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

’Aoo’, shí dó’ t’áá ’ákwíinisin.

yes 1 also just 1-think.so.NI
listenloadingplaying

Yes, I think so too.

’Ashkii yázhí éí bimá kingóó yił yi’ash.

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

-íighah

-naashii

bik’ídadeediz

pl-3DO-1dpl-wrap.it.around.it.P

bik’ídazhdeezdiz

pl-3DO-4dpl-wrap.it.around.it.P

Ch’íníyáá nít’ę́ę́’ t’áá hooshch’į’ łééchąą’í shich’į’ ch’élwod.

out-1-go.P past suddenly 1-to dog out-3-come.P

Ch’óóshdą́ą́dą́ą́’ Diné Bizaad naalkaah doo sh bééhózin da. K’ad éí t’áá shxǫǫd sh báá hózin.

formerly Navajo language research NEG 1-with 3-of ho-know.CI NEG | now TOP luckily 1-with 3-about-ho-know.CI

Chidí ’ániidígíí naháłnii’ nít’éé’ bee lą́ą́ shąąh háájil.

car new-ÍGÍÍ One 3-1-buy.P-GO 3-with many 1-on 3-charge.P

Chidí bitoo’ hadi’dííłbį́į́łgo ’índa Na’azhǫǫshgóó diikah.

car 3-fuel 3.fill.up-GO.P only.then casino-GOO 3pl.go.F
listenloadingplaying

Fill up the gas and we’ll go to the casino.

Chidí nidabinołtłáád.

car pl-3-2dpl-stop.I
listenloadingplaying

You all stop the car!

Chidíísh bee hólǫ́ doodago ni daats’í chidí nee hólǫ́?

car-Q 3-with 4-exist.N or 2 maybe car 2-with 4-exist.NI

deeshbish

3DO-1-boil.it.F

deidíníłkaad

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

deiidą́

pl-3DO-1dpl-eat.it.I

Dibé bitsį’ doodago béégashii bitsį’ daats’í nínízin?

sheep 3-meat or cow 3-meat possibly 3-2-want.NI

Díigi ’át’éegoósh ’ájiił’įįh?

this-at 3-be-GO-Q SUP-4-do.P

Díí yihahígíí biyi’, háísh tówónaanígóó ch’aa deeyá?

this year.IGII within who overseas.GOO travel 3-going.F-Q

Díkwííshą’ nibeegashii?

how.many-Q 2-cow
listenloadingplaying

Exactly how many cows do you have?

Doo hanii ni ’ałdó’ nilį́į́’ bik’i dah ’íníił da.

NEG contrary 2 also 2-horse 3-on up saddle 3-2-put.PlO.I NEG

Doo nídahiyoołnaah da.

neg pl-3-2dpl-resuscitate.I neg

Doo t’áá k’ad chidí na’ní’ą́ą da.

NEG just now vehicle 2-3-1-lend.P NEG
listenloadingplaying

I don’t want to lend you a car.

dooshą’ dó’ léi’ --- lá

Ha’a’aahgo doo jiztįį da, johonaa’ai hwił ołtáh jíní.

sunrise-GO NEG 4-lay.O NEG, sun 4-with count 4-say.I
listenloadingplaying

Do not lay after the sun rises, the sun will count you in with the dead.

Ha’a’áahgo shilį́į́’ bá niná’áshjoł.

east-GO 1-horse 3-for again-1-feed.NCM.R

Ha’át’éegishą’ nich’ah nííní’ą́?

where-at-Q 2-hat 3-2-set.down.SRO.P
listenloadingplaying

Where did you leave your hat? Where did you set your hat down?

haa yídéetą́ą́’

listenloadingplaying

how deep is it

Hágoónee’, t’áá ’ákódí shahane’.

well that’s.all 1-story
listenloadingplaying

Well, that’s all I have to say.

Háíshą’ tsinaa’eeł ’áyiilaa lá?

who-Q boat 3-3-make.P DISC
listenloadingplaying

Who made a boat?

Háíshą’ tsinaa’eeł ’áyiilaa?

who-Q boat 3-3-make.P
listenloadingplaying

Who made a boat?

Hodíina’go bááh dootł’izhí deeshį́į́ł dóó ’ahwéé b ła’ deeshdlį́į́ł.

after.a.while-GO bread blue 3-1-eat.F and coffee 3-with some 3-1-drink.F

Hosh doo jiyą́ą da.

cactus NEG 3-4-eat.DI NEG
listenloadingplaying

One doesn’t eat cactus.

Mósí yázhí bimá yits’ą́ą́’ yóó’ííyá.

kitten 2-mother 3-from away-3-go.P

Naʼazhǫǫshgóó dooʼáazhgo nihikééʼ ʼiih deeshwoł.

casino-GÓÓ 2du-go.F-GO 2pl-behind 3-into 1-run.F

Náás heesháałgo chidí bine’ ’ííyá.

forward 1-step.Prog-GO car 3-behind 1-go.P

Nádí daats’í ’éí doodaii’ nideezhí daats’í bááh ’íidoolííł?

older.sister perhaps or younger.sister perhaps bread 3-make.F
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Is your older sister or your younger sister going to make bread? / Maybe your older sister or your younger sister is going to make bread.

Neeznáadigóó ’oolkiłgo ’áłah ’aleeh daaní.

ten.at-toward time-GO meeting pl-4-say.NI

nideidooleeł

pl-3DO-3dpl-carry.a.ropelike.thing.around.F

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.

Shidá'í, nilį́į́’ sha’níłteeh.

1-maternal.uncle 2-horse 1-to-3-2-lend.AnO.I
listenloadingplaying

My uncle, lend me your horse.

Shileechąą’í halǫ́ǫ́ ńt’éé’ są biis.

1-dog have past old.age 3-die.of.P
listenloadingplaying

I used to have a dog but it died of old age.

Sitsóí yik’i sidáhí béé’éshdlééh.

1-grandchild 3-on 3-sit.SPN-nom 3-1-copy.I

T’áadoo hosh biih dadoołtaałí.

neg cactus 3-in pl-2dpl-step.O-Í

T’áá ’ákódí na’ach’ąą’ígíí bee nihił hweeshne’.

just here.at 3-picture.I-ÍGÍÍ 3-by.means.of 2du-with 1-tell.P

T’áá ká ’adah ’oógeeh

Neg down 2-fall.O
listenloadingplaying

See that you don’t fall.

T’áadoo hooyání łį́į́’ shidáagi ch’éltáál.

suddenly horse 1-front-at 3-bolt.P
listenloadingplaying

All of a sudden the horse ran right in front of me.

Tsé ’ayóí ’áníłtso léi’ tsékooh góyaa hadah ch’ééłmááz.

rock remarkably large INDEF canyon areal-down areal-edge out-3-1-roll.P

Tsinaabąąs t’éiyá bee ch’aa nida’asdee’ ha’níigo dahane’.

wagon only 3-it travel pl-3-go.P 3-say-GO.NI pl-3-tell.P
listenloadingplaying

We heard people traveled by wagon long ago.

Ániid iiyą́ą́ ’áko ndi t’ah dichin nisin.

Recently 1-eat.P even then still 3-hungry 1-want.NI

ʼAwéé chʼídeeldloʼ. ʼA’áshįįh daatsʼí nihee dahólǫ́.

baby 3-laugh.P Navajo.salt perhaps 2dpl-with pl-HO-exist.NI