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

Shichʼéʼé kinaasdaʼgo bitsiiʼ shá beʼdíítłʼóół. Tʼáásh ʼáko?

1-daughter 3-reach.puberty.P-GO 3-hair 1-for 3-2-tie.F just-Q okay

Chidí naat’a’íísh hooghankáá’góó ch’ínísaal ’éí doodaii’ dziłghą́ą́’góó daats’í?

airplane house-over-along over-3-fly.P TOP or mountain-attached-along perhaps

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

Da’ 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.NI

Da’ dichin nínízin?

Q hungry 2-want.NI

Da’ Ron saad neiiłkaah?

Q Ron word 3-3-investigate.I
listenloadingplaying

Is Ron studying words?

Daniel hahgosh hidilníísh?

Daniel when-Q 3-start.work.I
listenloadingplaying

When does Daniel go to work?

Dibéésh nee hólǫ́?

sheep-Q 2-with 4-exist.NI

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

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

Díídó’ doo ákót’ée daásh łí?

this-DÓ’ neg indef-how-3-be.NI neg-ÍSH ŁÍ

Díidí háísh bichidí?

this who-Q 3-car
listenloadingplaying

Whose car is this?

Gohwééh nayiisnii’diísh b bééhózin?

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

Ha’át’éegosh náníldzid?

why-Q 2-fear.I
listenloadingplaying

Why are you afraid?

Ha’át’íí lá hastiin dóó ’at’ééd ’áyiilaa?

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

What did the man and the girl make?

Ha’át’íí shį́į́ biniinaa łeech’ąą’í nidahał’in?

what perhaps 3-because dog pl-3-bark.I

Ha’át’íísh neidiyoołnih nínízin?

who-Q 3-3-buy.F 2-think.NI

Ha’át’íí lá nizhé’é yaa naaghá?

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

haa nízahdę́ę́’ hoolzhiizh

listenloadingplaying

for how long

haa níłnééz

listenloadingplaying

how long, how tall is it

haa yídéetą́ą́’

listenloadingplaying

how deep is it

Haa’ísh nínígai?

where-Q 2-hurt.I
listenloadingplaying

Where do you hurt?

Haa’íshą’ neezgai?

where-Q 3-hurt.N

Hahgo hooghan ’ájílééh?

When hogan 4-make.I
listenloadingplaying

When will one build a hogan?

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 ’ádeiit’į́?

where-at Q pl-3-be

Háadi niyaa hazlį́į́’?

where-at 2-under area-grow.P
listenloadingplaying

Where did you grow up?

Háádę́ę’shą’ díí ch’ah nizhóní léi’ naa yílts’id?

where-from-Q DEM hat 3-beautiful.NI INDEF 2-to 3-move.air.SRO.P

Háádę́ę́’shą’ tó ndahohheeh?

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

hádą́ą́’

listenloadingplaying

when [past]

Hái da shą’ tsinaa’eeł ’ájiilaa?

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

(I wonder) who made this boat?

Háidíígíísh neidiyoołnih nínízin?

which.one-ÍGÍÍ-Q 3-3-buy.F 2-think.NI

Háí dahoneesná, Kinłánídę́ę́’ ’Óola yee ’ádadójíhígíí doodago Gah Bikee’ Taah Yí’áhídę́ę́’ Hado yee ’ádadójíhígíí daats’í?

who pl-3-win.P Denver-from nugget 3-with RFLX-pl-4-call.NI-nom or Florida-from heat 3-with RFLX-pl-4-call.NI-nom perhaps

Háí lá bił nanilnish?

who Q 3-with 2-work.I
listenloadingplaying

I am wondering who you are working with?

Háí lá kintahgóó sh ’adoołbąs?

who-Q town-to 1-me 3-drive.F

Háísh ’ałhosh?

who-Q 3-sleep.I

Háísh ’átsą́ą́’ jóyą́ą́’ laanaa nízin?

Who ribs 4-eat.O hope 3-3-want.CI

Háísh tsinaa’eeł ’áyiilaa?

who-Q boat 3-3-make.P

Háíshą’ tsinaa’eeł ’áyiilaa lá?

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

Who made a boat?

K’aa’ísh tsénaa ’aní’á biyaa doodago daats’í báhátis ’ayiist’oh?

arrow-Q bridge 3-under or perhaps 3-over 3-3-shot.P

Mary ha’át’íí nayiisnii’?

Mary what 3-3-buy.P
listenloadingplaying

What did Mary buy?

Na’nízhoozhígóó deeyá, ya’?

Gallup-toward 2-go.sg.F Q

Nichidí háadish nííníłbą́ą́z?

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

Nichidí lá háadi nííníłbą́ą́z?

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

Niísh ’ałdó’ t’áá ’ákwíinínízin?

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

Nizhé’é ha’át’íísh nayiisnii’?

2-father what-Q 3-3-buy.P
listenloadingplaying

What did your father buy?

Shoo sitsóí, da’ Na’nízhoozhígóó n ’adeeswod?

hey 1-grandson Q Gallup-to 2-with 2-go.F

Tł’éédą́ą́’ásh nahóółtą́ kééhót’ínígi?

night-past-Q rain.P 2-live.NI-at

Yiską́ągo Na’nízhoozhídi, háádish ’adeeshį́į́ł ninízin?

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