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].
Da’ | Na’nízhoozhígóó | díníyá? |
Q | Gallup-to | 2-go.F |
Are you going to Gallup? |
Mary | ha’át’íí | nayiisnii’? |
Mary | what | 3-3-buy.P |
What did Mary buy? |
’Atsį́’ísh | ’éí | doodaii’ | łóó’ísh | nínízin? |
meat-Q | TOP | or | fish-Q | 3-2-want.NI |
Do you want meat or fish? |
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
’Ahbínídą́ą́’ ch’ééh niba’ hasht’e’ ’ádííníszin.
morning-Past in.vain 2-wait ready REFL-1-keep.CI’Ashkii nishłínę́ędą́ą́’ łah yoostsah bik’íníyá.
boy 1-be.NI-past once ring 3-1-find.P’Ayóo łį́į́’ shił naalgeed diní, ’ííshją́ą́shį́į́ díí łį́į́chogii bikáá’ dah ńdaah!
very horse 1-with 3-buck.CI 3-2-say.NI lets.see this stallion 3-on up 2-sit.I’Azhą́ hasistih ndi t’ah honishyóí.
even.though 1-be.old-P even.though still 1-be.energetic.NI’Ałk’ésdisí naháłnii’go sitsilí dóó shideezhí ’aheełt’éego bá ’ahá níjaa’.
candy 3-1-buy.P-GO 1-little.brother and 1-little.sister RECP-equal-GO 3-for RECP-for 3-lie.aligned.PlO.NP’Áádóó níléíjigo daaníigo t’óó ’áajigo shił dah ’adiilwod.
and.then over.there-toward pl-3-say.I-GO just that.way-toward 1-with start.off 3-drive.P’áko shį́į́ ’índa
CONJ’Áłchíní bi’éé’ náádaségis.
children 3-clothes 3-1-wash.R’Ííshją́ą́ ’at’ééd yázhí hooghandę́ę́’ ch’idoogááł.
certainly girl little house-from out-3-walk.F-ąąh
-ił
-ts’ą́ą́’, -ts’á
away from, separating from, derived from
bookmarkAt’ééd na’abąąs yíhooł’ą́ą’go bimá yił ’oołbąs.
girl driving 3-3-learn.P-GO 3-mother 3-with 3-drive.ProgBaa dahwiinít’ínígíí shił bééhodoozįįł nissin.
agenda 1-with 3-about-ho-find.out.F 3-1-want.NICh’ah ’éí doodaii’ nák’ee sinilí łizhinígíí daats’í nee hólǫ́’?
hat or sunglasses perhaps 2-with 4-exist.NICh’é’étiingóó naanéhígíí shił bééhózin.
entrance-along 3-play.I-COMP 1-with 3-know.NICh’éénísh’į́įgo náá’deeshtł’óół nissin.
out summer.GO 1-again.weave.F 1-desireCh’íníyáá nít’ę́ę́’ t’áá hooshch’į’ łééchąą’í shich’į’ ch’élwod.
out-1-go.P past suddenly 1-to dog out-3-come.PWhen I went out, all of a sudden a dog came out to me.
bookmark- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- ch’éghááh go outfind in Navajo Verb Modes
- t’áá hoosch’į’ suddenlyfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- -ch’į’ to, towardfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- ch’élyeed run outfind in Navajo Verb Modes
Ch’óóshdą́ą́dą́ą́’ Diné Bizaad naalkaah doo shił bééhózin da. K’ad éí t’áá shxǫǫd shił báá hózin.
formerly Navajo language research NEG 1-with 3-of ho-know.CI NEG | now TOP luckily 1-with 3-about-ho-know.CIChidí bąąh dah sitání bąąh dah shishtįįh ńt’éé’ ’ił adaagizí doo ’éí da lá.
car license plate 3-1-put. I SSO past Sup-with screw neg that neg Disc.Chidí binaashnish yę́ę ’áádóó t’óó ni’ kwíishłaa.
vehicle 3-1-work.CI past and.then just stop 1-stop.PChidí kǫ́ǫ́ ndaajeehígíí t’áá ’ániidígo dahodeezlįįd.
car here 3-run.pl.I-COMP just recently pl-3-become.PDa’ dibé nee hólǫ́?
Q sheep 2-with 3-exist.NIDibé doo deeghánígóó ’ałkéé’ ’idíítąądgo hooghanjį’ náákah.
sheep long.way RECP-follow 3-spread.out.NP home-up.to 3-walk.pl.ProgDibé ła’ yóó’ ’íínilgo k’adę́ę ’e’e’aahgo ch’ééh bíká naanááshwoł.
sheep some away 3-1-lose.P-GO almost evening in.vain 3-after 1-run.around.Pdołhį́į́h
3DO-2dpl-melt.it.IDził bit’ááhgi bįįh halzheeh.
Mountain 3-close.to-at deer 3-3-hunting.CIGah bikéé’ yishwoł.
rabbit 3-following 1-run.Proghaa néelt’e’
Haidą́ą́’ shich’ą́ą́h ’ííchííl na’nishkaadgo.
winter-past 1-protect 3-snow.P 3-1-herd.CI-GOhainiłchaad
3DO-3-card.it.(as.in.wool).IHííłch’į’go ’índa ta’iideeshnih.
evening.GO until 1-mix.dough.FHoozdo hoolyéedi deesdoi sha’shin. ’Áyaańda (’áyąą) diné bi’éétsoh t’áá gééd ndaakai.
Phoenix areal-called-at hot possibly no.wonder person 3-coat without pl-3-go.pl.Pjiigish
3DO-4-make.one.cut.in.it.INa’nízhoozhídę́ę́’ shíká bił ’oolwoł.
Gallup-from 1-for 3-with 3-drive.IS/he is driving from Gallup to get me.
bookmark- -dę́ę́’ from a general location or point in space or time, also out of, off offind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- -ká after, forfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- benefactive
- -ił withfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- Imperfective (I) (∅, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- ’oolwoł drivefind in Navajo Verb Modes
Na’nízhoozhígóó deeyá, ya’?
Gallup-toward 2-go.sg.F QNaakaii Bito’gi béégashii bee łá’í ’ídlínígíí bee ’anishtah.
mexican water-at cow 3-with one-unify.P-COMP 3-with 1-among.NINizhé’é ha’át’íísh nayiisnii’?
2-father what-Q 3-3-buy.PShi’dizhchį́į́ yęędą́ą́’ ’éí tsinaabąąs dahólǫ́ nt’éé.
1-pass-born.P past TOP wagon 3-with pl-3-drive.I pl-be.NI pastShoo, nahachagii t’óó ’ahayóí nihaa nínáá lá; ’áko shį́į́ baa ’ákodanosin dooleeł.
hey.look grasshopper merely many 1pl-to 3-migrate.P mirative then maybe 3-of 2pl-be.aware.NI futureHey look! We have alot of grasshoppers migrating through here; be aware of them.
bookmark- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- -aa tofind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- ’áko shį́į́ then maybe, then probablyfind in Navajo Conjunction Lexicon
- -aa tofind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- Neuter Imperfective (NI)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- ’áhonissin be awarefind in Navajo Verb Modes