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

’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.U

’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.F

-chá- or -chá

bik’ídadisoodiz

pl-3DO-2dpl-wrap.it.around.it.P

bik’ídínídiz

3DO-2-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

Da’diidį́į́ł.

pl-1dpl-eat-pl.F

deidííłhį́į́’

pl-3DO-3dpl-melt.it.P

Dibé bits’į́’ daodą́ą́’ lágo.

sheep 3-meat pl-3-1dpl-eat.O LÁGO

didoołjéé’

3DO-2dpl-start.fire.P

diidiłjeeh

3DO-3-start.fire.I

Díí ’abíní dibé tóógóó neeshkał.

this morning sheep water-to 3-1-herd.Prog

Díí tł’éé’ t’áá ká dóola dá’ák’eólyeed lágo.

this night NEG bull into.field-3-run.O hope.not LÁGO

Díí ’áʼkáán háidíígíísh nahiidiilnih?

TOPIC flour which.one-ÍGÍÍ-Q 3-2du-buy.F
listenloadingplaying

Which flour should we buy?

Gohwééh t’áá bizhání ’éí doodaii’ ’abe’ bgo daats’í nínízin?

coffee only TOP or milk perhaps 3-with 3-2-want.NI

Gólízhii dégo dasidoo’į́įgo da’oołzhish nỉ.

skunk up-GO pl-3-look.I-GO pl-3-dpl-dance.I
listenloadingplaying

Skunk said, all of you,look up and dance.

Ha’át’éegishą’ nich’ah nííní’ą́?

where-at-Q 2-hat 3-2-set.down.SRO.P
listenloadingplaying

Where did you leave your hat? Where did you set your hat down?

haashgéésh

3DO-1-cut.it.out.I

Haashíyee’ ’ahíłká ’ańdiijah.

let’s.see each.other-for together-1du-run.pl.F
listenloadingplaying

Let’s cooperate with one another and see what happens.

hajííłgizh

3DO-4-cut.it.out.P

Háágóó lá díníyá?

where-to.Q 2-go.F

Háí lá ’ałhosh?

who Q 3-sleep.I
listenloadingplaying

I am wondering who is sleeping

Háí shą’ ’ałhosh?

who Q 3-sleep.I

Háíshą’ tsinaa’eeł ’áyiilaa?

who-Q boat 3-3-make.P

Hooghan ’adeeshłííł ndi tsineheeshjíí’ shee ’ádin.

hogan 1-build.F but lumber 1-with 3-none.NI

Jáan Mary bił baghan.

John Mary 3-with 3-live

jishóóh

3DO-4-brush/comb.it.I

Jooł ’ahííłhan ’áádóó ’atiin dóó ’anít’i’ báhátis ’eelts’id.

ball 3-1-throw.P and.then road and fence 3-over 3-move.SRO.P

KinŁánídi ’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 disc
listenloadingplaying

I was young I went to school in Flagstaff but I returned there recently to find that I’m so hazy about things that I barely recognize the place.

Mósí yázhí bimá yits’ą́ą́’ yóó’ííyá.

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

Niłísh bééhosin doodaii’ biłísh bééhozin?

2-with-Q 3-know.CI or 3-with-Q 3-know.CI

Níyolgo t’áá ’áko niishch’ił.

wind-GO immediately 3-blink.U
listenloadingplaying

When it’s windy, I usually blink.

Sha’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.P

Sháahsita’gi yihę́ęsgo tsin-ts’ósí bee yích’id.

1-point.between.shoulder.blades 3-itch.I-GO stick 3-with 3-1-scratch.P
listenloadingplaying

When I got an itch between my shoulder blades, I scratched it with a stick.

Shidibé ’ąą’ dinót’į́į́ł laanaa ch’ééh nisin.

1-sheep expanse 3-increase.O wish in.vain 1-want.CI

Shighandóó 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.P

Shimá bighangóó shíni’ ńt’éé’ ch’ééh déago shhoogéé’.

1-mother 3-home-to 1-desire.to.go past in.vain 1-go.P-GO 1-with ho-become.lazy.X

Shizhé’é bichíditsoh yaa naashnish

1-father 3-truck-large on.it 3-3-worked.P 1-father 3-truck-large on.it 3-3-worked

Shínaaí shikétł’á ’iiyilgo łį́į́’ bikáá’ hasis’na’.

1-older brother 1-foot-botton 3-3-push.P-GO horse 3-top up-1-crawl.P
listenloadingplaying

My older brother boosted me and I got up on the horse’s back.

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’áá ká baa hojólne’

Neg 3-about 4-tell.O
listenloadingplaying

See that one doesn’t tell it.

Tó dílchxoshí sits’ą́ą́’ wóódlą́ą́lágo.

soda 1-from 3-1-drink.O don’t
listenloadingplaying

I hope you don’t drink my soda.

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

Tóbąąhgóó yishtł’ééł.

river-toward 1-run.Prog

wooshóó’

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

yidííłhį́į́’

3DO-3-melt.it.P