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

’Aoo’, shí dó’ t’áá ’ákwíinissin.

yes1 also just 1-think.so.NI
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No, I don’t think so (i.e. yes, I too hold that opinion of it).

’Asdzą́ą́ ’éí ’ashkii ha’át’íí yeiní’ą́?

woman TOP boy what 3-to-3-3-move.SRO.P
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What did the woman give the boy?

’At’éédísh yiniłtsą́?

girl-Q 3-2-see.P

’Atsį́’ísh ’éí doodaii’ łóó’ísh nínízin?

meat-Q or fish-Q 3-2-want.NI

’áko ndi

CONJ

’Át’ahígo da’diidį́į́ł.

soon pl-’-1dpl-eat.F

’Ąąh háá’á wolyéii k’ad doo ’asht’é’égóó bik’ee ntsinisdzá.

credit 3-call.P now neg extremely.neg 3-on-account-of overwhelm.P

-jí

-tsi

bik’ídadiidis

pl-3DO-1dpl-wrap.it.around.it.I

Ch’iyáán nináhíłnihgo haa nízahjį’ ’ánádįįh?

food 3-2-buy.R how 3-long.N-up.to 3-become.none.R
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When you buy groceries, how long do they last?

Chidí bitiin ’ałts’ą́ą́hjí ’ańt’i’.

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

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

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

dadidínóołkał

pl-3DO-2dpl-start.to.herd.them.(animals).F

dazhdoołbish

pl-3DO-4dpl-boil.it.F

Dá’ák’ehdi t’ah ńt’éé’ t’óó ’ayóigo nahachagii bizhiin yijiłgo yiiłtsą́.

field-at still past many grasshoppers swarm 4-move.along.Prog-GO 3-1-see.P

listenloadingplayingSpeaker: Natalie R. DesideriolistenloadingplayingSpeaker: Natalie R. Desiderio

To my surprise, I saw a swarm of grasshoppers moving along a field.

didadoołjéé’

pl-3DO-2dpl-start.fire.P

didínéeshkał

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

dishhį́į́h

3DO-1-melt.it.I

díkwíí

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how many

Doo t’áá k’ad ’ííłta’ da.

NEG just now 1-go.school.P NEG
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I don’t want to go to school.

Doo yéé shaa yánłti’go ndiséts’ą́’į́.

NEG fear 1-to 2-talk.DI-GO 2-1-hear.P

doohsį́į́ł

3DO-2dpl-eat.it.F

Ha’át’éego lá ’íiyisíí ’atiinjį’ ’ańdeeshdááł lá?

how Q main road-up.to 1-back-on-go.F DISC
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How can I get back onto the main road?

hadazhdínóołchał

pl-3DO-4dpl-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 area-good.N neg

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

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

haidééłbįįd

3DO-3-fill.something.up.with.it.P

hajíígeed

3DO-4-dig.it.out.P

háidí

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which one

háí

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who

Háíshą’ tsinaa’eeł ’áyiilaa lá?

who-Q boat 3-3-make.P DISC
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Who made a boat?

Háágóósh díníyá?

where-to-Q 2-go.I
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Where are you going?

k’adę́ę

Mary bimá sání yá ’ata’ halne’.

Mary 3-grandmother 3-for indef.between 3-talk.DI

nidasiilyá

pl-3DO-1dpl-carry.a.ropelike.thing.around.P

Nidlóóhísh doodaii’ dooísh nidlóoh da?

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

nisélá

3DO-1-carry.a.ropelike.thing.around.P

Shidibé ’ąą’ dinót’į́į́ł laanaa ch’ééh nisin.

1-sheep expanse 3-increase.O wish in.vain 1-want.CI

Shí hanii t’éiyá Naasht’ézhí bizaad sh bééhózin.

I contrary only English 3-language 1-with 3-know.P

Shį́į́dą́ą́’ na’niiłkaadgo t’áá ’áháníjį’ ’adeeshch’iłgo bik’ee deelyiz.

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Last summer when we were out herding sheep a bolt of lightning struck nearby and gave us a startle.

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

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

yiigish

3DO-2-make.one.cut.in.it.I

Yiską́ągo nighandi naadeeshááł.

tomorrow 2-home-at 2-to-1-go.F

yitł’ó

3DO-3-weave.it.I

Łį́į́’ ’áhidiníłnáago sizį́.

horse Recip-3-opposite-GO 3-du-stand.SPN
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The horses stand facing in opposite directions.

łahágóó

–gi ’át’éego