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’Anishkeed, t’áá ká nóólk’oł lágo.
2-3-photograph.I neg 2-blink.O LÁGO-k’i
-niiyé
Át’ah ’índa shaa náádíídááł.
later 1-to again-2-come.FBaa tįįh náádiikah.
3-for achieve 1dpl-walk.pl.IBich’ijí nishłį́.
3-toward-side 1-be.NIBilá ’ooskidgóó yoonaał le’.
3-at 3-time.P-GOO 2-arrive.P hopeCh’iyáán ’áshłaadóó tsííd bik’i hooziid.
food 3-1-cook.P-from embers 3-onto area-1-cover.PCh’óóshdą́ą́dą́ą́’ Diné Bizaad t’éiyá bee yádeilti’ nít’ę́ę́’.
formerly Navajo language only 3-with pl-3-speak.I pastChidí naat’a’íísh hooghankáá’góó ch’ínísaal ’éí doodaii’ dziłghą́ą́’góó daats’í?
airplane house-over-along over-3-fly.P TOP or mountain-attached-along perhapsDa’ dichinísh nínízin?
Q hunger-Q 2-feel.NIDa’ Ron saad nináánéíłkaah ya’?
Q Ron word 3-3-investigate.I QDa’adánídi ’áts’ą́ą́’ deeshghał.
restaurant-at ribs 3-1-eat.FDá’ák’ehdi nídahodoohgoł.
cornfield-at pl-3-2-hoe.FDibé yázhí ła’ yóó’ ’ííyáá ńt’ę́ę́’ tsiyi’di bik’íníyá.
lamb one away 3-go.P past forest-at 3-find.it.PDíí ’ashkii Bilagáana bizaad shá bíbiyiił’aah.
this boy English 3-language 3-2-teach.IDíí kwe’é biká’ígíí ’índa bik’i’diitą́.
this here 3-on.NOM until.then 3-1.understand.Phaa nóolin
hadoołtééł
3DO-2dpl-carry.him/her.up.out.of.something.Fcarry him/her up out of something, 2nd person dual
bookmarkhajíígeed
3DO-4-dig.it.out.PHastiin éí tsídii ła’ ’adah ’ayídzí’ą́.
man TOP bird INDEF down 3-3-knock.off.SRO.PHastiin nééz doondó’ ndi ’alzhish da.
man tall NEG but 3-dance.DI NEGHádą́ą́’ Jáan bighan ’áyiilaa?
When-past John 3-hogan 3-3-make.PHáí lá sis ligái ííł’įįh?
who-Q belt silver 3-make.Ujitł’ó
3DO-4-weave.it.IMary hádą́ą́’sh ’ólta’dę́ę́’ nádzá?
Mary when-past-Q school-from 3-return.PNáás heesháałgo chidí bine’ ’ííyá.
forward 1-step.Prog-GO car 3-behind 1-go.PNi’éé’ náníłkad.
2-clothes 3-2-sew.INichidí háadish nííníłbą́ą́z?
2-car where-at-Q 3-2-park.PNichxǫ' doo ájíníi da.
stop NEG 4-say.thus.NI NEGNihimásání ha’át’íí lá yinízin?
1dpl-grandmother what LÁ 3-3-want.NInitł’ó
3DO-2-weave.it.ISha’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.Shighanídóó ’e’e’aah bich’ijígo shádí bighan.
1-home-from west 3-in.the.direction.of older.sister 3-dwell.NShiníbaal doo tó biníkáogeeh le’ ’át’éégóó ’íishłaa.
1-tent NEG water 3-through-3-flow.O proof.against-NEG 3-1-make.PShitsili tsin ła’ nieidiitą́ii’ łeechą́ą́’ii’ łéi néídiiłhaal.
1-little.brother stick 3-3-pick.up.P-and dog INDEF 3-3-hit.PShizhé’é bidá’ák’eh shicheii bidá’ák’eh táadi yilááh ’ánáníłtso.
1-father 3-field 1-grandfather 3-field three-at 3-beyond 3-again-big.NIShí t’óó ’ááłk’iis yisháałgo shizhé’é tsékooh gódeg ha’asbą́ą́z.
1 merely SUP-alongside 1-go.Prog-GO 1-father canyon areal-up up-3-drive.PShį́į́dą́ą́’ łį́į́’ yázhí shee hazlį́į́’.
summer-past pony 1-with 3-become.PSitsóí éí ’ashiiké nidaanéego ’atah nijóne’ laanaa nízin.
my.grandson TOP boy pl-3pl-play.I-GO join 4-play.O hope 3-3.want.CIT’áadoo hosh biih dadoołtaałí.
neg cactus 3-in pl-2dpl-step.O-ÍT’áá ch’ééh ’ásht’į́įgo bįįh biyaaghah ’eelwod.
just in.vain 1-act.NI-GO deer 3-around.corner 3- run.away.Pt’áá gééd
T’áá hooshch’į’ déshnish.
suddenly 1-start.work.PTáá’ daats’í shinááhaigo Hwéeldi hoolyéégóó shił dah ’adiiná níigo halne’ łeh shicheii.
three maybe 1-year.P-GO Fort.Sumner-at areal-be.called-toward 1-with start.off 3-migrate.P 3-say.NI-GO 4-tell. usually 1-grandfatherAs my grandfather tells it, he was about three years old when he started off with the family on the move to Fort Sumner.
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