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].

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.U

’Atsiniltł’ish dóó tó dayókeedígíí baa ’áłah ’aleeh lá.

electricity and water pl-3-request.I-NOM 3-for meeting DISC

’ayóigo

’Ayóo łį́į́’ sh 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

-ne’

-tis

-yah

Béégashii yáázh ła’ shibee’í’diidłííd bik’i niní’ą́.

calf one 1-cattle.brand 3-on 3-1-put.NP

Ch’ééh jiyáán náánááshdą́ą́’.

watermelon again-1-eat.R

Ch’į́į́góó ch’ééh tádííyá.

fail in.vain 1-go.P

Ch’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.P

dadiidį́į́ł

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

dadołhį́į́h

pl-3DO-2dpl-melt.it.I

Dah díníilghaazhísh ’íilnilaa?

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

Dá’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.P

deiidą́ą́’

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

Dichin nínízin ya’?

hungry 2-want.NI Q

didideeshjah

3DO-1-start.fire.F

diididoołjah

3DO-3-start.fire.F

diidį́į́ł

3DO-1dpl-eat.it.F

Díí chizh shá ’ałk’íniishóósh.

this firewood 1-for 3-2-split.I

Dííshą’ látsíní háádę́ę́’ naa ninídee’?

this-Q bracelet where-from 2-to 3-arrive.PlO.P

Ha’át’íísh neidiyoołnih nínízin?

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

haa níłnééz

’íísíníłts’ą́ą́’loadingplaying

hajíígeed

3DO-4-dig.it.out.P

haołgéésh

3DO-2dpl-cut.it.out.I

Hastiin sání léi’ ’áłchíní bił yanáa’áago yił nahalne’.

man old INDEF children 3-with 3-pile.NI-COMP 3-with 3-tell.CI

Hatáálgóó 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-P

Háadi lá ’ádeiit’į́?

where-at Q pl-3-be

hádą́ą́’

John dáádílkałdóó sizį́į́ dóó ’áádę́ę́’ déez’į́į́’.

John door-from 3-stand.SPN and there-from 3-look.CI

K’ad niba’ sédáa dooleeł.

now 2-wait 1-sit.SPN future

Kintah góyaa yishááł ńt’éé’ béeso ńdiiłtsooz

areal-down 1-go.Prog past money 3-1-pick.FFO.P

Nidlóóhísh ’éí doodago doo daats’í nidlóoh da?

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

nisoołkáá’

3DO-2dpl-investigate.it.P

Nił hǫ́zhǫ́ǫ́sh doodaii’ doósh nił hózhǫ́ǫ da?

2-with-happy.NI-Q or neg-Q 2-with happy.NI neg

Ńdíshchíí’ yáázhí bąąh hasis’na’go shił yaa ’ádzaa.

pine.tree little 3-on 1-climb.P-GO 1-with down 3-act.P

Sam ’ádił yálti’.

Sam reflx-with 3-talk.DI

Sam Diné yitah naalnish.

Sam Navajo 3-among 3-work.I

Shá bíighah na’ashkǫ́ǫ́’go yiishjį́į́’ lá.

sun proportionate 1-swim.CI-GO 1-sun.burn.I DISC

Shį́į́dą́ą́’ łį́į́’ yázhí shee hazlį́į́’.

summer-past pony 1-with 3-become.P

woohgish

3DO-2dpl-make.one.cut.in.it.I

Łį́į́’ hooghangóó nooshkaałgo táá’ shits’ą́ą́ bizánághah góne’ ’ałhaa’eekai.

horse hogan-GO 3-1-herd-Prog-GO 3-1-away-from around areal-in-3 3-run.P.Pl

łahgo