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 lá ’i’íímas ’ájiił’įįh ni.
like.this-GO FOC twill 3-4-make.U EMPHAshkii tł’ízí tóó gó’ąą ’ííniiłkaad.
boy goat water areal.over 3pl-herd.PAshkii 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.FAłk’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.CILong ago, we planted corn. Now, corn is bought at the store.
bookmark- ’ałk’idą́ą́’ long ago, formerlyfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- ’éiyá topic marker
- ńt’éé’ relates to past timefind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- ’ayóo very, extremelyfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- díísd jį́įdi nowadaysfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- -di atfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- Iterative (R)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- Continuative Imperfective (CI)find in Navajo Verb Modes
Ch’iiyą́ą́n t’áá áłdįįh ádaalyaa.
food just ready distr.pl-3-make.PDibé t’áá daaztsą́ą́ lágo bik’íníyá.
sheep just pl-3-die.P DISC-GO 3-onto-1-come.PDoo hanii nighan béédi’nítséeh da.
NEG contrary 2-home 3-2-expand.I such.asDoo t’áá k’ad nimasii yiyą́ą́ da.
do.not.want.to potatoes 1-eat.P NEGDoo 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 pastDooládó’ deesdoi hazlį́į’ da lá!
Certainly 3-hot.SP 3-become.P as.such discoveryDooládó’ T’iists’ózí nízaad da lá.
DOOLÁDÓ Crownpoint 3-far.NI DA DISCDooládó’ t’áadóó biniyéhégóó naadzólníi da.
certainly NEG 3-because-Í-NEG-GO handsome DAHa’a’aahdę́ę́’ t’áá ’ííyisíí niyolgo t’áá bá hádzidgo ’át’é.
east-from real wind-GO dangerous 3-be.NIHa’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 DISCHaa’íyee’ shinááł Diné bizaad bíhwiidííł’aał.
lets.see 2-1-watch.Prog Navajo language 3-2-learn.FHaalá t’áá ’éiyá ’íishłáa ni’.
what-Q just TOP 3-1.make.P recallHaalá t’áá ’éiyá naaltsoos niníłtsooz ni’.
what-Q just TOP paper 3-1-put.FFO.P recallHaashíyee’ 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.NKin góne’ siikéé lá jiní.
house in 1dpl-sit.I DISC 4-say.INaadą́ą́’ 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 ’índa yínááł doo.
pass.pay.I-go after.all tomorrow only.then 2-come.Prog futureAfter all, you’ll finally show up for payday tomorrow.
bookmark- Imperfective (I) (∅, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- -go verb and subordinating encliticfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- ’áłt’ąą after all, in spite of unfortunately
- yiską́ągo tomorrowfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- ’índa and only thenfind in Navajo Conjunctions
- Progressive (Prog)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- doo, dooleeł future



