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
Shichʼéʼé kinaasdaʼgo bitsiiʼ shá beʼdíítłʼóół. Tʼáásh ʼáko?
1-daughter 3-reach.puberty.P-GO 3-hair 1-for 3-2-tie.F just-Q okayWhen my daughter has the puberty ceremony, will you tie her hair for me?
bookmark- Request, affirmativefind in Navajo Imperatives
- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- -go verb and subordinating encliticfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- -á for, for the benefit offind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- Future (F)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- -ísh enclitic for yes/no questions
’Adą́ą́dą́ą́’ísh tł’óo’di nanilnishgo nee ’ałní’ní’ą́?
yesterday-Q outside-at 2-work.CI-GO 2-with noon’Adą́ą́dą́ą́’ísh tł’óo’di nishínílnish?
yesterday-Q outside-at 2-work.P’Asdzą́ą́ ’éí ’ashkii ha’át’íí yeiní’ą́?
woman TOP boy what 3-to-3-3-move.SRO.P-sh
Ch’iyáán nináhíłnihgo haa nízahjį’ ’ánádįįh?
food 3-2-buy.R how 3-long.N-up.to 3-become.none.RCh’iyáánísh hólǫ́?
food-Q 4-exist.NIChidí naat’a’íísh hooghan yikáá’góó ch’ét’a’ doodaii’ dził bąąhgóósh ch’ét’a’?
airplane-Q hogan 3-over-along 3-fly.P or mountain 3-side-along-Q 3-fly.PDid the airplane fly over the house or along the mountainside?
bookmark- -ísh enclitic for yes/no questions
- -káá’ on, on top offind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- location
- -góó to, toward, along, on, with a numeral it indicates a datefind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- location
- -ąąh on, besidefind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- location
- -góó to, toward, along, on, with a numeral it indicates a datefind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- location
Chidíísh bee hólǫ́ ’éí doodago ni daats’í ła’ nee hólǫ́?
car-Q 3-with 4-exist.N TOP or 2 maybe one 2-with 4-exist.NIChidíísh bee hólǫ́ doodaii’ ni daats’í chidí nee hólǫ́?
car-Q 3-with 4-exist.NI or 2 maybe 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.NIDa’ k’ad daats’í ch’iyáán ’áníléehgo ná ’adazh’niiyą́ą́’?
Q now perhaps food 2-make.I-GO 2-for feast.happenDichinísh doodaii’ dibáá’ísh jinízin?
hunger-Q or thirst-Q 3-4-want.NIDíidí háísh bichidí?
this who-Q 3-carDoo 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
Gohwééh t’áá bizhání ’éí doodaii’ ’abe’ biłgo daats’í nínízin?
coffee only TOP or milk 3-with-GO perhaps 3-2-want.NIHa’a’aahdę́ę́sh naaghan ’éí doodago e’e’aahdę́ę́sh naaghan?
east-from-Q 2-home TOP or west-from-Q 2 homeHa’át’éego lá ’íiyisíí ’atiinjį’ ’ańdeeshdááł lá?
how Q main road-up.to 1-back-on-go.F DISCha’át’éédę́ę́’
Ha’át’íísh neidiyoołnih nínízin?
who-Q 3-3-buy.F 2-think.NIhaa nízah nináhálzhishgo shą’
haa nízahdę́ę́’ hoolzhiizh
Haa nízahdę́ę́’ hoołtį́į́ł?
how 3-long-from rain.ProgHaa nízahjį’ hanínáshyįh dooleeł t’áá ’ákwíí jį́?
how 3-long.N-up.to 1-rest.R FUT every dayHastiin dóó ’at’ééd ha’át’íí ’áyiilaa?
man and girl what 3-3-make.PHastiin dóó ’at’ééd ha’át’íí lá ’áyiilaa?
man and girl what Q 3-3-make.Phá’at’é-P.ENCLITIC
Há’át’íí lá hastiin dóó ’at’ééd ’áyiilaa?
what Q man and girl 3-3-make.PHáadi lá dibé nidahaniih?
where-at Q sheep pl-3-pass-sell.CIHáágóó díníyá?
where-to 2-go.FHáágóó shą’ díníyá?
where-to.Q 2-go.FHádą́ą́’ Jáan bighan ’áyiilaa?
When-past John 3-hogan 3-3-make.Pháidí
Háidíígíí lá neidiyoołnih?
which.one-ÍGÍÍ Q 3-3-buy.FHáidíígíísh neidiyoołnih nínízin?
which.one-ÍGÍÍ-Q 3-3-buy.F 2-think.NIHáí lá sis łigai ’iił’įh
who-Q belt silver 3-3-make.UHáísh tsinaa’eeł ’áyiilaa?
who-Q boat 3-3-make.PHáísh yiską́ągo ’adoogis?
who-Q tomorrow 3-wash.FHáíshą’ tsinaa’eeł ’áyiilaa lá?
who-Q boat 3-3-make.P DISCK’aa’ísh ’aní’á biyaa doodago daats’í báhátis ’ayiist’oh?
arrow-Q bridge 3-under or perhaps 3-over 3-3-shot.PDid s/he perhaps shoot arrows under or over the bridge?
bookmark- -ísh enclitic for yes/no questions
- doodago particle or
- daats’í particle for perhaps
- -yaa under, beneath, downfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- location
- -tis overfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- location
- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- ’adisht’oh be an archer, shoot arrowsfind in Navajo Verb Modes
Mary ha’át’íí yinízin?
Mary what 3-3-want.NINichidí háadish nííníłbą́ą́z?
2-car where-at-Q 3-2-park.PNiłísh bééhosin doodaii’ biłísh bééhozin?
2-with-Q 3-know.CI or 3-with-Q 3-know.CIDo you know or does s/he know?
bookmark- -ísh enclitic for yes/no questions
- -ił withfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- accompaniment
- Continuative Imperfective (CI)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- bééhózin there is knowledgefind in Navajo Verb Modes
- doodaii’ particle or
- Continuative Imperfective (CI)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- bééhózin there is knowledgefind in Navajo Verb Modes
Shizhé’éésh łį́į́’ yiyííshǫǫdę́ę ’ayóó ’eelwod?
1-father horse-Q 3-3-tame.P-COMP.past really 3-run.away.PShoo sitsóí, da’ Na’nízhoozhígóó nił ’adeeswod?
hey 1-grandson Q Gallup-to 2-with 2-go.FYiską́ągo 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