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’.

(1)
Sha’áłchíní b 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:

(2)
Chidí k’asdą́ą́’ sh ’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:

(3)
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:

(4)
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
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When thunder rumbled the sheep stampeded on me, ran away from me.

’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 NEG

Chidí 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.NI

Chidí ła’ bíká ’í’iishłaa.

car some 3-for 1-order.P
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I ordered a car.

dadiidį́į́ł

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

dah

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up (at an elevation), off (as in starting off), static (holding)

Dahojitaałgo 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-sing
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They sing softly and as the volume increases they sing loudly.

dajííłhį́į́’

pl-3DO-4dpl-melt.it.(snow).P

didadołjeeh

pl-3DO-2dpl-start.fire.I

dideidííłjéé’

pl-3DO-3dpl-start.fire.P

didííníłjéé’

3DO-2-start.fire.P

Dii 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 Disc

Diné bikéyah bikáa’gi ndahonidzood yę́ędą́ą́’ Naatsis’áán hoolyégóó 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.P

Díkwíí shą’ ninááhai?

how.many Q 2-winter.NI

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 dibé ch’íi’niił da.

NEG sheep pl-3-2-du-take.out.I NEG
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We (us two) are not taking out the sheep. (YM 1987: 293)

díníshkaad

3DO-1-start.to.herd.them.(animals).I

Ha’át’éego lá ’íiyisíí ’atiinjį’ ’ańdeeshdááł lá?

how Q main road-up.to 1-back-on-go.F DISC
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How can I get back onto the main road?

Haash nízah kodóó nighanjį’?

how-Q 3-long.N here-from 2-home-to

hadoołtééł

3DO-2dpl-carry.him/her.up.out.of.something.F

hah

haidínóołchał

3DO-3-card.it.(as.in.wool).F

haiilgizh

3DO-1dpl-cut.it.out.P

hainííłchaad

3DO-3-card.it.(as.in.wool).P

Hooghandóó ch’ínáshdáahgo dibé nánásh’įįh.

home-from 1-go.outside.R-GO sheep 1-look.R
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When I go out of the house I check on the sheep.

Háágóósh díníyá?

where-to-Q 2-go.I

Kénídánííljeehgo, sin łah beehódíítał.

shoe.game-GO song some 2-sing.F
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When we have a shoegame, you will sing a song.

Mary ha’át’íí yinízin?

Mary what 3-3-want.NI

Mósí dóó łeechą́ą́’ii’ baniłts’ood’ii’, bił hózhǫ́.

cat dog 3-1-feed.P-and 3-with 3-happy.NI

naashłé

3DO-1-carry.a.ropelike.thing.around.I

Náá’íídéeshtah nisin doodago t’óó siláogóó deeshááł.

again-1-go.school.F 1-want or merely military-to 1-go.F

náás

ndi --- doo

Nichxǫ' doo ájíléeh da.

stop NEG 3-4-make.I NEG
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Stop, don’t do bad stuff!

nidaohłé

pl-3DO-2dpl-carry.a.ropelike.thing.around.I

Sha’áłchíní Toohgóó bił ’eesbąs.

1-children Shiprock-to 3-with 1-drive.Prog

Shichá si’ą́ągo ’iiłhaazh.

1-huddle 3-put-SPN-GO 1-sleep.P
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I went to sleep huddled up into a ball.

Shikéédę́ę́’ naa hodoolzhish.

1-behind-from 2-passing become.F

Shilééchąą’í b na’nishkaadgo jooł b ’abíńjíshhałgo yikéé’ náádiilwo’.

1-dog 3-with 1-herd.CI ball 3-for 3-1-bat.R-GO 3-after 3-run.R

Shitah honeezgaigo, doo naashnish da dooleeł.

1-body 3-pain.P-GO NEG 1-work.I NEG 3-become.F

Shiyáázh Damóogo ’índa ’áádę́ę́’ nídeesdzá

1-son Sunday.GO will.be from 2-returning.F
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My son will be returning on Sunday.

Shiye’, t’áadoo nikídíltałí.

1-son NEG 2-stomp.IR-Í

Sitsiitł’óól tsásk’eh bikáá’ dah yishłééh.

Navajo.hair.tie bed 3-on up 3-1-put.SFO.U

Ts’aa’ t’áá nitsaaígíí bídin nishłį́.

basket just 3-large.NI-nom 3-lack 1-be.NI

Tsé ’ayóí ’áníłtso léi’ tsékooh góyaa hadah ch’ééłmááz.

rock remarkably large INDEF canyon areal-down areal-edge out-3-1-roll.P
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I rolled a big rock over the edge and into the canyon.

Yéego ’ííníłta’, shi’awéé’, ’áko nizhónígo ni’dííłtah.

really 2-study.NI 1-baby so well 2-graduate.F

yiishjį́į́ł

Progressive Mode: 1-become.black.Prog
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I am in the process of becoming black, getting sunburned