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

’Ahbínídą́ą́’ t’áadoo ’ííyą́ą́’góó biniinaa wónáásdóó sitsiits’iin diniih.

morning-past neg 1-eat.P-GO.NEG because soon 1-head 3-ache.CI

’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

’Át’ahígo da’diidį́į́ł.

soon pl-’-1dpl-eat.F

’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
listenloadingplaying

The dog immediately runs into the water.

-gha

listenloadingplaying

-go

listenloadingplaying

verb followed by subordinating enclitic –go

-naashii

-niiyé

Béésh ’áłts’ózí bee ’atsidí bee ’aháníłne’.

wire hammer 3-with 3-1-beat.P
listenloadingplaying

I beat the wire in two with a hammer.

Bilagáana bizaad bił nantł’a.

English language 3-with 3-difficult.NI

Bitsii’ nineez nít’ę́ę́’ k’íinígizh lá.

3-hair 3-long.N past 3-3-cut.P DISC

Da’ dichinísh nínízin?

Q hunger-Q 2-feel.NI

dajishóóh

pl-3DO-4dpl-brush/comb.it.I

daohtł’ó

pl-3DO-2dpl-weave.it.I

dazhdiłhį́į́h

pl-3DO-4dpl-melt.it.I

dazhdíníłkaad

pl-3DO-4dpl-start.to.herd.them.(animals).I

didííłjéé’

3DO-1-start.fire.P

Díí dziłígíí shádi’ááh bich’ijígo ’ałkéé’ ’adíítąąd.

this mountain-Comp southward 3-toward-GO one-behind-another 3Pl-scatter.NP
listenloadingplaying

These mountains are strung out, one behind the other toward the south.

Díísh haa yit’éego ’atiin?

this-Q how 3-be.NI road
listenloadingplaying

How is this road?

doo ’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.I

Doo kingóó diit’ash da.

NEG town-to 1dpl-go.du.Prog NEG

Doo tó tsíídkáá’ dididííkáał da.

NEG water charcoal-on start-3-2-put.OC.F NEG

dooshą’ dó’ léi’ --- lá

hadeiilgizh

pl-3DO-1dpl-cut.it.out.P

hadeishgizh

pl-3DO-3dpl-cut.it.out.P

Haʼdiinééh 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.F
listenloadingplaying

The flatbed will be decorated for the parade.

Háadi lá lį́į́’ naakai?

where-at Q horse 3-walk.pl.I

háá-P.ENCLITIC

where. The expressions formed with ’háá-’ have a postpositional enclitic following them which indicates information about direction, location, or path.

Hádą́ą́’sh Mary ’ólta’dę́ę́’ nádzá?

when-past-Q Mary school-from 3-return.P

háidí

listenloadingplaying

which one

K’aa’ísh ’aní’á biyaa doodago daats’í báhátis ’ayiist’oh ?

arrow-Q bridge 3-under or perhaps 3-over 3-3-shot.P

naa

Naʼahóóhai baa nídiikai ʼakó ʼakʼidahiʼniłí bee shí ʼadíílwoł.

rodeo 3-about 1pl-do.pl.F so saddle.blanket 3-with 1-after 2-help.F

Ná’oolkiłí sits’ą́ą́’ tanáóó’nił lágo!

watch 1-away 3-1-take.apart.O don’t

ndi

but

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

Nishą́? Náádilyeed ho’dooniid.

2-Q It. 2-run 3-2-said.P
listenloadingplaying

What about you? You run over there too. He said to him.

Shich’ah tsékooh góyaa ’adah b ’ííyol.

1-hat gorge areal-down downward 3-with 3-blow.P

Shimá sitsilí bibéésh bee hane’í bits’ą́ą́’ náádii’ą́.

1-mother 1-little.brother 3-cellphone 3-away.from 3-3-return.P
listenloadingplaying

My mother took my little brother’s cellphone away.

Shí ’éí t’áá naanishdóó kingóó déyá.

I TOP just work-from town-to 1-go.I

T’áá ká yaa hóólne’

Neg 3-about 3-tell.O
listenloadingplaying

Don’t let him/her tell it.

Tó tsíídkáá’ didíkaah.

water charcoal-on start-3-2-put.I.OC

Ts’aa’ t’áá nitsaaígíí bídin nishłį́.

basket just 3-large.NI-nom 3-lack 1-be.NI

Tł’óodiísh t’ah ’áłchíní nidaané?

outside-Q still children pl-3-play.I
listenloadingplaying

Are the children still playing outside?

Yiską́ągo nighandi naadeeshááł.

tomorrow 2-home-at 2-to-1-go.F

Ła’ 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.Prog

Łah shicheii nahałáago bá ’asmaz ńt’éé’.

once 1-grandpa 3-perform.ceremony.CI-GO 3-for 3-1-twirl.CI past