Introduction to Navajo Questions

Any competent speaker of any language will be able to form questions. This resource is a combined grammar and lexicon of Navajo questions. We provide a description of three kinds of questions along with glossed examples and audio recordings of them. We think this resource will be useful to students and teachers of this language, and to professional linguists within and outside Navajo communities.

We distinguish three distinct kinds of questions: Yes/no questions, Content Questions, and Alternative Questions. We treat Tag Questions as a subtype of Yes/no questions. For this project we draw on previous work by Fernald & Perkins (manuscript), Young & Morgan (1987), Young, Morgan & Midgette (1992), and others cited in References [link].

The three kinds of questions are exemplified below:
(1)
Da’ Na’nízhoozhígóó díníyá?
Q Gallup-to 2-go.F
Are you going to Gallup?
(A yes/no question)
(2)
Mary ha’át’íí nayiisnii’?
Mary what 3-3-buy.P
What did Mary buy?
(A content question)
(3)
’Atsį́’ísh ’éí doodaii’ łóó’ísh nínízin?
meat-Q TOP or fish-Q 3-2-want.NI
Do you want meat or fish?
(An alternative question)

Example (1) is a yes/no question, which has ‛yes’ or ‛no’ as an answer. Questions like this are used to ask whether a particular statement is true or not. In this example, the statement being asked about is Na’nízhoozhígóó díníyá, which means ‛You are going to Gallup’.

Content questions, like example (2), do not have simply ‛yes’ or ‛no’ as an answer. Rather than supplying a statement and asking whether it is true or not, they have the effect of providing a statement with some missing information, and they ask what that information is. In (2), the idea is that Mary bought something, and the question asks what that something is.

Alternative questions present the addressee with a choice between two or more options. Note that the English gloss in example (3) can be understood as either a yes/no question (if the intonation is rising on fish) or an alternative question (if the intonation is falling on fish). In Navajo, the sentence is an alternative question for which the appropriate answer will indicate which one of the choices is desired.

Glossing conventions and a note on morphology are here [link].

An example search has returned 50 entries

ʼÁłah ʼaleehdi ʼamá bééhániih daats’í bá ’ádazhniiyą́ą́’? ʼÁko daatsʼí nímasii łaʼ ʼakǫ́ǫ́ dííkááł.

group gathering-at mother 3-3-remember perhaps 3-for 4-pl-eat.P so perhaps potatoes some there 3-2-take.OC.F

’Adą́ą́dą́ą́’ísh tł’óo’di nishínílnish?

yesterday-Q outside-at 2-work.P

Bikáá’ dah ’asdáhí bikáa’gi doodaai’ ni’góó daats’í nishdaah?

chair 3-top-at or floor-on perhaps 1-sit.NI

Bá’ólta’íísh níyá?

3-for-3-teach-Q 3-come.P
listenloadingplaying

Has the teacher come yet?

Ch’ah ’éí doodaii’ nák’ee sinilí łizhinígíí daats’í nee hólǫ́’?

hat or sunglasses perhaps 2-with 4-exist.NI
listenloadingplaying

Do you have a hat or sunglasses? / Maybe you have a hat or sunglasses.

Ch’iyáán nináhíłnihgo haa nízahjį’ ’ánádįįh?

food 3-2-buy.R how 3-long.N-up.to 3-become.none.R

Chidí daats’í bee hólǫ́ doodaii’ niísh chidí nee hólǫ́?

car maybe 3-with 4-exist.N or 2-Q car 2-with 4-exist.NI

Chidí naat’a’íísh hooghan yikáá’góó ch’ét’a’ doodaii’ dził bąąhgóósh ch’ét’a’?

airplane-Q hogan 3-over-along 3-fly.P or mountain 3-side-along-Q 3-fly.P

Chidí naat’a’íísh hooghankáá’góó ch’ínísaal ’éí doodaii’ dziłghą́ą́’góó daats’í?

airplane house-over-along over-3-fly.P TOP or mountain-attached-along perhaps

Da’ ’ałní’ní’ą́ąjį’ tł’óo’di nishínílnish?

Q noon-until outside-at 2-work.P

Da’ chidíísh bee hólǫ́ doodaii’ ni daats’í chidí nee hólǫ́?

Q car-Q 3-with 4-exist.NI or 2 maybe car 2-with 4-exist.NI

Da’ Ron saad nináánéíłkaah ya’?

Q Ron word 3-3-investigate.I Q
listenloadingplaying

Ron’s investigating words again?

Dah díníilghaazhísh ’íilnilaa?

fry.bread-Q 3-2-make.P
listenloadingplaying

Did you make fry bread?

Daniel hahgosh hidilníísh?

Daniel when-Q 3-start.work.I

listenloadingplayingSpeaker: Tyler TinhornlistenloadingplayingSpeaker: Lorene B Legah

When does Daniel go to work?

Dibé bitsį’ doodago béégashii bitsį’ daats’í nínízin?

sheep 3-meat or cow 3-meat possibly 3-2-want.NI

Dichin nínízin ya’?

hungry 2-want.NI Q

Díidí háísh bichidí?

this who-Q 3-car

Díí chąą’ shą’ háádę́ę́’ niníyęęzh?

this manure-Q where-from 3-ooze.P

Díí haa yit’éego ’atiin?

this how 3-be.NI road
listenloadingplaying

How is this road?

Díí yihahígíí biyi’, háísh tówónaanígóó ch’aa deeyá?

this year.IGII within who overseas.GOO travel 3-going.F-Q

Díkwíí lá ninááhai?

how.many Q 2-winter
listenloadingplaying

How old are you?

Gohwééh nayiisnii’diísh b bééhózin?

coffee 3-3-buy.P-at-Q 3-with 3-know.NI

Gohwééh t’áá bizhání ’éí doodaii’ ’abe’ bgo daats’í nínízin?

coffee only TOP or milk perhaps 3-with 3-2-want.NI

Gohwééh t’áá bizhání ’éí doodaii’ ’abe’ bgo daats’í nínízin?

coffee only TOP or milk 3-with-GO perhaps 3-2-want.NI

Gohwééh t’áá bizhání ’éí doodaii’ ’abe’ bgo daats’í nínízin?

coffee only TOP or milk 3-with-GO perhaps 3-2-want.NI

Ha’a’aahdę́ę́sh naaghan ’éí doodago e’e’aahdę́ę́sh naaghan?

east-from-Q 2-home TOP or west-from-Q 2 home

Ha’át’éegoshą’ t’áadoo díníyáa da?

why-Q neg 2-go.sg.P NEG
listenloadingplaying

Why didn’t you go?

Ha’át’íí biniiyé ’ákǫ́ǫ́ díníyá?

what 3-for.purpose there 2-start.go.P

Ha’át’íí shį́į́ biniinaa łeech’ąą’í nidahał’in?

what perhaps 3-because dog pl-3-bark.I

Ha’át’íísh nizhé’é yaa naaghá?

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

Ha’át’ííshą’ hastiin dóó ’at’ééd ’áyiilaa?

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

What did the man and the girl make?

Ha’át’íí lá nizhé’é yaa naaghá?

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

haa níłnééz

listenloadingplaying

how long, how tall is it

Haa’ísh neezgai?

where-Q 3-hurt.N
listenloadingplaying

Where does it hurt?

Haaʼí lá áshį́į́h nííníʼą́?

where-Q salt 3-2-handle.SRO.P
listenloadingplaying

Where did you put the salt?

Háágóó shą’ díníyá?

where-to.Q 2-go.F

Hái da shą’ tsinaa’eeł ’ájiilaa lá?

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

listenloadingplayingSpeaker: Linda PlaterolistenloadingplayingSpeaker: Lorene B Legah

(I wonder) who made this boat?

H lá bá nidáá’?

who Q 3-for 2-enemyway.ceremony

Háísh tsinaa’eeł ’áyiilaa?

who-Q boat 3-3-make.P

Háísh yiską́ągo ’adoogis?

who-Q tomorrow 3-wash.F

Háíshą’ tsinaa’eeł ’áyiilaa?

who-Q boat 3-3-make.P
listenloadingplaying

Who made a boat?

Háidígíísh ʼałkʼésdisí deeshį́į́ł?

which.one-ÍGÍÍ-Q candy 3-1-eat.F

Mary ha’át’íí nayiisnii’?

Mary what 3-3-buy.P
listenloadingplaying

What did Mary buy?

Nichidí háadishą’ nííníłbą́ą́z

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

Niłísh bééhosin doodaii’ biłísh bééhozin?

2-with-Q 3-know.CI or 3-with-Q 3-know.CI

Yiską́ągo Na’nízhoozhídi háadish ’adeeshį́į́ł ninízin?

tomorrow Gallup-at where-Q 2-eat.F 2-want.CI

“Shich’é’é baa shíni’" diníine’. T’ahdiísh t’áá ’ákónít’é?

1-daughter 3-about 1-mind 2-say.P still-Q just 2-well.NI