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].
Da’ | Na’nízhoozhígóó | díníyá? |
Q | Gallup-to | 2-go.F |
Are you going to Gallup? |
Mary | ha’át’íí | nayiisnii’? |
Mary | what | 3-3-buy.P |
What did Mary buy? |
’Atsį́’ísh | ’éí | doodaii’ | łóó’ísh | nínízin? |
meat-Q | TOP | or | fish-Q | 3-2-want.NI |
Do you want meat or fish? |
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].
Ła’ ha’nitáhígíí ’éí biihidzóhí 50 entries
’Adą́ą́dą́ą́’ísh tł’óo’di nishínílnish?
yesterday-Q outside-at 2-work.P’Ahwééh bee yishdlį́hígíí bikáá’ ’adání bikáá’ dah yish’ááh.
coffee 3-with 3-1-drink.P-NOM table 3-on up 3-1-put.SRO.Ubee ’ééhóziní
- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- yishdlą́ drink itfind in Navajo Verb Modeslook up conjugationhide conjugation ▾
- Usitative (U)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- -ee by means offind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- instrumental
- -káá’ on, on top offind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- location
’Atsiniltł’ish dóó tó dayókeedígíí baa ’áłah ’aleeh lá.
electricity and water pl-3-request.I-NOM 3-for meeting DISC’ayóigo
’Ayóo łį́į́’ shił naalgeed diní, ’ííshją́ą́shį́į́ díí łį́į́chogii bikáá’ dah ńdaah!
very horse 1-with 3-buck.CI 3-2-say.NI lets.see this stallion 3-on up 2-sit.I’Ałk’idą́ą́’ Diné bikéyah bikáa’gi łį́į́’ bichąą bíighahgo tł’oh deíl’áá ńt’éé’ jiní.
long.ago Navajo.land 3-upon-at horse 3-belly sufficient-GO Pl-3-extend.out.of.sight.SNP hearsay’Áshįįh Bii’ Tóógóó náádísdzáago dziłghą́ą́’ hanáádeesh’nah.
Salt.Lake.City-toward again-1-go-GO mountain-back again-1-climb.R’át’ah ’índa
’Ąąh háá’á wolyéii k’ad doo ’asht’é’égóó bik’ee ntsinisdzá.
credit 3-call.P now neg extremely.neg 3-on-account-of overwhelm.P-í + -jígo
Béégashii yáázh ła’ shibee’í’diidłííd bik’i niní’ą́.
calf one 1-cattle.brand 3-on 3-1-put.NPCh’ééh jiyáán náánááshdą́ą́’.
watermelon again-1-eat.RCh’į́į́góó ch’ééh tádííyá.
fail in.vain 1-go.PCh’óóshdą́ą́dą́ą́’ Diné bizaad naalkaah doo baa ’áhonissin da. K’ad ’éí t’áá shxǫǫd bik’i’diitą́.
formerly Navajo language research NEG 3-about 1-aware.CI NEG | now TOP at.least 3-of-1-understand.Pbee ’ééhóziní
- ch’óóshdą́ą́dą́ą́’ formerly, originallyfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- Continuative Imperfective (CI)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- ’áhonissin be awarefind in Navajo Verb Modes
- t’áá justfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- diists’a hear, understandfind in Navajo Verb Modes
dadiidį́į́ł
pl-3DO-1dpl-eat.it.Fdadołhį́į́h
pl-3DO-2dpl-melt.it.IDah díníilghaazhísh ’íilnilaa?
fry.bread-Q 3-2-make.PDá’ák’ehdi t’ah ńt’éé’ t’óó ’ayóigo nahachagii bizhiin yijiłgo yiiłtsą́.
field-at still past just very grasshoppers swarm 4-move.along.Prog-GO 3-1-see.Pdeiidą́ą́’
pl-3DO-1dpl-eat.it.PDichin nínízin ya’?
hungry 2-want.NI Qdidideeshjah
3DO-1-start.fire.Fdiididoołjah
3DO-3-start.fire.Fdiidį́į́ł
3DO-1dpl-eat.it.FDíí chizh shá ’ałk’íniishóósh.
this firewood 1-for 3-2-split.IDííshą’ látsíní háádę́ę́’ naa ninídee’?
this-Q bracelet where-from 2-to 3-arrive.PlO.PHa’át’íísh neidiyoołnih nínízin?
who-Q 3-3-buy.F 2-think.NIhaa níłnééz
hajíígeed
3DO-4-dig.it.out.Phaołgéésh
3DO-2dpl-cut.it.out.IHastiin sání léi’ ’áłchíní bił yanáa’áago yił nahalne’.
man old INDEF children 3-with 3-pile.NI-COMP 3-with 3-tell.CIHatáálgóó déyáago shikélchí t’óó tsxį́į́łgo bił ’ada’shéshiizhgo ńdaséłkad.
ceremony-1-go-Fut-GO 1-moccasin merelyhurry.GO 3-with 3-1-pierce-GO 3-1-sew-PHáadi lá ’ádeiit’į́?
where-at Q pl-3-beJohn dáádílkałdóó sizį́į́ dóó ’áádę́ę́’ déez’į́į́’.
John door-from 3-stand.SPN and there-from 3-look.CIK’ad niba’ sédáa dooleeł.
now 2-wait 1-sit.SPN futureKintah góyaa yishááł ńt’éé’ béeso ńdiiłtsooz
areal-down 1-go.Prog past money 3-1-pick.FFO.PNidlóóhísh ’éí doodago doo daats’í nidlóoh da?
2-cold.X-Q TOP or NEG perhaps 2-cold.X-Q NEGnisoołkáá’
3DO-2dpl-investigate.it.PNił hǫ́zhǫ́ǫ́sh doodaii’ doósh nił hózhǫ́ǫ da?
2-with-happy.NI-Q or neg-Q 2-with happy.NI negŃdíshchíí’ yáázhí bąąh hasis’na’go shił yaa ’ádzaa.
pine.tree little 3-on 1-climb.P-GO 1-with down 3-act.Pbee ’ééhóziní
- -ąąh on, besidefind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- -ił withfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- accompaniment
- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- haash’nééh climb up (on hands and knees)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- ’áshnééh actfind in Navajo Verb Modes
- yaa down, downwardfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon