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
’Abe’ yistiní hazhóó’ógo ni’ ninishtłeeh ńt’éé’ nááłhęęsh.
ice.cream carefully stop 3-1-stop.carry.I past 3-fall.P’Ach’íí’ ła’ deeshį́į́ł.
rolled.intestine some 1-eat.F’Ayóigo deesk’aaz --- ’áyąą (’áyaańda) dah dinítsiz.
terribly cold no.wonder up 2-shiver.NI’Áłah ’aleehgo ch’iyáán ’ádadiilnííł ’áko shį́į́ ’índa diné ndahidookah.
meeting-Comp food 3-1-Pl-make.F CONJ people 3-Pl.will-arrive.FDuring the meeting let’s cook some food; only then will people surely come.
bookmark-níká
bik’ízhdeezdiz
3DO-4-wrap.it.around.it.PBíla’ashdla’ii wolyéii bił dah nahaz’ą́ą́góó t’áá ’ał’ąą bizaad dahólǫ́.
3-fingers-five-NOM 3-be.called-NOM 3-with static areal-3-govern.P-toward just separate 3-language plCh’ééh jiyáán náshdį́į́h ’áádóó tó náshdlį́į́h.
watermelon again-1-eat.R then water again-1-drink.RCh’iyáán bá hooghandi béeso bideená naashnish.
food.store-at money 3-in-exchange.for 1-work.CICh’óóshdą́ą́dą́ą́’ Na’nízhoozhídi kééhasht’į́ ńt’éé’.
formerly Gallup-at 1-live.I pastdadidoołhįh
pl-3DO-2dpl-melt.it.Fdayííshóó’
pl-3DO-3dpl-brush/comb.it.PDichin nínízin ya’?
hungry 2-want.NI QDíkwíí shą’ ninááhai?
how.many Q 2-winter.NIDoo t’áá k’ad bá’ólta’í sélį́į’ da.
NEG just now teacher 1-be.SPN NEGdooshą’ dó’ léi’ --- lá
Gah bik’ee’ taah yí’áhígóó ’eesbąs.
rabbit foot water 3-into1-drive.Progha’át’ééjí
Ha’át’íí neidiyoołnih nínízin?
who 3-3-buy.F 2-think.NIhadadoołbįįd
pl-3DO-2dpl-fill.something.up.with.it.Pfill something up with it, 2nd person plural
bookmarkhadeiilgizh
pl-3DO-1dpl-cut.it.out.Phanołchaad
3DO-2dpl-card.it.(as.in.wool).IHastiin nééz doondó’ ndi ’alzhish da.
man tall NEG but 3-dance.DI NEGháadi
Háadish nichidí nííníłbą́ą́z?
where-at-Q 2-car 3-2-.park.PHágoónee’, t’áá ’ákódí shahane’.
well that’s.all 1-storyKwe’éshą’ haa nízah nináhálzhishgo nináháltį́į́h?
here-Q how 3-long.N-up.to time.move.R-GO rain.RKwii nináá’nísh’aah.
here again-1-park.RNeeznáadigóó ’oolkiłgo ’áłah ’aleeh daaní.
ten.at-toward time-GO meeting pl-4-say.NInideiilyé
pl-3DO-1dpl-carry.a.ropelike.thing.around.Icarry a ropelike thing around, 1st person plural
bookmarkNizhe’é haash wolyé?
2-father what-Q 3-call.NIniłhį́į́h
3DO-2-melt.it.(snow).Inéishjį́į́h
R mode-1-become black, get sunburned.RShichá si’ą́ągo ’iiłhaazh.
1-huddle 3-put-SPN-GO 1-sleep.PShicheii haastihgo łáháda ninálnish.
1-grandfather 3-become.old.P-GO seldom 3-work.RShichidí t’ahdii yá’át’ééh, ’át’ah ’índa ła’ ninááhideeshnih.
1-car still 3-good.N later one again-3-1-buy.FShínaaí shíká ’adoolwoł nisin ńt’éé’ ’áłt’ąą t’áadoo níyáa da.
1-older.brother 1-for 3-run.F 1-want.NI but after.all NEG 3-come.sg.P NEGI wanted my older brother to help me but unfortunately he didn’t come.
bookmark- -ká after, forfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- benefactive
- Future (F)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- yishwoł run alongfind in Navajo Verb Modes
- Neuter Imperfective (NI)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- nisin think, wantfind in Navajo Verb Modes
- ńt’éé’ relates to past timefind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- ’áłt’ąą after allfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- t’áadoo notfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- doo --- da frame to negativize verbs and phrasesfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- nishááh come, arrivefind in Navajo Verb Modes