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

’Áádóó shą’?

and.then Q

’Éí naanishígíí haa nízahdę́ę́’ binanilnishgo hoolzhiizh?

that work-ÍGÍÍ how 3-long.N-past 3-2-work-GO time.move.P

’Ádą́ą́dą́ą́’ásh nishínílnish?

yesterday-Q 2-work.P

*Nidlóóhísh doodaii’ doo sha’shin nidlóoh da?

2-cold.X-Q or NEG perhaps 2-cold.X-Q NEG

-ísh

listenloadingplaying

enclitic for yes/no questions

-shą’

Ch’iyáánísh hólǫ́?

food-Q 4-exist.NI
listenloadingplaying

Is there any food?

Chidí daats’í bee hólǫ́ ’éí doodaii’ niísh chidí nee hólǫ́?

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

Da’ ’ałní’ní’ą́ąjį’ tł’óo’di nishínílnish?

Q noon-until outside-at 2-work.P

Da’ dibé nee hólǫ́?

Q sheep 2-with 3-exist.NI
listenloadingplaying

Do you have sheep?

Da’ Ron saad neiiłkaah?

Q Ron word 3-3-investigate.I
listenloadingplaying

Is Ron studying words?

Dibé nee hólǫ́, ya’?

sheep 2-with 3-exist.NI Q

Díí chąą’ shą’ háádę́ę́’ niníyęęzh?

this manure-Q where-from 3-ooze.P

Díkwíísh ninááhai?

how.many-Q 2-winter.NI
listenloadingplaying

How old are you?

Doo b bééhózin da ya’?

neg 3-with 3-know.CI neg Q

Gohwééh nayiisnii’diísh b bééhózin?

coffee 3-3-buy.P-at-Q 3-with 3-know.NI

Ha’át’éego lá ’íiyisíí ’atiinjį’ ’ańdeeshdááł lá?

how Q main road-up.to 1-back-on-go.F DISC
listenloadingplaying

How can I get back onto the main road?

Ha’át’íí biniiyé shą́ą́h ńdídááh?

what 3-because 1-passing.by 2-go.I

Ha’át’íísh Mary nayiisnii’?

What-Q Mary 3-to.buy.I
listenloadingplaying

What did Mary buy?

Ha’át’íí lá nizhé’é yaa naaghá?

what Q 2-father 3-about 3-do.CI

haa néelą́ą́’

listenloadingplaying

how much, how many, what quantity. [mass]

haa néelt’e’

listenloadingplaying

how much, how many, what quantity. [count]

haa nízah

listenloadingplaying

how far is it, how much time

haa’í

listenloadingplaying

where

Haaʼí yeeʼ dibé naakaí?

where-Q show.me sheep 3-walk.around.CI
listenloadingplaying

Where are the sheep walking?

Haaʼísh dáʼákʼeh?

where-Q cornfield
listenloadingplaying

Where is the cornfield?

hahgo

listenloadingplaying

when [future]

Hahgo hooghan ’ánílééh?

when hogan 3-2-make.I
listenloadingplaying

When are you building a hogan?

Hastiin dóó ’at’ééd ha’át’íí lá ’áyiilaa?

man and girl what Q 3-3-make.P
listenloadingplaying

What did the man and the girl make?

Hastiin dóó ’at’ééd lá ha’át’íí ’áyiilaa?

man and girl Q what 3-3-make.P
listenloadingplaying

What did the man and the girl make?

Háadi lá łį́į́’ naakai?

where-at Q horse 3dpl-walk.I

Háágóó shą’ díníyá?

where-to.Q 2-go.F

Hádą́ą́’ ’áłtsé chidí naat’a’í n nast’a’?

When past first airplane 2-with 3-fly.P

Hádą́ą́’ hooghan ’ájíilaa?

When-past this hogan 3-4-make.P

Hádą́ą́’sh Mary ’ólta’dę́ę́’ nádzá?

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

Hái da shą’ tsinaa’eeł ’ájiilaa lá?

who DA Q boat 3-4-make.P DISC
listenloadingplaying

(I wonder) who made this boat?

Háidíígíísh neidiyoołnih nínízin?

which.one-ÍGÍÍ-Q 3-3-buy.F 2-think.NI

Háí lá ’ałhosh?

who Q 3-sleep.I
listenloadingplaying

I am wondering who is sleeping

Háísh ’ałhosh?

who-Q 3-sleep.I

Háísh b nanilnish?

who-Q 3-with 2-work.I

Háísh yiską́ągo ’adoogis?

who-Q tomorrow 3-wash.F

Háíshą’ tsinaa’eeł ’áyiilaa lá?

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

Who made a boat?

Háá’íshą’. ’Ákǫ́ǫ́ dílyeed!

what-Q there 2-run.F

Háágóósh díníyá?

where-to-Q 2-go.I
listenloadingplaying

Where are you going?

Nichidí háadish nííníłbą́ą́z?

2-car where-at-Q 3-2-park.P

Nichidí háadishą’ nííníłbą́ą́z

2-car where-at-Q 3-2-park.P

Nidlóóhísh ’éí doodago doo daats’í nidlóoh da?

2-cold.X-Q TOP or NEG perhaps 2-cold.X-Q NEG

Nidlóóhísh doodaii’ dooísh nidlóoh da?

2-cold.X-Q or NEG-Q 2-cold.X-Q NEG

Niísh ’ałdó’ t’áá ’ákwíinínízin?

2-Q also just 2-think.so.NI

Yiską́ągo Na’nízhoozhídi háadish ’adeeshį́į́ł ninízin?

tomorrow Gallup-at where-Q 2-eat.F 2-want.CI