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

’At’éédísh yiniłtsą́?

girl-Q 3-2-see.P

’Atsį́’ísh ’éí doodaii’ łóó’ísh nínízin?

meat-Q or fish-Q 3-2-want.NI

Ch’iyáán nináhíłnihgo haa nízahjį’ ’ánádįįh?

food 3-2-buy.R how 3-long.N-up.to 3-become.none.R
listenloadingplaying

When you buy groceries, how long do they last?

Chidí naat’a’íísh hooghan yikáá’góó ch’ét’a’ doodaii’ dził bąąhgóósh ch’ét’a’?

airplane-Q hogan 3-over-along 3-fly.P or mountain 3-side-along-Q 3-fly.P

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

car-Q 3-with 4-exist.N or 2 maybe car 2-with 4-exist.NI

Da’ ’áájí ’ałdó’ ’áłah ’azlį́į́’?

Q that-side also meeting 1-happen.P

Da’ chidíísh bee hólǫ́ doodaii’ ni daats’í chidí nee hólǫ́?

Q car-Q 3-with 4-exist.NI or 2 maybe car 2-with 4-exist.NI

Da’ Cubadę́ę́’ tsinaa’eeł nił ní’éél?

Q Cuba-from boat 2-with 3-float.P

Da’ shééhonísin?

Q 1-2-know.NI
listenloadingplaying

Do you know me?

daats’í

listenloadingplaying

particle for perhaps

Dah díníilghaazhísh ’íilnilaa?

fry.bread-Q 3-2-make.P
listenloadingplaying

Did you make fry bread?

Dichin nínízin ya’?

hungry 2-want.NI Q

Díkwíísh nibeegashii?

how.many-Q 2-cow

Díkwíísh ninááhai?

how.many-Q 2-winter.NI
listenloadingplaying

How old are you?

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

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

ha’át’éejį’

where to a point

ha’át’éédę́ę́’

here from

Ha’át’íí biniiyé shą́ą́h ńdídááh?

what 3-because 1-passing.by 2-go.I

Ha’át’íísh biniinaa nanichxǫ’?

what-Q 3-because 2-pout.CI

Ha’át’íísh biniinaa naníchxǫ’?

what-Q 3-because 2-pout.CI

Ha’át’íísh nizhé’é nahideeshnih nízin.

what-Q 2-father 3-1-buy.F 3-want.NI

Haa níníłnééz?

what 2-tall.relatively.NI
listenloadingplaying

How tall are you?

Haa nízahjį’ hanínáshyįh dooleeł t’áá ’ákwíí jį́?

how 3-long.N-up.to 1-rest.R FUT every day

haa nóoshóní

listenloadingplaying

how pretty is it

haa yit’é (hait’é), haa yit’éego (hait’éego)

listenloadingplaying

how is it, what is its condition

Haa’í lá neezgai?

where Q 3-hurt.N

Haa’ísh neezgai?

where-Q 3-hurt.N
listenloadingplaying

Where does it hurt?

Haaʼí yeeʼ dibé naakaí?

where-Q show.me sheep 3-walk.around.CI
listenloadingplaying

Where are the sheep walking?

Haaʼísh niʼnishʼaah?

where-Q 3-1-park.SRO.F
listenloadingplaying

Where should I park?

Hahgo lá tá’dinigizh?

When part 2-shear.F

Háadi lá łį́į́’ naakai?

where-at Q horse 3dpl-walk.I

háajį’

listenloadingplaying

to what point

háádę́ę́’

listenloadingplaying

from where

háágóó

listenloadingplaying

where to

Háágóósh díníyá?

where-to-Q 2-go.I
listenloadingplaying

Where are you going?

Hádą́ą́’ Jáan Tó Hónaanígóó naayá?

When past John ocean across-to 3-go.P

Hái da shą’ tsinaa’eeł ’ájiilaa lá?

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

(I wonder) who made this boat?

Háidíígíísh neidiyoołnih nínízin?

which.one-ÍGÍÍ-Q 3-3-buy.F 2-think.NI

Háísh ’ałhosh?

who-Q 3-sleep.I

Háísh tsinaa’eeł ’áyiilaa?

who-Q boat 3-3-make.P

Jáan, nanilnishísh?

John 2-work.I-Q
listenloadingplaying

John, are you working?

K’aa’ísh ’aní’á biyaa doodago daats’í báhátis ’ayiist’oh ?

arrow-Q bridge 3-under or perhaps 3-over 3-3-shot.P

Kwe’éshą’ haa nízah nináhálzhishgo nináháltį́į́h?

here-Q how 3-long.N-up.to time.move.R-GO rain.R
listenloadingplaying

How often does it rain here?

Nichidí háadish nííníłbą́ą́z?

2-car where-at-Q 3-2-park.P

Nidlóóhísh doodaii’ dooísh nidlóoh da?

2-cold.I-Q or NEG-Q 2-cold.I-Q NEG

Nizhé’é ha’át’íísh nahideeshnih nízin.

2-father-Q what 3-1-buy.F 3-want.NI

Niłísh bééhosin doodaii’ biłísh bééhozin?

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

T’ahdiísh nahałtin?

still-Q area-rain.CI
listenloadingplaying

Is it still raining?

Yiską́ągo Na’nízhoozhígóó deet’áazhgo haa’í lá ’adiidį́į́ł?

tomorrow Gallup-to 1dpl-go.du.F-GO where Q 1pdl-eat.F