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

’Adeesdíilgo dibé sits’ą́ą́’ dah diijéé’.

3-thunder.P-GO sheep 1-away.from start-3-run.Pl.P
listenloadingplaying

When thunder rumbled the sheep stampeded on me, ran away from me.

’Ahbínídą́ą́’ t’áadoo ’ííyą́ą́’góó biniinaa wónáásdóó dichin shi’niiłhį́.

morning-past NEG 1-eat.P-NEG.GO because soon hunger 1-3-kill.P

’Azhą́ deesk’aaz ndi t’áá ’ákwíí jį́ na’nishkaad.

even. though 3-cold.SPN but just every day 1-herd CI

-ba-

-jí

-k’eh

-kéé’

-ni

-sh

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

Chidíísh bee hólǫ́ doodaii’ ni daats’í chidí nee hólǫ́?

car-Q 3-with 4-exist.NI or you perhaps car 2-with 4-exist.NI

Da’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.P
listenloadingplaying

While we were eating my little brother tore off pieces of tortilla and gave them (one after another) to his puppy.

Dibé yázhí ła’ yóó’ ’ííyáá ńt’ę́ę́’ tsiyi’di bik’íníyá.

lamb one away 3-go.P past forest-at 3-find.it.P

Díigi ’át’éego yigááł.

this-similar.to 3-walk.Prog
listenloadingplaying

This is the way he walks.

doo ’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 NEG
listenloadingplaying

I won’t come back because I don’t like it here.

doo t’áá k’ad --- da

dooshą’ léi’ --- lá

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’íí baa ’áłah ’aleeh jiní?

what 3-for meeting 4-say.NI

Ha’át’íísh hastiin dóó ’at’ééd ’áyiilaa?

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

What did the man and the girl make?

Haa’í lá neezgai?

where Q 3-hurt.N
listenloadingplaying

Where does it hurt?

hadajizgeed

pl-3DO-4dpl-dig.it.out.P

haníłchaad

3DO-2-card.it.(as.in.wool).I

Hastiin nééz doondó’ ndi ’alzhish da.

man tall NEG but 3-dance.DI NEG

Hái da shą’ tsinaa’eeł ’ájiilaa lá?

who DA Q boat 3-4-make.P DISC

(I wonder) who made this boat?

Hooghangóó 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 GLOSSES

háágeed

3DO-1-dig.it.out.P

jidíníłkaad

3DO-4-start.to.herd.them.(animals).I

jiyą́

3DO-4-eat.it.I

Na’nízhoozhígóósh díníyá?

Gallup-to-Q 2-go.SP

neizlá

3DO-3-carry.a.ropelike.thing.around.P

Nimá yázhí bighangóó díílwoł dóó ’áájí ’awéé’ baa ’áhólyą́dooleeł.

your aunt 3-house-to 2-run-and that-way baby 3-for 2-care.CI FUT

Ńléí ’asdzą́ą́ sáníshą’ háí ’át’į́?

there woman old-Q what 3-be.N

Who’s that old lady over there?

Ńléí dził bighą́ą́’dóó łid yót’ááh yít’i’.

over.there mountain 3-over there smoke to.rise.up into-I.
listenloadingplaying

There’s a column of smoke rising into the sky from the mountaintop.

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.P

Shikéédę́ę́’ naa hodoolzhish.

1-behind-from 2-passing become.F

Shilééch’ąą’í bits’ąą ńdínésht’į́į́’.

1-dog 3-away.from 1-hide.P

Shí shighan nihígíí bilááh ’áhoníltso.

1 1-house 2-Comp 3-beyond areal-big.NI
listenloadingplaying

My house is more spacious than yours.

Shí 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.P
listenloadingplaying

My father drove (a wagon) up out of the canyon with me walking alongside.

Shí Kinłánígóó shił ayóó ánízaad ’ako ndi sitsoi éí bił ayídi.

I Denver to 1-with 3-far.NI but 1-grandsongranddaughter 3-with nearby

T’áá ní’áłtsé hooghandi nánísdzá.

thus you first home-at 1-arrived.Rev. P

Tó 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 future

Tódínéeshzhee’góó hodzoołtsééh laanaa.

kayenta-to areal-4-see.O hope
listenloadingplaying

I wish i could see Kayenta.

Tł’éédą́ą́’ ni’shéłhaazh.

night-past 1-rest.P

woshóóh

3DO-2dpl-brush/comb.it.I

yiyiigish

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

yí’aal

3DO-1-chew.it.P