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

’Anít’i’ ńtłóo’go biniinaa béégashii t’óó yigháníkah.

fence 3-loose.P-GO 3-because.of cow just 3-through-3-go.pl.P
listenloadingplaying

Because the fence is slack (loose), the cows go right through it.

’Ashkii nishłínę́ędą́ą́’ łah yoostsah bik’íníyá.

boy 1-be.NI-past once ring 3-1-find.P

’Ałk’ésdisí naháłnii’go sitsilí dóó shideezhí ’aheełt’éego bá ’ahá níjaa’.

candy 3-1-buy.CI-GO 1-little.brother and 1-little.sister 3-1 split-GO.I 3-for 3-1 gave.I

-ą́ą́h

-jigo

-jí + -k’ehgo

-ní

bik’ídazhdidis

pl-3DO-4dpl-wrap.it.around.it.I

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 2 maybe car 2-with 4-exist.NI

Da’ Cubadę́ę́’ tsinaa’eeł nił ní’éél?

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

Daniel hahgosh hidilníísh?

Daniel when-Q 3-start.work.I
listenloadingplaying

When does Daniel go to work?

didoołhįh

3DO-2dpl-melt.it.F

Díí łééchąą’í dah doosłóós laanaa.

this dog 1-lead.O.ADV-laanaa optative particle for a positive wish, hope or desire.

doo ’ashohodéébéézhgóó

doo deighánígóó

doochǫǫł --- dooleeł

doodago

CONJ

Dził bit’ááhgi bįįh halzheeh.

Mountain 3-close.to-at deer 3-3-hunting.CI
listenloadingplaying

He’s deer hunting over near the mountain.

Dziłdę́ę́’ hoołtį́į́ł ńt’éé’ t’áá nihich’į’jį’ ’ásdįįd.

mountain-from areal-rain.Prg past just 1pl-toward-up.to 3-disappear.P

Ha’át’éegoshą’ t’áadoo ’azee’ál’į́į́góó nisíníyáa da?

why-Q NEG hospital-to 2-go.sg.P NEG

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

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

What did the man and the girl make?

haashgéésh

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

hadaołgéésh

pl-3DO-2dpl-cut.it.out.I

haidééłbįįd

3DO-3-fill.something.up.with.it.P

Hastiin dóó ’at’ééd lá ha’át’íí ’áyiilaa?

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

What did the man and the girl make?

Hooghan binááshwoł ńt’éé shimá sání shich’ahóóshkeed.

hogan 3-encircling-1-run.Prog past 1-grandmother 1-3-scold.P

jííłhį́į́’

3DO-4-melt.it.(snow).P

K’ad shį́į́ deesk’aaz hodooleeł.

now probably cold area-become.F
listenloadingplaying

Now it will probably turn cold.

Kii łį́į́’ yizloh léi’ yí’diiłííd.

Kii horse 3-3-rope.SP CONJ 3-3-brand.I

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.

Mary ha’át’íí nayiisnii’?

Mary what 3-3-buy.P
listenloadingplaying

What did Mary buy?

Na’nízhoozhígóósh díníyá?

Gallup-to-Q 2-go.SP

Nádí daats’í ’éí doodaii’ nideezhí daats’í bááh ’íidoolííł?

older.sister perhaps or younger.sister perhaps bread 3-make.F
listenloadingplaying

Is your older sister or your younger sister going to make bread? / Maybe your older sister or your younger sister is going to make bread.

neizlá

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

Nidlóóhísh doodaii’ dooísh nidlóoh da?

2-cold.X-Q or NEG-Q 2-cold.X-Q NEG

Nidlóóhísh doodaii’ doo daats’í nidlóoh da?

2-cold.I-Q or neg perhaps 2-cold.I neg

Are you cold or not?

nisoolá

3DO-2dpl-carry.a.ropelike.thing.around.P

Níyolgo t’áá ’áko niishch’ił.

wind-GO immediately 3-blink.U
listenloadingplaying

When it’s windy, I usually blink.

Shá bíighah yáshti’ lá.

sun proportionate 1-talk.I DISC

Shá hooł’aah.

1-for areal-2 move-over.I

Shighanídóó ’e’e’aah bich’ijígo shádí bighan.

1-home-from west 3-in.the.direction.of older.sister 3-dwell.N

Shilééchąą yázhí shikéé’ yildlosh ńt’éé’ hashtł’ish yiih yildloozh.

1-dog little 1-behind 3-walk.Prog past mud 3-into 3-walk.P

Shínaaí tł’éédą́ą́’ hááhgóóshį́į́ Bilagáanak’ehjí bitsąąh yáłti’.

1-brother night-last somehow English 3-sleep 3-talk.P
listenloadingplaying

My older brother was really talking English in his sleep last night.

shoołbéézh

3DO-2dpl-boil.it.P

T’ahdiísh nahałtin?

still-Q area-rain.CI
listenloadingplaying

Is it still raining?

Tsinaabąąs bikáádę́ę́’ ’adaashááh nt’éé shitł’aakał ’íízǫ́ǫ́z.

wagon 3-from downward-1-go.I past 1-skirt 3o-1-tear.P

wohsą́

3DO-2dpl-eat.it.I

woshóóh

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

Yóó’ ’anáshyeed.

away 1-run.I
listenloadingplaying

I’m running away.