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

’Awéé’ dah biséłdá.

baby up 3-1-CAUS-hold.AnO.SPN

’Ałk’idą́ą́’ ’ayóo nahałtin ńt’éé’.

long.ago very areal-rain.I past

’Áshįįh Bii’ Tóodi níyáago dził bąąh hanáádeesh’nah.

Salt.Lake.City-at 1-go.P-GO mountain 3-on again-1-climb.R
listenloadingplaying

When I go to Salt Lake, I will climb mountains again.

-ní

listenloadingplaying

into a surface without completely piercing

-zánághah

Béésh bii’ kǫ’í bizooł dego deez’á.

stove 3-pipe up 3-extend.SPN
listenloadingplaying

The stovepipe sticks up (extends upward, rises).

bik’ídeediz

3DO-1dpl-wrap.it.around.it.P

Bini’ íídeeshtah doodago ’éiyá yóó’ ’adeeshwoł.

let will-1-school or only away 1-off-run.P

Chidí bitiin ’ałts’ą́ą́hjí ’ańt’i’.

listenloadingplaying

There’s a fence on both sides of the highway.

dajíí’aal

pl-3DO-4dpl-chew.it.P

dazhdííłhį́į́’

pl-3DO-4dpl-melt.it.P

deiilbéézh

pl-3DO-1dpl-boil.it.I

didołjeeh

3DO-2dpl-start.fire.I

diidiłjeeh

3DO-3-start.fire.I

Diné k’asdą́ą́’ t’áá ’ałtso bichidí dahólǫ́ dííshjį́į́góó.

person nearly everyone 3-car pl-exist.N nowadays
listenloadingplaying

Nearly everyone has a car nowadays.

Doondó’ ’ółta’ da.

NEG 3-go.school.NI NEG

dooshą’ dó’ léi’ --- lá

Dooshą’ kót’éego áníléeh da lá.

ensure like.this 2-do.I DISC

Dziłghą́ą́’góó deeshááł nissin.

mountain-top-toward 1-go.F 1-want.CI

díníshkaad

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

Haa’íshą’ neezgai?

where-Q 3-hurt.N

hadasiigeed

pl-3DO-1dpl-dig.it.out.P

hadazhneeshchaad

pl-3DO-4dpl-card.it.(as.in.wool).P

hadínóołchał

3DO-2dpl-card.it.(as.in.wool).F

hadííłtééł

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

Haidą́ą́’ ’a’áán góne’ naashnish ńt’éé’ --- doo sh yá’áhoot’éeh da.

winter-past mine.shaft 1-work.I past neg 1-with 3-good.N neg

Hastiin dóó ’at’ééd ha’át’íí ’áyiilaa?

man and girl what 3-3-make.P
listenloadingplaying

What did the man and the girl make?

hazhniłchaad

3DO-4-card.it.(as.in.wool).I

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)

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

háádóó

Hágoónee’, t’áá ’ákódí shahane’.

well that’s.all 1-story
listenloadingplaying

Well, that’s all I have to say.

Hái da shą’ tsinaa’eeł ’ájiilaa lá?

who DA Q boat 3-4-make.P DISC

Jáan Mary bił baghan.

John Mary 3-with 3-live
listenloadingplaying

Mary lives with John.

jidííłhį́į́’

3DO-4-melt.it.P

jííłhį́į́’

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

Kingóó ’anááda’iisdee’.

town-to again-pl-3-go.R
listenloadingplaying

Everyone went to town again.

Na’nízhoozhígóó náádínídzáago háadish ’adeeshį́į́ł nínízin?

Gallup-toward again-2-go.R-GO where-Q 1-eat-F 2-want.NI

Ne’eshłééh. T’áá ká nóólk’oł.

2-1-copy.I 2-blink.O

neiskáá’

3DO-3-investigate.it.P

Nichidíshą’ háadi nííníłbą́ą́z?

2-car-Q where-at 3-2-park.P

Shimá sitsilí bibéésh bee hane’í bits’ą́ą́’ náádii’ą́.

1-mother 1-little.brother 3-cellphone 3-away.from 3-3-return.P
listenloadingplaying

My mother took my little brother’s cellphone away.

Shí shighan nihígíí bilááh ’áhoníltso.

1 1-house 2-Comp 3-beyond areal-big.NI
listenloadingplaying

My house is more spacious than yours.

Shínaaí łahda b náhoniidoh.

1-older.brother sometime 3-with 3-become.warm.R
listenloadingplaying

My older brother gets drunk sometimes.

T’áá ’ashání ’ashą́ą ndi sitsį’ yę́ę ’áádįįł.

just 1-eat.I-í 1-eat.I but 1-flesh past 3-dwindle.Prog
listenloadingplaying

I eat and eat but I keep right on losing weight.

t’éiyá

yik’ídéididis

pl-3DO-3dpl-wrap.it.around.it.I

Yiską́ągo níléí hódahdi ’ółta’di ni’dí’néeshtįįł nissin.

tomorrow that up.at school-at 1-teach.F 1-want.CI

Yiską́ągo níléí Tóhajiileehgóó shigáál deizt’i’.

tomorrow.GO over.there Tóhajiileeh-toward 1-physical.being pl-3-path.extend.P