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
’Adą́ą́dą́ą́’ shá bíighah kintahdi tádísháahgo shee ’i’íí’ą́.
yesterday sun proportionate town-at 1-go.about.Prog-GO 1-on 3-sun.went.down.P’Ahbínídą́ą́’ ch’ééh niba’ hasht’e’ ’ádííníszin.
morning-Past in.vain 2-wait ready REFL-1-keep.CI’Ahwééh yishdlį́į́h ’áádóó naanishgóó yishááh.
coffee 3-1-drink.U and.then work-toward 3-1-go.UI drink coffee and then I go to work.
bookmark- Usitative (U)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- yishdlą́ drink itfind in Navajo Verb Modes
- ’áádóó and thenfind in Navajo Conjunction Lexicon
- Usitative (U)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- yishááh gofind in Navajo Verb Modes
- -góó to, toward, along, on, with a numeral it indicates a datefind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
’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"Binák’eegóó baa da’ashch’osh lá," didíínííł.
3-eye-between-around 3-to pl-3-infest.P DISC 3-2-tell.FTell them "His eyes are infested (with maggots)."
bookmark- Command, affirmativefind in Navajo Imperatives
- Futurefind in Navajo Imperatives
- -góó to, toward, along, on, with a numeral it indicates a datefind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- -aa tofind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- Future (F)find in Navajo Verb Modes
-chá- or -chá
bunched up, bunched together, huddled
bookmarkbik’ídadisoodiz
pl-3DO-2dpl-wrap.it.around.it.PBikáá’ dah ’asdáhí bikáa’gi doodaai’ ni’góó daats’í nishdaah?
chair 3-top-at or floor-on perhaps 1-sit.NIDa’diidį́į́ł.
pl-1dpl-eat-pl.Fdeidííłhį́į́’
pl-3DO-3dpl-melt.it.PDibé bits’į́’ daodą́ą́’ lágo.
sheep 3-meat pl-3-1dpl-eat.O LÁGOdidoołjéé’
3DO-2dpl-start.fire.Pdiidiłjeeh
3DO-3-start.fire.IDíí ’abíní dibé tóógóó neeshkał.
this morning sheep water-to 3-1-herd.ProgDíí tł’éé’ t’áá ká dóola dá’ák’eólyeed lágo.
this night NEG bull into.field-3-run.O hope.not LÁGODíí ’áʼkáán háidíígíísh nahiidiilnih?
TOPIC flour which.one-ÍGÍÍ-Q 3-2du-buy.FGohwééh t’áá bizhání ’éí doodaii’ ’abe’ biłgo daats’í nínízin?
coffee only TOP or milk perhaps 3-with 3-2-want.NIGólízhii dégo dasidoo’į́įgo da’oołzhish nỉ.
skunk up-GO pl-3-look.I-GO pl-3-dpl-dance.IHa’át’éegishą’ nich’ah nííní’ą́?
where-at-Q 2-hat 3-2-set.down.SRO.Phaashgéésh
3DO-1-cut.it.out.IHaashíyee’ ’ahíłká ’ańdiijah.
let’s.see each.other-for together-1du-run.pl.Fhajííłgizh
3DO-4-cut.it.out.PHáágóó lá díníyá?
where-to.Q 2-go.FHáí lá ’ałhosh?
who Q 3-sleep.IHáí shą’ ’ałhosh?
who Q 3-sleep.IHáíshą’ tsinaa’eeł ’áyiilaa?
who-Q boat 3-3-make.PHooghan ’adeeshłííł ndi tsineheeshjíí’ shee ’ádin.
hogan 1-build.F but lumber 1-with 3-none.NIJáan Mary bił baghan.
John Mary 3-with 3-livejishóóh
3DO-4-brush/comb.it.IJooł ’ahííłhan ’áádóó ’atiin dóó ’anít’i’ báhátis ’eelts’id.
ball 3-1-throw.P and.then road and fence 3-over 3-move.SRO.PKinŁánídi ’ííníshta’ ńt’éé’ ’áádóó t’áá ’ániidígo ’áadi náánísdzáá ńtéé’ ’ééhosisya’ lá.
Flagstaff-in 1-study.P past and.then just recently there-at 1-return.P past 1-get.hazy.P discMósí yázhí bimá yits’ą́ą́’ yóó’ííyá.
kitten 2-mother 3-from away-3-go.PNiłísh bééhosin doodaii’ biłísh bééhozin?
2-with-Q 3-know.CI or 3-with-Q 3-know.CIDo you know or does s/he know?
bookmark- -ísh enclitic for yes/no questions
- -ił withfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- accompaniment
- Continuative Imperfective (CI)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- bééhózin there is knowledgefind in Navajo Verb Modes
- doodaii’ particle or
- Continuative Imperfective (CI)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- bééhózin there is knowledgefind in Navajo Verb Modes
Níyolgo t’áá ’áko niishch’ił.
wind-GO immediately 3-blink.USha’ałchíní ayóó niłch’í naalkídi deineł’į́ ’áko ndi shí éí shináá bąą adin.
1-children very air 3-move.I 3-3.look.I however I 1-eyes 3-on doesn’t exist.Shá bíighah tsiyaa sédáago, shinááł nida’jiłkǫ́ǫ́’.
sun proportionate tree-under 1-sit.SPN-GO 1-watch.CI pl-4-swim.PAs I sat under the tree, I watched them swim all day long.
bookmark- Si-Perfective Neuter (SPN)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- sédá sitfind in Navajo Verb Modes
- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- na’ashkǫ́ǫ́’ swimfind in Navajo Verb Modes
- shá bíighah all day, foreverfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- -yaa under, beneath, downfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- location
Sháahsita’gi yihę́ęsgo tsin-ts’ósí bee yích’id.
1-point.between.shoulder.blades 3-itch.I-GO stick 3-with 3-1-scratch.PShidibé ’ąą’ dinót’į́į́ł laanaa ch’ééh nisin.
1-sheep expanse 3-increase.O wish in.vain 1-want.CIShighandóó ndáá’góó ’ada’iisdee’go nihí ’éí t’áá yiike’.
1-home-from war.ceremony-to 3-go.away.P we.du.pl TOP just 1du-remain.behind.PShimá bighangóó shíni’ ńt’éé’ ch’ééh déyáago shił náhoogéé’.
1-mother 3-home-to 1-desire.to.go past in.vain 1-go.P-GO 1-with ho-become.lazy.XI wanted to go to my mother’s house however I was tired and became lazy.
bookmarkShizhé’é bichíditsoh yaa naashnish
1-father 3-truck-large on.it 3-3-worked.P 1-father 3-truck-large on.it 3-3-workedShínaaí shikétł’á ’iiyilgo łį́į́’ bikáá’ hasis’na’.
1-older brother 1-foot-botton 3-3-push.P-GO horse 3-top up-1-crawl.PShį́įgo ch’ééh jiyáán yishį́į́h ’áádóó tó lą’í yishdlį́į́h.
summer-GO watermelon 3-1-eat.U and.then water lots 3-1-drink.UTó dílchxoshí sits’ą́ą́’ wóódlą́ą́’ lágo.
soda 1-from 3-1-drink.O don’tTó lą’ígo nidlą́ ’áko bee nitah yá’áh’hoot’ééh dooleeł.
water many 3-2-drink.DI so 3-with 2-among pl-3-good.NI futureDrink lots of water so that you can be healthy.
bookmark- Imperfective (I) (∅, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- ’áko so, so that, so thenfind in Navajo Conjunction Lexicon
- -ee by means offind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- -tah, -taa-, -ta- among, mixingfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- Neuter Imperfective (NI)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- dooleeł futurefind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- dooleeł futurefind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon