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 ’ákwíinisin.

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

Yes, I think so too.

’Aseezį́ binaaltsoos biníkádinishchid.

gossip 3-paper 3-through-1-stick.finger.P
listenloadingplaying

I stuck my finger (hand) through the newspaper.

’Ałk’idídą́ą́’ kin ’áshłaa ńt’éé’ ’éí t’ahdii bii’ shighan.

quite.long.ago house 3-1-make.P past it still 3-in 1-home

’Áshįįh Bii’ Tóógóó náádísdzáago dziłghą́ą́’ hanáádeesh’nah.

Salt.Lake.City-toward again-1-go-GO mountain-back again-1-climb.R

Hágoónee’, béeso shaa ní’aah.

well money 1-for 2-give.SRO.I

-tah, -taa-, -ta-

Béésh ’áłts’ózí bee ’atsidí bee ’aháníłne’.

wire hammer 3-with 3-1-beat.P
listenloadingplaying

I beat the wire in two with a hammer.

bik’ídeediz

3DO-1dpl-wrap.it.around.it.P

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

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

Should I perhaps sit on a chair or on the floor? / I wonder where I could sit, on a chair or on the floor.

Ch’óóshdą́ą́dą́ą́’ shichidí naaki. K’ad ’éí t’ááłá’í.

formerly 1-car two now it one
listenloadingplaying

I used to have two cars. Now I have only one.

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

Dibé bighan báátis dah yiishte’.

sheep corral 3-over up 1-climb.P

Dibé bighan báátis dah yiishte’.

Sheep corral 3-over up 1-climb.P

Dibé bighan báátis dah yiishte’.

Sheep corral 3-over up 1-climb.P

Dibé dził binaashii nanishkaad.

sheep hill 3-across.from 3-1-herd.CI
listenloadingplaying

I am herding sheep across from the hill.

Dichinísh doodaii’ dibáá’ísh dzinízin?

hunger-Q or thirst-Q 4-want.NI
listenloadingplaying

Is that one hungry or thirsty?

Doo łá’í ndi naash’áa da.

NEG one but 3-1-hold.SRO.CI NEG
listenloadingplaying

I haven’t a single one, I have not even one.

Doondó’ ’ółta’ da.

NEG 3-go.school.NI NEG

díníshkaad

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

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

how Q main road-up.to 1-back-on-go.sg.F DISC
listenloadingplaying

How can I get back onto the main road?

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

how Q main road-up.to 1-back-on-go.F DISC

Ha’át’éegosh náníldzid?

why-Q 2-fear.I
listenloadingplaying

Why are you afraid?

Haa níníłnééz?

what 2-tall.relatively.NI
listenloadingplaying

How tall are you?

haa níłtso

listenloadingplaying

how big is it

haa nóolin

what does it look like

Hastiin dóó ’at’ééd ha’át’íí lá ’áyiilaa?

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

What did the man and the girl make?

Háadi niyaa hazlį́į́’?

where-at 2-under area-grow.P
listenloadingplaying

Where did you grow up?

hááji

háidí

listenloadingplaying

which one

K’os jóhonaa’éí yich’ą́ą́h ’i’ííjool.

cloud sun 3-protect 3-drift.P
listenloadingplaying

A cloud moved in front of the sun.

Mary ha’át’íí nayiisnii’?

Mary what 3-3-buy.P
listenloadingplaying

What did Mary buy?

Mósí yázhí bimá yits’ą́ą́’ yóó’ííyá.

kitten 2-mother 3-from away-3-go.P

Ni daats’í nił bééhózin ’éí doodaii’ nicheii daats’í bił bééhózin?

2 perhaps 2-with 3-know.CI TOP or 2-grandfather perhaps 3-with 3-know.CI

Obi-Wan Kenobi, shíká ’ajoolwod.

Obi-Wan Kenobi 1-after indef-4-run.P

Shideezhí dóó sítsílí bidááh sézį́.

1-younger.sister and 1-younger.brother 2-in.front.of 1-stand.SPN
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I guard my younger sister and younger brother.

Shighan bich’ą́ą́h łeeshch’ih désas.

1-hogan 3-protect ashes 3-1-strew.P
listenloadingplaying

I strewed ashes to protect my hogan.

Shimá sání t’áá shídin ’ííyá.

listenloadingplaying

My grandmother went away without me.

Shį́įgo ch’ééh jiyáán yishį́į́h áádóó tó lą’í yishdlį́į́h.

summer-GO watermelon 3-1-eat.U and.then water lots 3-1-drink.U

T’ah ’ałk’idídą́ą́’ ’éí Diné tát’áá góyaa kéédahat’íinii t’éiyá díí tábąąhgóó bidáda’ak’eh naaznil ńt’éé’.

still quite.long.ago the people water-near areal-down pl-3-reside.NI-NOM only this water-edge-toward farm 3-lie.about.SPN past

t’ah ńt’éé’

t’áadoo

Tóbąąhgóó yishtł’ééł.

river-toward 1-run.Prog

wohtł’ó

3DO-2dpl-weave.it.I

wołbéézh

3DO-2dpl-boil.it.I

yishtł’ó

3DO-1-weave.it.I

yiyiigish

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

yiyííłhį́į́’

3DO-3-melt.it.(snow).P

Łį́į́’ hooghangóó nooshkaałgo táá’ shits’ą́ą́ bizánághah góne’ ’ałhaa’eekai.

horse hogan-GO 3-1-herd-Prog-GO 3-1-away-from around areal-in-3 3-run.P.Pl
listenloadingplaying

I was chasing the horses home when three of them took off around the bend.

łáháda