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).
Postpositions appear with pronoun prefixes attached to them.
Sha’áłchíní | bá | ch’iyáán | ’íishłaa. |
1-children | 3-for | food | 3-1-cook.P |
I cooked for my children. |
In example (1), sha’áłchíní bá is a postpositional phrase, meaning ’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. 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 -ká (’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 a language
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.
An example search has returned 50 entries
’Adą́ą́dą́ą́’ shá bíighah ’atah ’adishdiłgo ’i’íí’ą́.
yesterday 1-for 3-passing down 1-play.stick.dice.RI-GO evening-ááłk’iis
-ch’ijí
-k’eh+-jí
-yaaghah
around the corner from, disappearing behind, around the point from, on the other side
bookmarkBee’eldííldahsinil kintahdi shił ’oolwoł ńt’éé’ tsístł’ahazt’i’ léi’ góne’ shił ’o’oolwod.
Albuquerque town-at 1-with 3-run.Prog past deadend a areal-in 1-with 3-drive.Pbik’ídeediz
3DO-1dpl-wrap.it.around.it.PCh’ééh jiyáán hastiin baa nahashniihgo ch’ééh ’ííł’įįd ’ahbínídą́ą́’.
watermelon man 3-from 3-1-buy.CI-GO tried in.vain 1-act.P morning-pastch’į́į́góó
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.PFrom the beginning, I didn’t know about Navajo linguistics. Now I’m finally able to understand it.
bookmark- ch’óóshdą́ą́dą́ą́’ formerly, originallyfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- Continuative Imperfective (CI)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- ’áhonissin be awarefind in Navajo Verb Modes
- t’áá justfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- diists’a hear, understandfind in Navajo Verb Modes
Chidí sits’ą́ą́’ hashtł’ish yiih yilwodgo t’áá ch’į́į́góó ch’ééh ’ííł’įįd.
car 1-from mud 3-into 3-go.P-GO failure in.vain 1-act.Pdadołhį́į́h
pl-3DO-2dpl-melt.it.Idaohtł’ó
pl-3DO-2dpl-weave.it.IDibé doo deeghánígóó ’ałkéé’ ’adíítąądgo hooghanjį’ náákah.
sheep neg long.distance-neg-GO following.behind 3-in.a.line.NP-GO home-up.to return.go.IDoo ’ííłta’go biniinaa t’áá ’ałtsojį’ t’áá shídin hazlį́į́’.
neg 1-go.to.school.P-GO 3-because every-up.to just 1-without 1-become.PDził bit’áahgi bįįh haalzheeh.
mountain 3-close.to-at deer 3-3-hunting.CIDziłghą́’ą́ bizaad diists’a’ laanaa.
White.Mountain.Apache 3-language 1-understand.NI wishHa’a’aahjíísh ’éí doodago ’e’e’aahjíísh nighan?
east-from-Q 2-home TOP or west-from-Q 2-homeHa’át’íísh neidiyoołnih nínízin?
who-Q 3-3-buy.F 2-think.NIHa’át’íí lá nizhé’é yaa naaghá?
what Q 2-father 3-about 3-do.CIHa’ąądi dibé bighan.
areal-other.side sheep 3-corralHaa’ísh nínígai?
where-Q 2-hurt.IHak’az ’ayóo bich’į’ sidziil.
cold really 3-towards 1-strengthHak’az bik’ee shíchį́į́h doo ’áháłchįįh da.
há’at’é-P.ENCLITIC
where. The expressions formed with ’há’at’é-’ either appear with a postpositional enclitic (also with the subordinating complementizer ’-go’, which we listed separately)
bookmarkjishóóh
3DO-4-brush/comb.it.Ijíí’aal
3DO-4-chew.it.PK’ad cháshk’eh góyaa tó de ’anool’ąął.
now wash down water up 3-rise.ProgKin Łánídi naashnish háálá ’áadi shaghan.
Flagstaff 1-work because there 1-live.NII work in Flagstaff because I live there.
bookmarkKin Łánídiísh ’éí doodago Bee’eldííldahsinildi daats’í naniná?
Flagstaff-at-Q TOP or Albuquerque-at perhaps 2-go.around.CIMary hádą́ą́’sh ’ólta’dę́ę́’ nádzá?
Mary when-past-Q school-from 3-return.PNa’nízhoozhígóó deeyá, ya’?
Gallup-toward 2-go.sg.F QNaalyéhé bá hooghandi tł’oh hániikai ńt’éé’ ’áníídí yee’ ’ásdįįd lágo ’áadi niikai.
trading.post-at hay 1dpl-go.pl.P past recently very 3-disappear.P DISC-GO there 1dpl-go.pl.PNihimásání ha’át’íí lá yinízin?
1dpl-grandmother what LÁ 3-3-want.NInizhdooleeł
3DO-4-carry.a.ropelike.thing.around.Fcarry a ropelike thing around, 4th person
bookmark