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

’Adą́ą́dą́ą́’ shá bíighah kintahdi tádísháahgo shee ’i’íí’ą́.

yesterday sun proportionate town-at 1-go.about.Prog-GO 1-on 3-sun.went.down.P

’Anít’i’ ńtłóo’go biniinaa béégashii t’óó yigháníkah.

fence 3-loose.P-GO 3-because.of cow just 3-through-3-go.pl.P
listenloadingplaying

Because the fence is slack (loose), the cows go right through it.

’Awéé’ dah sidá.

baby up 3-sit.SPN

’Azhą́ nízaadi naagháa ndi bídin nishłį́.

even.though 3-be.far.away.NI-at 3-walks even.though 3-in.need.of 1-be.NI

’Áádóó háajigo dah diníyá?

and.then which.way-GO start.off 2-go.I

’áko shį́į́ ’índa

CONJ

’Áłchíní bi’éé’ náádaségis.

children 3-clothes 3-1-wash.R
listenloadingplaying

I will wash the children’s clothes again.

-ii’

CONJ

-káá’

bik’ídisoodiz

3DO-2dpl-wrap.it.around.it.P

ch’ínígóó

listenloadingplaying

everything possible without result, failure in spite of every effort, to no avail

Ch’óóshdą́ą́dą́ą́’ Diné Bizaad naalkaah doo baa ’áhonissin da. K’ad ’éí t’áá shxǫǫd bik’i’diitą́.

formerly Navajo language research NEG 3-about 1-aware.CI NEG | now TOP at.least 3-of-1-understand.P

Chidí ’anáshdlééh, háálá doo naalnish da.

car 3-1-repair.I because NEG 3-work.I NEG

dazhdíníłkaad

pl-3DO-4dpl-start.to.herd.them.(animals).I

deiigish

pl-3DO-1dpl-make.one.cut.in.it.I

Dibé tóógóó dínóshkaad.

sheep water-toward 3-1-start.herd.O

Dibéésh nee hólǫ́?

sheep-Q 2-with 4-exist.NI

Diné bikéyah bikáa’gi łáhágóó ninádahałtį́įh łeh.

Navajo 3-land 3-on-at a.few.places areal-rain.I usually
listenloadingplaying

There are few places in the Navajo country where it rains.

Diné nihaikaíígíí nihizaad nideilkaahgo ayóó bił danilį́ ’áko ndi doo ’akót’ée da.

people 1dpl-3-come.pl.P-COMP 1dpl-language pl-3-1-investigate.I-GO very 3-with pl-3-be.NI even so NEG thus-3-be.NI NEG
listenloadingplaying

The people who came to visit us believe that we are doing a great job investigating our language, but that is not the case.

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
listenloadingplaying

I stuck my hand into a prairie dog hole and a little prairie dog bit me.

doodago

CONJ

doozhǫǫgo

Ha’át’éegoshą’ ’ayóo náníldzid?

why-Q very 2-fear.I

Ha’át’íí nizhé’é yaa naaghá?

what Q 2-father 3-about 3-do.CI

haa nízah nináhálzhishgo shą’

listenloadingplaying

‘how often’, what span of time

hadíníilchał

3DO-1dpl-card.it.(as.in.wool).F

hainiłchaad

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

Háádę́ę’shą’ díí ch’ah nizhóní léi’ naa yílts’id?

where-from-Q DEM hat 3-beautiful.NI INDEF 2-to 3-move.air.SRO.P

Hooghan bikáá’ dah si’áánígíí biyah danii’áago ’ádíílį́į́ł ’áko hooghan doo ałhiinídoołdas da.

hogan 3-on up 3-sit.SPN-ÍGÍÍ 3-under pl-3-extend.NP-GO 3-2-make.F so hogan NEG RECIP-3-collapse.F NEG

Jooł ’ahííłhan ’áádóó ’atiin dóó ’anít’i’ báhátis ’eelts’id.

ball 3-1-throw.P and.then road and fence 3-over 3-move.SRO.P

Kwe’éshą’ haa nízah nináhálzhishgo nináháltį́į́h?

here-Q how 3-long.N-up.to time.move.R-GO rain.R
listenloadingplaying

How often does it rain here?

laanaa

listenloadingplaying

optative particle expressing a positive wish, hope or desire

na’ńle’dii

Nidlóóhísh ’éí doodago doo daats’í nidlóoh da?

2-cold.X-Q TOP or NEG perhaps 2-cold.X-Q NEG

Niísh ’ałdó’ t’áá ’ákwíinínízin?

2-Q also just 2-think.so.NI

nijilé

3DO-4-carry.a.ropelike.thing.around.I

Shá bíighah yáshti’ lá.

sun proportionate 1-talk.I DISC

Sháahsita’gi yihę́ęsgo tsin-ts’ósí bee yích’id.

1-point.between.shoulder.blades 3-itch.I-GO stick 3-with 3-1-scratch.P
listenloadingplaying

When I got an itch between my shoulder blades, I scratched it with a stick.

Shi’éé’ kin bikáá’dóó hadah (or bidah, ’adah) ’ahé’ah.

1-clothes house 3-on-from areal-downward 3-1-toss.FFO.P

Shimá bighangóó náshdáahgo łééchąą’í baná’ástso’.

1-mother 3-house-toward again-1-go-GO dog 3-again-1-feed.R

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

t’áá gééd

wohtł’ó

3DO-2dpl-weave.it.I

yę́ędą́ą́’

yishdlą́ą́’

3DO-1-drink.it.P

Yiską́ągo Na’nízhígóó deet’áazhgo haa’í lá ’adiidį́į́ł?

tomorrow Gallup-to 1dpl-go.du.F-GO where Q 1pdl-eat.F

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

Ła’ nídeezid yę́ędą́ą́’ ’áajigo niséyá.

one month past that-way-GO 1.go.P

łáháda