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’ t’óó ’ahodiyeeshdláałgo biniinaa ’ólta’di doo hah níyáa da.
morning-past with pretend-1-move.Prog-GO 3-because school-at NEG quickly 1-go.P NEGI was late getting to school this morning because I dilly-dallied on the way.
bookmark- ’ahbínídą́ą́’ this morningfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- -dą́ą́’ past timefind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- time
- t’óó withfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- -niinaa because of, on account offind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- -di atfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- location
- hah, hahí fast, quickfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- doo --- da frame to negativize verbs and phrasesfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
’Aseezį́ binaaltsoos biníkádinishchid.
gossip 3-paper 3-through-1-stick.finger.P"Binák’eegóó baa da’ashch’osh lá," didíínííł.
3-eye-between-around 3-to pl-3-infest.P DISC 3-2-tell.FTell them "His eyes are infested (with maggots)."
bookmark- Command, affirmativefind in Navajo Imperatives
- Futurefind in Navajo Imperatives
- -góó to, toward, along, on, with a numeral it indicates a datefind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- -aa tofind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- Future (F)find in Navajo Verb Modes
-ta’
bik’ídadisoodiz
pl-3DO-2dpl-wrap.it.around.it.PBíni’dii ’awáalyaa sitį́.
3-let-stay jail 3-lay.SPNChidí bitiin ’ałts’ą́ą́hjí ’ańt’i’.
Da’adánídi ’áts’ą́ą́’ deeshghał.
restaurant-at ribs 3-1-eat.Fdajitł’ó
pl-3DO-4dpl-weave.it.IDamóogo ’áłah ’aleeh ’áko ’áadi nihaadíínááł.
Sunday 3-gather 3-be so there-at 1-Pl-to-2-arrive.Fdaoo’aal
pl-3DO-2dpl-chew.it.Pdaołbéézh
pl-3DO-2dpl-boil.it.Ideiidą́
pl-3DO-1dpl-eat.it.Ideiilzhóóh
pl-3DO-1dpl-brush/comb.it.IDibé doo deeghánígóó ’ałkéé’ ’adíítąądgo hooghanjį’ náákah.
sheep neg long.distance-neg-GO following.behind 3-in.a.line.NP-GO home-up.to return.go.IDichin bik’ee doo bííchįįd da.
hunger 3-account neg 3-become.hopeless.P negdidadiiljéé’
pl-3DO-1dpl-start.fire.PDii éé’ shił nizhónígo nahideeshniih nisin nt’éé’ ’áko ndi ayóo ilį́į́ lá.
this clothing 1-with 3-like-GO 3-1-buy.F 1-think.Cl Past even then very 3-expensive Discdiilbish
3DO-1dpl-boil.it.FDíí tł’éé’ ’iidííłhosh.
this night 2-sleep.FDlǫ́ǫ́’ ’a’ą́ą́dę́ę́’ hanoolne’ dóó naneesne’.
prairie.dog hole-from stick.head.up.out.P and 3-look.around.PDoo ’áłah dadiidleeł da.
NEG together pl-1dpl-meet.pl.F NEGHa’át’éegosh náníldzid?
why-Q 2-fear.IHa’át’íí lá hastiin dóó ’at’ééd ’áyiilaa?
what Q man and girl 3-3-make.PJoe dóó Louise hataał.
Joe and Louise 3-sing.CIK’ad cháshk’eh góyaa tó de ’anool’ąął.
now wash down water up 3-rise.ProgNa’nízhoozhídę́ę́’ shíká bił ’oolwoł.
Gallup-from 1-for 3-with 3-drive.IS/he is driving from Gallup to get me.
bookmark- -dę́ę́’ from a general location or point in space or time, also out of, off offind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- -ká after, forfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- benefactive
- -ił withfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- Imperfective (I) (∅, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- ’oolwoł drivefind in Navajo Verb Modes
Nádí daats’í ’éí doodaii’ nideezhí daats’í bááh ’íidoolííł?
older.sister perhaps or younger.sister perhaps bread 3-make.FNáhookǫsdę́ę’go níłch’igo ’ayóo deesk’aaz.
north.from-GO breeze-GO very cold.SPNNeeznáadigóó ’oolkiłgo ’áłah ’aleeh daaní.
ten.at-toward time-GO meeting pl-4-say.NINidahastą́ągo k’izh’dóle’ígi ’áhoot’é.
rain.P 4-plant.O.NOM areal-be.NNisneez sélį́į’go shicheii nahałáhági ’át’éego nahashłáa doo nisin.
1-tall.NI 1-become.P-GO 1-grandfather 3-perform.ceremony.CI-similar.to 1-perform.ceremony.CI future 3-want.NINíká ’adeeshwoł biniiyé níyá.
2-for 1-run.F 3-purpose.of 1-came.PI came to help you.
bookmark- -ká after, forfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- Future (F)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- yishwoł run alongfind in Navajo Verb Modes
- -niiyé for the purpose of, tofind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- nishááh come, arrivefind in Navajo Verb Modes
Shichidí t’ahdii yá’át’ééh, ’át’ah ’índa ła’ ninááhideeshnih.
1-car still 3-good.N later one again-3-1-buy.FShiníbaal doo tó biníkáogeeh le’ ’át’éégóó ’íishłaa.
1-tent NEG water 3-through-3-flow.O proof.against-NEG 3-1-make.PShiye’ bicheii yi’ká ’análwo’dooleeł biniiyé ba’niłtį́į́́ nt’éé’ sits’ą́ą́’ yił nikidíńiit’ą́ą́zh. (YM 1987:632)
1-son 3-grand.father for 3-1-help.F for 3-loan for 1-away with 2-dpl.walk.PShizhé’é ’azee’ál’į́į́ góne’ bił yah ’i’ííbą́ą́z.
1-father hospital into 3-with in 3-push.wheel.PT’áá ch’ééh ’ásht’į́įgo bįįh biyaaghah ’eelwod.
just in.vain 1-act.NI-GO deer 3-around.corner 3- run.away.PT’áá ká ’ooshháásh lágo.
neg 1-go.to.sleep.O LÁGOT’áá ká chidí ba’óó’ááł lágo.
NEG car 3-3-borrow.O LÁGOT'áá kwe’é shiba’ sínídáa doleeł.
just right.here 1-waiting.for 2-sit.SPN FUTTooh ńlínigíí t’óó bááłk’iis yisháałgo shee ’i’íí’ą́.
river merely 3-alongside 1-walk.Prog 1-with evening timeTó 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