Introduction to Particles

This is a lexicon of simple and complex particles, miscellaneous small words that are important to formulating coherent sentences and expressing meaning. Some of them have a similar effect to what intonation does in English. Particles are small words that are not nouns, verbs, postpositions, or adjectives, but are nevertheless important. Particles and adverbs are similar, but particles are small and adverbs are bigger.

This lexicon is built on Young & Morgan’s (1948) pamphlet “The Function and Signification of Certain Navajo Particles,” which was reprinted with corrections in Fernald & Platero (2000). We have included some additional particles, and removed certain ones for reasons we will explain below. The Young & Morgan list of particles overlaps with the list of adverbs from Young & Morgan (1987:12-17). This list was the basis for the Adverb Lexicon on this website. For example, doo…da, le’ ’át’éégóó, and hanii appear on both lists. The Young & Morgan (1948/2000) list of particles includes some enclitics. However, we assume particles to be independent words (free morphemes), and enclitics, (by definition,) must attach to other words.

The Young & Morgan list of particles includes several postpositional enclitics (e.g., -gi, -góó, -jį’), which we have included in our Postpositions Lexicon, and we do not reproduce them here. Certain other enclitics in their list appear in other sections of our website and so are not listed here. These include -go, which is in the Adverb Lexicon; -ii’, which is in the Conjunctions Lexicon -ísh, -sh, and shą’, which are question focusing enclitics and appear in the Grammar of Questions.

The Young & Morgan particles list also includes several examples of what we have called complex particles, which are composed of more than one particle (e.g., ła’í ndi, t’áá ’ááłdįį, t’áá ká). Several include frames, often involving negation (e.g., doo t’áá k’ad —— da, dó’ —— -ísh łí). Complex particles sometimes include an enclitic (e.g., -gile’ ’át’éego), and possibly an adverb (e.g. t’áadoo —— -ígo t’éiyá).

An example search has returned 50 entries

’Asdzą́ą́ t’ah doo naalyéhé bá hooghangóó digháah da.

woman still NEG trading.post-to 3-walk.I NEG

’Asdzą́ą́ t’ah doo naalyéhé bá hooghangóó dighááh da.

woman still NEG trading.post-to 3-walk.I NEG

’At’ééd t’áá ’áhánídi ’ółta’ ’éí biniinaa doo hah dah nídiidáah da.

girl just far-at school TOP 3-cause NEG quickly up start-3-go.I NEG

’Azháánee’ shi dibé hólǫ́ǫ ndi, dibé ła nahiideeshnih.

even.though my sheep 3-exist.NI sheep one 1-buy.F

’Ałchíní ’ólta’di t’áá ’áhą́dígo ’ahąąh naazį́.

boy school-at just together-GO abreast pl-3-stand.SPN

’Ákót’éego ’i’íímas ’ájiił’įįh ni.

like.this-GO FOC twill 3-4-make.U EMPH

Ashkii tł’ízí tóó gó’ąą ’ííniiłkaad.

boy goat water areal.over 3pl-herd.P
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The boy took the sheep up to the water.

Ashkii tł’óodi naashné ni. Nit’éé’ bimá aní k’adee’ ’aadéé’ chiíłtsxóoí yilwoł.

boy outside-at 1-play.IP 3-say. past 3-mother 3-say.IP now there-from vehicle-yellow-NMZ 3-moving.fast.F
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The boy said he wants to play outside. Then his mother said now is the time the school bus is coming.

Ałk’idą́ą́’ ’éiyá naadą́ą́’ ’ayóo k’éédadiilyééh ńt’éé’. Díísh jį́įdi ’éiyá kindi nidahaniih.

long.ago TOP corn very pl-3-1dpl-plant.R past | this day-at TOP store-at pl-3-pass-buy.CI

Ch’iiyą́ą́n t’áá áłdįįh ádaalyaa.

food just ready distr.pl-3-make.P

Dibé t’áá daaztsą́ą́ lágo bik’íníyá.

sheep just pl-3-die.P DISC-GO 3-onto-1-come.P
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I found that the sheep was already dead when I came upon it.

Doo áadi hooghan da.

NEG there.at home NEG

Doo hanii nighan béédi’nítséeh da.

NEG contrary 2-home 3-2-expand.I such.as
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Why don’t you expand your house.

Doo ndi dichin nizin da.

not.even 3.hunger-I.am.NI NEG

Doo t’áá k’ad nimasii yiyą́ą́ da.

do.not.want.to potatoes 1-eat.P NEG

Doo yéé chizh yah ’ííjaa’í hooghan shį́į́ ’adííłk’ą́ą́’ nít’éé’.

DOO YÉÉ firewood into 3-1-carry.pl.P-Í hogan probably 3-1-burn.P past

Dooládó’ deesdoi hazlį́į’ da lá!

Certainly 3-hot.SP 3-become.P as.such discovery
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Goodness it got very hot!

Doodó’ T’iists’ózí nízaad da lá.

DOOLÁDÓ Crownpoint 3-far.NI DA DISC
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It sure is a long way Crownpoint!

Dooládó’ t’áadóó biniyéhégóó naadzólníi da.

certainly NEG 3-because-Í-NEG-GO handsome DA
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You’ look healthy but for no good purpose (you don’t help out)!

ísh niyázhí?

that-Q 2-little.one

Ha’a’aahdę́ę́’ t’áá ’ííyisíí niyolgo t’áá bá hádzidgo ’át’é.

east-from real wind-GO dangerous 3-be.NI
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Wind in the East is dangerous.

Ha’átíísh diidííł? Díí daats’í: naa’oł’í da, naadą́ą́’ da, ’ats’í da, éí hólǫ́ǫ́ lá.

What-Q 1pl.eat,F This maybe: beans, corn, meat, 3-become.P DISC
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What should we eat? Perhaps these: beans, corn, meat, they are on hand.

Haa’íyee’ shinááł Diné bizaad bíhwiidííł’aał.

lets.see 2-1-watch.Prog Navajo language 3-2-learn.F

Haalá t’áá ’éiyá ’íishłáa ni’.

what-Q just TOP 3-1.make.P recall
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Now let’s see, how did I make it.

Haalá t’áá ’éiyá naaltsoos niníłtsooz ni’.

what-Q just TOP paper 3-1-put.FFO.P recall

Haashíyee’ díí naak’ee sinilí biniitááh t’áá daats’í bee hoot’į́.

try.and.find.out this eyeglasses 3-2-try.IP just maybe 3-with area-pas-see.Prog.N

Jooł de’’aah.

ball here 3-2-bring.I

Kin góne’ siié jiní.

house in 1dpl-sit.I DISC 4-say.I
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Let’s pretend that we’re in the house; we’ll play like we (dual) are (sitting) in the house. (Lit. we find that we are sitting in the house it is said.)

Naadą́ą́’ ła’í ndi t’áadoo bik’i nahoołtą́ą da.

corn not.even.one but just.NEG 3-on rain.P NEG.

Nida’iilyéego ’áłt’ąą yiską́ągo ’índanááł doo.

pass.pay.I-go after.all tomorrow only.then 2-come.Prog future

Nida’iishnishgo hooghangóó nídésdzáa lą́ą.

1-after.work.P-GO home-to 1-go.F EMP

Shich’a hóóshkeed ládą́ą́’ Na’nízhoozhígóó shił ya’iidooltał.

1-toward 3-yell.P if Gallup-to 1-with 3-run.F
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If someone yells at me I will take off to Gallup.

Shichʼeʼé tsididįįjįʼ yinįtʼį́įgo biniinaa dibé yooʼ ʼayiinil.

1-daughter overwhelmed 3-3-act.NI-go 3-because sheep out.of.sight 3-3-lost.pl
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My daughter lost the sheep because she was overwhelmed with duties.

Shileechą́ą́’í lą́ą yóó’ ’eelwodgo hanishtá

1-poss-dog EMP out.of.sight 3-run.P-GO 3-1-search.I
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I am searching for my dog that ran away

Shilééchąą’í ts’in yi’aał łeh.

1-dog bone 3-3-chew.I often
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My dog usually chews on the bone.

Shimá kin góne’ sidá.

1-mother house areal.inside 3-sit.SPN
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My mother is sitting inside the house.

Shimá ła’í ndi béeso t’áado shaa yiní’ą́ą da.

1-mother not.even.one money just.NEG to.me 3-3-give.P NEG.

Shínaaí chidí b dah diilwodgo bizánághah góne’ łeezh ’adzíísi’.

older.brother car 3-with up 3-run.I-GO 3-around areal-in dust 3-trail.P

Shoh shimá Hoozdogo ííná.

by.the.way 1-mother Phoenix-GO life
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By the way, my grandma lives in Phoenix.

T’ah ’ałk’idídą́ą́’ sik’is t’áá yiiłtsą́ą́ nít’ę́ę́’.

still long-ago 1-friend just 3-1-see.P past

T’ah doo lą’í náháhą́ądą́ą́’ ’Ashįįh Bii’ Tóodi shighan nít’ę́ę́’.

still NEG many year-past Salt.Lake.City-at 1-home past

T’áadoo hastiin bich’į’ ’ak’e’íłchíhígo t’éiyá kǫ́ǫ́ sínídáa dooleeł.

NEG man 3-toward 2-write.I-NEG-GO only.then here 2-sit.F future
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You will stay here only if you do not write to the man.

italic highlight particle_0" aria-label="particle">T’áadoo naanishgóó dah diisháhí Shicheii kojį’ bił ni’ilwod.

before 1-work.(I)GOO start-out 1-walk.NEG grandpa here with 3-2-drive.(I)
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Before I could leave for work, my grandfather drove up.

Tsoodził gódei yishááł.

Mt.Taylor areal.up 1-walk.P
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I’m hiking up Mount Taylor.

Tó dasiyę́ę ’ałtso naaltséi .

water pl-3-sit.LPB.SPN-deceased completely 3-dried.up.P DISC

Tł’éé’ hodooleeł t’ahádą́ą́’ chizh ła’ ’ahidíłne’.

night 3-become.F before.thus wood some 3-2-chop.I

Tʼáá haóódziih lágo.

Do.not 2-speak.O NEG
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See that you do not say anything.

Yas Niłt’ees bini góne’ yas dajiłhį́į́h.

January 3-in 3-into snow Pl.4-melt.I

Łį́į́’ yílk’id gódei ’ahinoolchééł.

horse hill areal.up 3du-run.Prog
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The two horses are running up the hill.