 2-in.front-to 3-walk.Prog-GO 3-behind 2-run.Prog

néishjį́į́h

Iterative Mode: 1-become.black.R
listenloadingplaying

I will become black, get sunburned again and again

Níwe, tʼáádoo tózis disxǫsí yóóʼ ahiłdliidí.

stop NEG liquid.container plastic 3-2-throw.away.R.NEG
listenloadingplaying

Stop! Quit throwing plastic bottles away.

Níwe, tʼáádoo ólta tʼóó bee naninéʼhí. Yéigo ííníłtaʼ.

stop NEG school just 3-with 2-play.CI.NEG hard 2-study.I
listenloadingplaying

Stop! Quit wasting your education. Study hard.

Sam ’ádił yálti’.

Sam reflx-with 3-talk.DI

Shicheii 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 NEG 
listenloadingplaying

Since my grandfather is very old he doesn’t expect to be alive next year at this time.

Shiyáázh nízaadi naalnishgo bídin sélį́į́’.

1-son far-at 3-work-GO 3-lack 1-be.SPN

Shínaaí chidí b dah diilwodgo bizánághah góne’ łeezh ’adzíísi’.

older.brother car 3-with up 3-run.I-GO 3-around areal-in dust 3-trail.P
listenloadingplaying

When my older brother started off in the car he left a trail of dust around the corner.

t’áá ’íiyisíí

T’áá ká ’ooshháásh lágo.

neg 1-go.to.sleep.O LÁGO

T’áá ká dibe łá yóó’ ooshnííł.

Neg sheep some 1-lose.O
listenloadingplaying

Don’t let me lose any sheep.

Tł’éédą́ą́’ ’iiłhaazh.

night-past 1-sleep.P

yididoołhįh

3DO-3-melt.it.F

yishóóh

3DO-3-brush/comb.it.I

Yootóodi níyáago shik’éí daostse’ laanaa nisin.

Santa.Fe-at 1-arrive.P-GO 1-relatives 3-1-see.O wish 1-want.CI

Ńló bik’ee hooghan góne’ yah ’aniidzood.

hail 3-on.account.of house areal-in 3-in 1Pl-flee.P
listenloadingplaying

We took refuge from the hail by fleeing into the house.