Introduction to Navajo Postpositions
This is a lexicon of Navajo postpositions and postpositional enclitics.
Postpositions are pretty much the same as prepositions in English but a postposition appears after its noun phrase object rather than before it. Postpositions tend to be short words with meanings that indicate information about location, direction, or timing of an event described by the verb in the sentence, or about the kind of role played by the noun phrase in the event.
There is a relatively small number of postpositions, so by memorizing them, language learners can quickly improve their comprehension of Navajo.
This lexicon includes 14 postpositional enclitics and 75 postpositions based on Young & Morgan (1987:25-26).
In example (1), sha’áłchíní bá is a postpositional phrase, meaning ‘for my children’.
Sha’áłchíní | bá | ch’iyáán | ’íishłaa. |
1-children | 3-for | food | 3-1-cook.P |
I cooked for my children. |
The postposition is -á, and the pronoun prefix is b-. This is a third person prefix, which is why the gloss underneath bá has a 3 in it. The meaning of -á is ‘for’, and this is also indicated in the gloss. Also, the sh in the word sha’áłchíní, ‘my children’, is a first person pronoun prefix. This pronoun prefix also appears inside the verb ’íishłaa. Note that the gloss is 3-1-cook.P; this indicates that the word means ‘I cooked it’: 3-1 in the gloss indicates that the subject of the verb is first person (‘I’), and the object is third person (‘it’). For a guide to glossing, click here.
The first person prefix appears again on the postposition -ił (‘with’), in the example below:
Chidí | k’asdą́ą́’ | shił | ’adah | ch’éélwod. |
car | almost | 1-with | down | off-3-go.P |
The car almost ran off (the road) with me. |
Postpositional Enclitics do not have pronoun prefixes, and instead attach directly onto another phrase. In the example below, the enclitic is -di (‘at’). It is attached directly to Na’nízhoozhí (‘Gallup, New Mexico’). There is no pronoun prefix:
Ch’óóshdą́ą́dą́ą́’ | Na’nízhoozhídi | kééhasht’į́ ńt’éé’. |
formerly | Gallup-at | 1-live.I past |
I used to live in Gallup. |
In the example below, the enclitic -gi is attached to the postpositional phrase tsé biká (‘on the rock’). The pronoun prefix bi- is attached to the postposition -káá (‘on’), not to the enclitic:
Tsé | bikáa’gi | béésh | dah | si’ą́. |
rock | 3-on-at | knife | up | 3-sit.SNP |
The knife is on the rock. |
Note that both -di and -gi are glossed as ‘at’. The enclitic -di is used for more general locations, and -gi is used for more specific ones.
The postpositional enclitics in this lexicon are, from the list in YMM (1992:938-09):
- -dą́ą́’
- past time
- -dę́ę́’
- from a general location or point in space or time, also out of, off of
- -di
- at a general location
- -dóó
- from a specific location or point in space or time
- -ę́ę-dą́ą́’ =yę́ędą́ą́’
- back when
- -gi
- at a specific location
- -góó
- to, toward, along, on, with a numeral it indicates a date
- -í-jígo
- over in the direction of the place where
- -jigo
- toward, northward
- -jí
- designates ceremonies, religious and political institutions and lifeways
- -jí
- on the side of, in the direction of, in the manner of
- -jí-k’ehgo
- in the manner of
- -jį́’
- up to, as far as
- -k’eh -jí
- in the way(s) of
The pronoun prefixes, which can appear on postpositions, are shown below:
singular | dual-plural | |
---|---|---|
1st person | shi- | nihi- |
2nd person | ni- | nihi- |
3rd person | yi-/bi- | |
4th person | ho- | |
unspecified | ’a | |
reciprocal | ’ahi- | |
reflexive | ’ádi- | |
area | ha-; ho-; go- |
In using these prefixes, the final vowel sometimes changes due to the sound that comes next (e.g. shi-ałchiní → sha’áłchíní; ni- ’asdzą́ą́ → ne’asdzą́ą́; bi- ’awéé’ → be’ewéé’ / be’awéé’).
An example search has returned 50 entries
’Adeesdíilgo dibé sits’ą́ą́’ dah diijéé’.
3-thunder.P-GO sheep 1-away.from start-3-run.Pl.P’Ashkii yázhí éí bimá kingóó yił yi’ash.
boy little TOP 3-mother store-to 3-with 3-walk.du.Prog-á
-ba’
Asdzą́ą́ yázhí bichidí doondó’ ndi naalnish da.
woman little 3-car not.even but 3-work.P NEGChidí daats’í bee hólǫ́ ’éí doodaii’ niísh chidí nee hólǫ́?
car maybe 3-with 4-exist.N TOP or 2-Q car 2-with 4-exist.NIChidí ła’ bíká ’í’iishłaa.
car some 3-for 1-order.Pdadiidį́į́ł
pl-3DO-1dpl-eat.it.FDahojitaałgo t’áá hoonaałgo wónáásdóó ’ayóí ’íits’a’go dahojitaał.
Pl-4-sing.I-COMP just areal-3-move.Prog-COMP soon remarkable 3-sound.I-COMP pl-4-singdajííłhį́į́’
pl-3DO-4dpl-melt.it.(snow).Pdidadołjeeh
pl-3DO-2dpl-start.fire.Idideidííłjéé’
pl-3DO-3dpl-start.fire.Pdidííníłjéé’
3DO-2-start.fire.PDii éé’ shił nizhónígo nahideeshniih nisin nt’éé’ ’áko ndi ayóo ilį́į́ lá.
this clothing 1-with 3-like-GO 3-1-buy.F 1-think.Cl Past even then very 3-expensive DiscDiné bikéyah bikáa’gi ndahonidzood yę́ędą́ą́’ Naatsis’áán hoolyéégóó niha’áłchíní bił ’adahineet’į́į́’.
Navajo 3-land 3-on-at pl-areal-3-flee.pl.P past Navajo.Mountain areal-be.called.NI-to 1pl-children 3-with pl-1dpl-sneak.off.PDíkwíí shą’ ninááhai?
how.many Q 2-winter.NIDlǫ́ǫ́’ ba’áán góne’ yah ’adeeshnii’go dlǫ́’áyázhí shishhash.
prairie.dog 3-hole into down1-3.to.reach.out.hand prairie.dog-little 1-bite.PDoo dibé ch’íi’niił da.
NEG sheep pl-3-2-du-take.out.I NEGdíníshkaad
3DO-1-start.to.herd.them.(animals).Istart to herd them (animals), 1st person singular
bookmarkHa’át’éego lá ’íiyisíí ’atiinjį’ ’ańdeeshdááł lá?
how Q main road-up.to 1-back-on-go.F DISCHaash nízah kodóó nighanjį’?
how-Q 3-long.N here-from 2-home-tohadoołtééł
3DO-2dpl-carry.him/her.up.out.of.something.Fcarry him/her up out of something, 2nd person dual
bookmarkhah
haiilgizh
3DO-1dpl-cut.it.out.Phainííłchaad
3DO-3-card.it.(as.in.wool).PHooghandóó ch’ínáshdáahgo dibé nánásh’įįh.
home-from 1-go.outside.R-GO sheep 1-look.RKénídánííljeehgo, sin łah beehódíítał.
shoe.game-GO song some 2-sing.FMary ha’át’íí yinízin?
Mary what 3-3-want.NIMósí dóó łeechą́ą́’ii’ baniłts’ood’ii’, bił hózhǫ́.
cat dog 3-1-feed.P-and 3-with 3-happy.NInaashłé
3DO-1-carry.a.ropelike.thing.around.Icarry a ropelike thing around, 1st person singular
bookmarkNáá’íídéeshtah nisin doodago t’óó siláogóó deeshááł.
again-1-go.school.F 1-want or merely military-to 1-go.Fnáás
Nichxǫ' doo ájíléeh da.
stop NEG 3-4-make.I NEGnidaohłé
pl-3DO-2dpl-carry.a.ropelike.thing.around.Icarry a ropelike thing around, 2nd person plural
bookmarkSha’áłchíní Toohgóó bił ’eesbąs.
1-children Shiprock-to 3-with 1-drive.ProgShichá si’ą́ągo ’iiłhaazh.
1-huddle 3-put-SPN-GO 1-sleep.PShikéédę́ę́’ naa hodoolzhish.
1-behind-from 2-passing become.FShilééchąą’í bił na’nishkaadgo jooł bá ’abíńjíshhałgo yikéé’ náádiilwo’.
1-dog 3-with 1-herd.CI ball 3-for 3-1-bat.R-GO 3-after 3-run.RWhen I’m out herding with my dog I bat fly balls for him and he chases them.
bookmark- -ił with
- accompaniment
- -go verb and subordinating encliticfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- -á for, for the benefit of
- benefactive
- -kéé’ behind, following
- Continuative Imperfective (CI)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- na’nishkaad herd, go out herdingfind in Navajo Verb Modes
- Iterative (R)find in Navajo Verb Modes