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

’Atsą́ą́’ ła’ jóyą́ą’ le’.

ribs some 4-eat.O desire
listenloadingplaying

I wish to have some ribs.

’ałk’idą́ą́’

’Ííłta’ dóó ’iiłghaazh.

1-read.P CONJ 1-sleep.P

-ą́ą́h

-ee

-k’eh + -jí

in a language e.g. diné k’ehjí ’in Navajo’

-shą’

Ahwééh yishdlį́į́ ’áko ’índa ch’éénásdzíd.

coffee 3-1.drink.P when 3-1.wake.up.P

Béésh bii’ kǫ’í bizooł dego deez’á.

stove 3-pipe up 3-extend.SPN
listenloadingplaying

The stovepipe sticks up (extends upward, rises).

Bichidí yichǫ’ yę́ędą́ą́’ ’ashkii t’áani’ nálwod.

3-vehicle 3-P-ruin past boy on.foot 3-P-return
listenloadingplaying

The boy returned on foot when his car broke down.

Ch’óóshdą́ą́dą́ą́’ Diné Bizaad t’éiyá bee yádeilti’ nít’ę́ę́’.

formerly Navajo language only 3-with pl-3-speak.I past

Chidí binaashnish yę́ę ’áádóó t’óó ni’ kwíishłaa.

vehicle 3-1-work.CI past and.then just stop 1-stop.P
listenloadingplaying

I was working on the vehicle and then I just let it be.

Chidí k’adę́ę yichxǫǫh lágo naháłnii’.

car almost 3-fall-apart.I altered 3-1-buy.P
listenloadingplaying

I bought a car just as it was about to fall apart.

Da’ Ron saad neiskáá’?

Q Ron word 3-3-investigate.P
listenloadingplaying

Did Ron study words?

Da’ shééhonísin?

Q 1-2-know.NI
listenloadingplaying

Do you know me?

dadiilbish

pl-3DO-1dpl-boil.it.F

dadoołbish

pl-3DO-2dpl-boil.it.F

Dah díníilghaazhísh ’íilnilaa?

fry.bread-Q 3-2-make.P
listenloadingplaying

Did you make fry bread?

deiilbéézh

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

doo t’áá k’ad --- da

dooshą’ léi’ --- lá

haa + Neuter V

how / what V. The ’h’-expressions formed with ’haa’ plus a neuter verb are used to pose questions about “physical characteristics, quantity, and degree”.

haa nóolin

what does it look like

haahláyéé

Haash nízah kodóó nighanjį’?

how-Q 3-long.N here-from 2-home-to

hadaniilchaad

pl-3DO-1dpl-card.it.(as.in.wool).P

hadaoołgizh

pl-3DO-2dpl-cut.it.out.P

hadoołbįįd

3DO-2dpl-fill.something.up.with.it.P

jididoołhįh

3DO-4-melt.it.F

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

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

Kin Łánídi daats’í ’éí doodago Bee’eldííldahsinildiísh naniná?

Flagstaff-at perhaps or Albuquerque-at-Q 2-go.around.CI

Kwii nináá’nísh’aah.

here again-3-1-place.R
listenloadingplaying

I will place it here again.

Mary bimá sání yá ’ata’ halne’.

Mary 3-grandmother 3-for indef-between 3-talk.DI

Mary ha’át’íí nayiisnii’?

Mary what 3-3-buy.P

listenloadingplayingSpeaker: Natalie R. DesideriolistenloadingplayingSpeaker: Tyler Tinhorn

What did Mary buy?

Mósí yázhí bimá yits’ą́ą́’ yóó’ííyá.

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

Náás heesháałgo chidí bine’ ’ííyá.

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

Nédáá dóó bikáá’adání bik’i ndinís’eez.

1-sit and table 3-on 1-place-1-foot.P
listenloadingplaying

I sat down and put my feet on the table.

nidasoolá

pl-3DO-2dpl-carry.a.ropelike.thing.around.P

nidííleeł

3DO-2-carry.a.ropelike.thing.around.F

nisíníłkáá’

3DO-2-investigate.it.P

néishjį́į́h

Iterative Mode: 1-become.black.R
listenloadingplaying

I will become black, get sunburned again and again

Shicheii déidiiłjeeh’ii’, hoozdohgóó nahisiitą́.

1-grandfather 3-3-built.fire.P-and warm-to 3-sit.P

Shilééchąą’í yázhí shikéé’ yildlosh ńt’éé’ hashtł’ish yiih yildloozh.

1-dog little 1-behind 3-walk.Prog past mud 3-into 3-walk.P

Shimá sitsilí bibéésh bee hane’í bits’ą́ą́’ náádii’ą́.

1-mother 1-little.brother 3-cellphone 3-away.from 3-3-return.P

Shį́į́dą́ą́’ sitsą́ hodíínii’go k’asdą́ą́’ dasétsą́.

summer-last 1-stomach areal-.hurt.P-GO nearly 1-die.P
listenloadingplaying

Last summer I nearly died with a pain in my abdomen.

shoołbéézh

3DO-2dpl-boil.it.P

Tséíłkéí nidaanéego dahonółne’ laanaa daniidzin.

teens pl-3pl-play.I-GO pl-3pl-win.O hope pl-3pl-think.P
listenloadingplaying

We are wishing the teens would win their game.

Tł’éédą́ą́’ásh nahóółtą́ kééhót’ínígi?

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

yę́ędą́ą́’