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

’adah

’Adą́ą́dą́ą́’ ’íítseedgo bee na’anishí hasht’enáshdlééh.

yesterday 1-pound.P-GO tool 3-1-put.back.I

’Ahbínígo ch’éshááh ’áádóó sodiszįįh.

morning-GO 1-go.out.U and.then 1-pray.U

’Aoo’, shí dó’ t’áá ’ákwíinisin.

yes 1 also just 1-think.so.NI
listenloadingplaying

Yes, I think so too.

’Áádóó shą’?

and.then Q

’áłt’ąą

listenloadingplaying

after all, in spite of that, “darn if”, unfortunately

’Ííyą́ą́dóó bik’ijį’ tsinyaagi nétį́į́ dóó ’iiłhaazh.

1-eat.P and 3-after tree-under-at.spec 1-lie.down.P and 1-sleep.P
listenloadingplaying

I ate and afterwards I lay down under the tree and slept.

-aa

-k’eh+-jí

in a language e.g. diné k’ehjí ’in Navajo’

-tis

bik’ídadohdis

pl-3DO-2dpl-wrap.it.around.it.I

Da’ ’áájí ’ałdó’ ’áłah ’azlį́į́’?

Q that-side also meeting 1-happen.P

deeshbish

3DO-1-boil.it.F

Díí ’ashkii Bilagáana bizaad shá bíbiyiił’aah.

this boy English 3-language 3-2-teach.I
listenloadingplaying

Teach this boy English for me.

Díí haa yit’éego ’atiin?

this how 3-be.NI road
listenloadingplaying

How is this road?

Díí tł’éé’ ’iidííłhosh.

this night 2-sleep.F

Doo yéé niiłtsán.

NEG fear .P. 2-1-see-NOM
listenloadingplaying

It’s a good thing I didn’t see you!

Dził bit’ááhgi bįįh halzheeh.

Mountain 3-close.to-at deer 3-3-hunting.CI
listenloadingplaying

He’s deer hunting over near the mountain.

Haa níníłnééz?

what 2-tall.relatively.NI
listenloadingplaying

How tall are you?

haa nízah

listenloadingplaying

how far is it, how much time

Haa nízahjį’ hanínáshyįh dooleeł t’áá ’ákwíí jį́?

how 3-long.N-up.to 1-rest.R FUT every day

haa nóoshóní

listenloadingplaying

how pretty is it

hadeiłgéésh

pl-3DO-3dpl-cut.it.out.I

haiłgéésh

3DO-3-cut.it.out.I

hanishchaad

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

Hágo daaníigo ’áko ’índa ’ákǫ́ǫ́ níyá.

come.here 3.say.P-GO after.that towards 1.arrive.P
listenloadingplaying

They said come over here, after that I went there.

háágeed

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

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

k’asídą́ą́’

listenloadingplaying

very nearly, within an ace of, coming close to

Kwii ’áłah ’aleeh léi’ hasht’e náádahojidlééh.

here together meet since prepare again-pl-area-4-tidy.up.R
listenloadingplaying

There will be a meeting here, it is being tidied up again.

le’ ’át’éégóó

listenloadingplaying

used with the optative mode to produce a meaning roughly equivalent to “proof against”

Mary yíká hoolne’.

Mary 3-for 3-call.P

Na’ná’á biyaa góne’ dóó báhátis ’adiłt’oh.

bridge 3-under below and 3-across 3-3-shoot.P

Naakiiskánídą́ą́’ dibé tó ła’ bá niníyį́.

two.days.ago sheep water INDEF 3-for 3-1-haul.P
listenloadingplaying

I hauled water for the sheep two days ago.

Naaltsoos bikáá’ na’aníshí bikáa’gi si’ą́.

book desk 3-on-at up 3-lie.SRO.SPN

Niłísh bééhosin doodaii’ biłísh bééhozin?

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

ńt’éé’

listenloadingplaying

relates to past time. Used variously as an adverb, a connective (conjunction), and, with nouns, as an adjective translatable as “former, late, deceased”

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.

Shicheii haastihgo łáháda ninálnish.

1-grandfather 3-become.old.P-GO seldom 3-work.R

Shilééchąą yázhí shikéé’ yildlosh ńt’éé’ hashtł’ish yiih yildloozh.

1-dog little 1-behind 3-walk.Prog past mud 3-into 3-walk.P

Shimá sání Mary níigo yee ’ádójí.

1-grandmother Mary 3-say.I-GO 3-by reflexive-3-call.NI
listenloadingplaying

My grandmother calls herself Mary.

Shiníbaal doo tó biníkáogeeh le’ ’át’éégóó ’íishłaa.

1-tent NEG water 3-through-3-flow.O proof.against-NEG 3-1-make.P

Shí shighan nihígíí bilááh ’áhoníltso.

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

My house is more spacious than yours.

Sitsóí ’ólta’góó dah diigháahgo ła’ béeso baa yish’ááh.

1-grandchild school-toward up 3-start.to.go.I-GO some money 3-to 3-1-give.SRO.U

Tsinaabąąs bikáádę́ę́’ ’adaashááh nt’éé shitł’aakał ’íízǫ́ǫ́z.

wagon 3-from downward-1-go.I past 1-skirt 3o-1-tear.P

Tsé dzídzahashníiłgo baa naashá, daniidoiigo táchééh góne’ yah ’adoo’nił biniiye.

rock into.fire-3-1-put.P-GO 1-go.I 3-become.hot.P-GO sweathouse into in 3-PASS.put.PlO.F 3-because
listenloadingplaying

I’m busy putting stones into the fire, to be taken into the sweathouse when they get hot.

Tł’éédą́ą́’ ńléí dził bine’jí ’adildííl yiits’a’ ni’.

night-past there mountain 3-behind-way thunder 3-sound.P recall

Yóó’ ’anáháshyeed.

away SER-1-run.R
listenloadingplaying

I run away time after time.