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

’Ak’éégo ’éí chizh niléí keehaidi ninahdahiigééh nt’éé’.

autumn-GO that wood over.there winter.camp-at pl-3-1-unload.P past

’Ashiiké yázhí ła’ chidí yikáá’dę́ę́’ ’adah ’adoogoh.

boys little INDEF car 3-on-from down 3-fall.F
listenloadingplaying

One of little boys might fall off the front of the car.

’Ashkii yázhí bee’eldǫǫh yik’ee ’ádadeeznih.

boy little gun 3-on.account.of REFL-3-hurt.P
listenloadingplaying

The little boy hurt himself with the gun.

’Awéé’ dah biséłdá.

baby up 3-1-CAUS-hold.AnO.SPN

’Azhé’é ’éí chízh nííni’yį́ ’áádóó hastiin bíká ’adoolwoł.

INDEF.father TOP wood 3-3.haul.complete.LPB.P AND man 3-after 3-run.F

The father is chopping wood and the other man is helping him.

’Ííshją́ą́ ’at’ééd yázhí hooghandę́ę́’ ch’idoogááł.

certainly girl little house-from out-3-walk.F

’Ííłta’ dóó ’iiłghaazh.

1-read.P CONJ 1-sleep.P

-ch’į’

-chą́’

-k’ee

Bá’ólta’ísh Jáan ’éí doodaii’ Mary daats’í yich’į’ haadzíí’?

teacher-Q John TOP or Mary perhaps 3-to 3-talk.P

Bááh łikanígíí ła’ nisin háálá ayóo łikan.

bread 3-be.sweet.NI.NOM some 3-1-want.NI because very 3-be.sweet.NI

bik’ídóhdis

3DO-2dpl-wrap.it.around.it.I

Ch’éénísh’į́įgo náá’deeshtł’óół nissin.

out summer.GO 1-again.weave.F 1-desire
listenloadingplaying

I want to weave again when summer returns.

Chidí diiłts’į́į́h.

car 3-2-start.I

Da’adánídi ’áts’ą́ą́’ deeshghał.

restaurant-at ribs 3-1-eat.F

Da’iidą́ągo sitsilí bilééchąą yázhí náneeskaadí ła’ yá yiidiyiisdláád dóó yaa yiizhjaa’.

1Pl-eat.I-GO 1-brother 3-puppy tortilla some 3-tear.P and 3-to 3-3-give.P
listenloadingplaying

While we were eating my little brother tore off pieces of tortilla and gave them (one after another) to his puppy.

deidííłhį́į́’

pl-3DO-3dpl-melt.it.P

deiilyį́į́’

pl-3DO-1dpl-melt.it.(snow).P

Díí haa yit’éego ’atiin?

this how 3-be.NI road
listenloadingplaying

How is this road?

Díí yiską́ągo ’íídííłtah.

this tomorrow 3-2-read.F

Ha’át’éegoshą’ ’ayóo náníldzid?

why-Q very 2-fear.I
listenloadingplaying

Why are you afraid?

haa nízah nináhálzhishgo shą’

listenloadingplaying

‘how often’, what span of time

hadasiigeed

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

hadazhdínóołchał

pl-3DO-4dpl-card.it.(as.in.wool).F

hadééłbįįd

3DO-1-fill.something.up.with.it.P

hajíígeed

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

hazhdoołtééł

3DO-4-carry.him/her.up.out.of.something.F

Háádę́ę́’shą’ tó ndahohheeh?

where-from-Q water pl-3-2-haul.LPB.I

Háidíígíísh neidiyoołnih nínízin?

which.one-ÍGÍÍ-Q 3-3-buy.F 2-think.NI

H lá bá nidáá’?

who Q 3-for 2-enemyway.ceremony

háágeed

3DO-1-dig.it.out.P

jiigish

3DO-4-make.one.cut.in.it.I

léi’

Mosi ałtsi’si ndi nidaaz.

cat small but 3-heavy.NI

The cat is small but it is heavy.

Mósí ch’óółt’e’ lágo.

cat out-3-2-carry.O LÁGO

Na’ahóóhaii Ya’iishjááshtsoh bini góne’ nída’adleeh.

July 3-in 3-into rodeo 3-Pl-SUP-be.R
listenloadingplaying

In July, rodeo events take place.

Na’ashǫ́’ii doo baa nijit’į́į́ da.

snake NEG 3-with 4-bother.O NEG
listenloadingplaying

Do not bother snakes. (YM 1987: 130)

Nanise’ígíí ch’iiyáán daohsą́ ’áko bee nihits’íís bitah ya’ádahoot’ééh dooleeł.

plant-ÍGÍÍ food pl-2-eat.I so 3-with 2pl-body 3-among pl-3-good.NI future

Náńsdzáago t’áá ’íídą́ą́’ ’ííníyą́ą’ dooleeł.

back-1-go.sg.P-GO just already INDEF-2-eat.P FUT
listenloadingplaying

When I get back, you will/should already have eaten.

Nibéézh bee hane’é doo ndi naalnish da.

2-cellphone NEG but 3-work.P NEG

Nighéí na’ashch’ąą’ígíí níil’į́.

over.there painting-ÍGÍÍ 3-2-du.look.I
listenloadingplaying

We (us two) are looking at that painting.

Shá hooł’aah.

1-for areal-2 move-over.I

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.

Shí ’éí t’áá naanishdóó kingóó déyá.

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

Shį́į́dą́ą́’ na’niiłkaadgo t’áá ’áháníjį’ ’adeeshch’iłgo bik’ee deelyiz.

listenloadingplaying

Last summer when we were out herding sheep a bolt of lightning struck nearby and gave us a startle.

T’áadoo ’anit’íní!

neg 2-do.NI-Í

T’áá ch’ééh ’ásht’į́įgo bįįh biyaaghah ’eelwod.

just in.vain 1-act.NI-GO deer 3-around.corner 3- run.away.P
listenloadingplaying

I was still trying (to get a bead) when the deer went around a corner and disappeared.

yishbéézh

3DO-1-boil.it.I

Ąąh háá’á wolyéii k’ad doo ’asht’é’égóó bik’ee ntsinisdzá.

debt 3-extend.NP 3-be.called.NI now extremely 3-on.account.of 1-???? YÁ
listenloadingplaying

I’m really fed up with bills now.