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
’Adeesdíilgo dibé sits’ą́ą́’ dah diijéé’.
3-thunder.P-GO sheep 1-away.from start-3-run.Pl.P’Ahbínídą́ą́’ t’áadoo ’ííyą́ą́’góó biniinaa wónáásdóó dichin shi’niiłhį́.
morning-past NEG 1-eat.P-NEG.GO because soon hunger 1-3-kill.PBecause I did not eat this morning I am hungry now.
bookmark- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- ’ashą́ eatfind in Navajo Verb Modes
- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- sisxé killfind in Navajo Verb Modes
- ’ahbínídą́ą́’ this morningfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- -niinaa because of, on account offind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
’Azhą́ deesk’aaz ndi t’áá ’ákwíí jį́ na’nishkaad.
even. though 3-cold.SPN but just every day 1-herd CI-ba-
to the point of exhaustion, used up, completed
bookmark-jí
designates ceremonies, religious and political institutions and lifeways
bookmark-k’eh
-kéé’
-ni
-sh
bik’ídeediz
3DO-1dpl-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.NIChidíísh bee hólǫ́ doodaii’ ni daats’í chidí nee hólǫ́?
car-Q 3-with 4-exist.NI or you perhaps car 2-with 4-exist.NIDoes s/he have a car or do you have a car?
bookmarkDa’iidą́ągo sitsilí bilééchąą yázhí náneeskaadí ła’ yá yiidiyiisdláád dóó yaa yiizhjaa’.
1Pl-eat.I-GO 1-brother 3-puppy tortilla some 3-tear.P and 3-to 3-3-give.PDibé yázhí ła’ yóó’ ’ííyáá ńt’ę́ę́’ tsiyi’di bik’íníyá.
lamb one away 3-go.P past forest-at 3-find.it.Pdoo ’ashohodoobéézhgóó
Doo ńdeeshdááł da, háálá kwii doo shił yá’áhoot’éeh da.
NEG 1-return.F NEG because here NEG 1-with 3-good.NI NEGHa’át’éego lá ’íiyisíí ’atiinjį’ ’ańdeeshdááł lá?
how Q main road-up.to 1-back-on-go.sg.F DISCHa’át’íí baa ’áłah ’aleeh jiní?
what 3-for meeting 4-say.NIHa’át’íísh hastiin dóó ’at’ééd ’áyiilaa?
what-Q man and girl 3-3-make.PHaa’í lá neezgai?
where Q 3-hurt.Nhadajizgeed
pl-3DO-4dpl-dig.it.out.PHastiin nééz doondó’ ndi ’alzhish da.
man tall NEG but 3-dance.DI NEGHái da shą’ tsinaa’eeł ’ájiilaa lá?
who DA Q boat 3-4-make.P DISCHooghangóó nikéédeeshdááł nisin ndi ółta’di ’éí náshiilkááh.
home-toward 1-go.F 1-want.NI but school-at there 1-spend.night.N CHECK VERB GLOSSESháágeed
3DO-1-dig.it.out.Pjiyą́
3DO-4-eat.it.INa’nízhoozhígóósh díníyá?
Gallup-to-Q 2-go.SPNimá yázhí bighangóó díílwoł dóó ’áájí ’awéé’ baa ’áhólyą́ą dooleeł.
your aunt 3-house-to 2-run-and that-way baby 3-for 2-care.CI FUTŃléí ’asdzą́ą́ sáníshą’ háí ’át’į́?
there woman old-Q what 3-be.NŃléí dził bighą́ą́’dóó łid yót’ááh yít’i’.
over.there mountain 3-over there smoke to.rise.up into-I.Shidá’í látsíní ’áyiilaa’ii’ yaa bił hoozhǫǫhgo bima yaa yinítą́.
1-uncle bracelet 3-make.P-and 3-3-happy.I 3-mother 3-3-give.PMy uncle made a bracelet and cheefully gave it to his mother.
bookmark- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- ’ashłééh makefind in Navajo Verb Modes
- -ii’ and, and thereuponfind in Navajo Conjunction Lexicon
- -aa tofind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- benefactive
- -ił withfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- cognitive experiencer
- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
Shikéédę́ę́’ naa hodoolzhish.
1-behind-from 2-passing become.FShilééch’ąą’í bits’ąą ńdínésht’į́į́’.
1-dog 3-away.from 1-hide.PShí shighan nihígíí bilááh ’áhoníltso.
1 1-house 2-Comp 3-beyond areal-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.PShí Kinłánígóó shił ayóó ánízaad ’ako ndi sitsoi éí bił ayídi.
I Denver to 1-with 3-far.NI but 1-grandsongranddaughter 3-with nearbyDenver is too far with me but to my grandson, it is close or nearby.
bookmark- -ił withfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- ’ayóigo very, extremelyfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- -á for, for the benefit offind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- -á for, for the benefit offind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- -ił withfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- -di atfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
T’áá ní’áłtsé hooghandi nánísdzá.
thus you first home-at 1-arrived.Rev. PTó 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