Introduction to Navajo Adverbs

This lexicon is built on a list from Young & Morgan (1987:12-17). This list is a heterogeneous collection of expressions that certainly belong to more than one syntactic category. For instance, it includes time expressions like ’adą́ą́dą́ą́’ (‘yesterday’) and ’ałní’ní’ą́ (‘at noon’), but it also includes the negative frame doo…da and several expressions that are constructed with it, and it includes various particles that tend to appear before the verb (e.g., hah ’quickly’; dah ‘up’). These appear in various places within a clause. Oddly, ńt’éé (a particle denoting past time which is placed after the verb) is in the list, but dooleeł (a particle denoting future time which appears in the same position) is not in the list.

We constructed this tool using Young & Morgan’s list without making adjustments to it. There may be a future version that includes different selections.

An example search has returned 50 entries

’Ajóółháásh laanaa.

4-sleep.O wish

’Aná’ázt’i’ ńtłóo’go biniinaa béégashii t’óó yigháńdaakah.

fence 3-loose.P-GO 3-because.of cow just 3-through-pl-3-go.pl.P
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Because the fence is slack (loose), the cows go right through it.

’Ashkii nishłínę́ędą́ą́’ łah yoostsah bik’íníyá.

boy 1-be.NI-past once ring 3-1-find.P

’Ashkii yázhí ’ayóo hwe’ádílááh.

boy little very 3-mischief
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The little boy is very mischievous.

’ayóigo

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very, extremely

’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
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You said you’re good at riding broncos; let’s see you get on this stallion!

’Ałk’idą́ą́’ ’ayóo nahałtin ńt’éé’.

long.ago very areal-rain.I past
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It used to rain a lot.

’Ałk’idą́ą́’ tł’oh naadą́ą́’ dant’į́įhgo łį́į́’ doodaii’ béégashii da há hadahwiił’éés ńt’éé’.

long.ago grass corn 3-ripen.I-GO horse or cow etc. 4-for 3-stomp.I past

Ííshją́ą́ shį́į́ díí ’atoo’ béésh bii’ kǫ’í bikáá’ dah séką́.

certainly perhaps this stew stove 3-on up 3-1-put.OC.P

Awéé’ doo ndó’ yidlóoh da.

baby NEG NDO’ 3-cold.I NEG
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The baby isn’t even cold.

Béésh bii’ kǫ’í bizooł dego deez’á.

stove 3-pipe up 3-extend.SPN
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The stovepipe sticks up (extends upward, rises).

Ch’íníyáá nít’ę́ę́’ t’áá hooshch’į’ łééchąą’í shich’į’ ch’élwod.

out-1-go.P past suddenly 1-to dog out-3-come.P

Ch’į́į́góó ch’ééh tádííyá.

fail in.vain 1-go.P
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I went everywhere (looking for something but without success).

Chidí sits’ą́ą́’ hashtł’ish yiih yilwodgo t’áá ch’į́į́góó ch’ééh ’ííł’įįd.

car 1-from mud 3-into 3-go.P-GO failure in.vain 1-act.P

Chidí bitooʼ ʼásdįįdgo doo diitsʼį́į da dooleeł.

truck 3-gas 3-exhaust.NP-GO NEG 3-start.I NEG 3-become.F
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If the truck runs out of gas, it will not start.

Dibé yázhi bimá doo boosáni da, biʼnootsaał.

sheep little 3-mother NEG 3-love.I NEG 3-starve.O

Dichin bik’ee doo bííchįįd da.

hunger 3-account neg 3-become.hopeless.P neg
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On account of famine conditions have become hopeless.

Díí tł’éé’ t’áá ká dóola dá’ák’eólyeed lágo, dádiʼnítįįh.

this night NEG bull into.field-3-run.O hope.not 3-2-close.gate.I

Dlǫ́ǫ́’ ba’áán góne’ yahadeeshnii’go dlǫ́’áyázhí shishhash.

prairie.dog 3-hole into down1-3.to.reach.out.hand prairie.dog-little 1-bite.P
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I stuck my hand into a prairie dog hole and a little prairie dog bit me.

doo ’ashohodéébéézhgóó

Doo ’áłah diidleeł da.

NEG together pl-1dpl-meet.pl.F NEG

Doo nił bééhózín da lá jiní. T’áá káhí la’ bił hóolne’!

NEG 2-with 3-knowledge.CI NEG disc 4-say.P just never some 3-with 2-tell.F

Doo t’áá k’ad ’ííłta’ da.

NEG just now 1-go.school.P NEG
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I don’t want to go to school.

Doo t’áá k’ad bá’ólta’í sélį́į’ da.

NEG just now teacher 1-be.SPN NEG
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I don’t want to become a teacher.

Doochǫǫł á’ego!

repulsive 3-be.NI-GO

doolá dó’ --- da lá

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a frame with the meaning “it certainly is, wow, but it is”

Dooládó’ shį́į́ ’adą́ą́dą́ą́’ shich’ohoos’ni’ da kintah góyaa yishááł ńt’éé’ béeso naadiinígíí ńdiiłtsooz.

wow probably yesterday 1-lucky.P town areal down 1-go.I Past money twenty-NOM 3-sit.FFO.P

dooshą’ --- lá

Dziłghą́’ą́ bizaad diists’a’ laanaa.

White.Mountain.Apache 3-language 1-understand.NI wish

Ha’át’íí shį́į́ biniinaa łééch’ąą’í nidahał’in.

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

Hastiin t’áá baa wóólyeed lágo.

man see.to.it to.him 2-run.to.O NEG-wish

Hágoónee’, t’áá ’ákódí shahane’.

well that’s.all 1-story
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Well, that’s all I have to say.

K’ad cháshk’eh góyaa tó de ’anool’ąął.

now wash down water up 3-rise.Prog
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The water’s rising now down in the wash.

Nitsilí ’abínígo tóógóó łį́į́łchíí’ bił ’ałnánáldlosh łeh.

2-brother morning-GO water-to horse-red 3-with 3-go.R usually

Níwe, tʼáádoo ʼabeʼ tʼóó bee naninéʼhí. Hazhóʼó nidlą́.

stop NEG milk just 3-with 2-play.R-NEG properly 3-2-drink.I

Shá bíighah na’ashkǫ́ǫ́’.

sun proportionate 1-swim.CI

Shichidí t’ahdii yá’át’ééh, ’át’ah ’índa ła’ ninááhideeshnih.

1-car still 3-good.NI later one again-3-1-buy.F

Shimá sání dah díníilghaazh ’ayiila’ii’, nihí yaa néíni’ką́.

1-grandmother frybread 3-3-make.P-and 1.dpl under 3-3-place.P

Shínaaí shíká ’adoolwoł nisin ńt’éé’ ’áłt’ąą t’áadoo níyáa da.

1-older.brother 1-for 3-run.F 1-want.NI but after.all NEG 3-come.sg.P NEG

Sohodizingo t’áá ká nídoó’nééh.

prayer-GO neg 2-get.up.O

T’áá ’ałkéé’ ’azee’ííł’íní bił yah ’adahaadzá.

just one-behind-another doctor 3-with 3-in 1Dist-4-go.I

T’áá ká ’adinoólgháásh lágo.

neg 2-oversleep.O LÁGO

Tooh ńlínígíí ha’naa shił ’adeezbą́ą́z ńt’éé’ tsinaabąąs nihits’ą́ą́’ k’é’éłtǫ’.

water river areal-across 1-with 3-drive.P past wagon 2dpl-away 3-break.P
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I started to ride across the river (by wagon) but it broke down on us.

Tó lą’ígo nidlą́ ’áko bee nitah yá’áhoot’ééh dooleeł.

water many 3-2-drink.DI so 3-with 2-among pl-3-good.NI future

Yá’át’éehgo yínááł.

be.good.I-GO 2-go.sg.Prog
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You are walking well.

Yiską́ągo Na’nízhoozhídi, háádish ’adeeshį́į́ł ninízin?

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

Ąąh háá’á wolyéii k’ad doo ’asht’é’égóó bik’ee ntsinisdzá.

debt 3-extend.NP 3-be.called.NI now extremely 3-on.account.of 1-???? YÁ
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I’m really fed up with bills now.

Ła’ damóo yę́ędą́ą́’ dah ’iyétł’ónée, k’ad ’ałníí’góó ’eeshtł’óół.

one Sunday past up 3-1-set.P-past now middle-toward 1-weave.Prog

Łahda sibéeso (shibéeso) ’ádin łeh.

sometimes 1-money 3-not.exist.NI usually
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At times, I have no money.

–gi ’át’éego

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