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

’áko ’índa

CONJ

’Áłah ’aleehdi hastiin léi’ t’óó yááłtih yiits’a’.

meeting-at man INDEF just 3-talk.Prog 3-be.heard.I

-ę́ę+-dą́ą́’ (yę́ędą́ą́’)

-na’

-tsi

bik’ídóhdis

3DO-2dpl-wrap.it.around.it.I

Ch’iyáán t’óó ’ahayóí ndi tó ’ádin.

food lots but water 3-none.NI

Ch’į́į́góó ch’ééh tádííyá.

fail in.vain 1-go.P
listenloadingplaying

I went everywhere (looking for something but without success).

Ch’ééh jiyáán hooghangóó dah dii’ągo shee nikihoníłt.

watermelon home-toward up 3-1-move.SRO.P 1-with area-start-rain.P
listenloadingplaying

When I set out for home with the melon it started to rain on me.

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’

listenloadingplaying

particle for yes/no questions

daats’í

dadiidį́į́ł

pl-3DO-1dpl-eat.it.F

Dibé doo deeghánígóó ’ałkéé’ ’idíítąądgo hooghanjį’ náákah.

sheep long.way RECP-follow 3-spread.out.NP home-up.to 3-walk.pl.Prog
listenloadingplaying

The sheep were strung out a long ways, one behind the other, as they headed home.

didadołjeeh

pl-3DO-2dpl-start.fire.I

dideidiłjeeh

pl-3DO-3dpl-start.fire.I

Diné ła’ nizhónígo kéédahojit’į́ danihó’ní, ’áko ndi doo ’ákót’ée da.

people some 3-nice.NI-GO pl-4-3-reside.NI 3-Pl. so but NEG 4-think.CI NEG

Díí chizh shá ’ałk’íniishóósh.

this firewood 1-for 3-2-split.I
listenloadingplaying

Split these pieces of wood for me.

Dííshą’ látsíní háádę́ę́’ naa ninídee’?

this-Q bracelet where-from 2-to 3-arrive.PlO.P

Doondó’ ’ółta’ da.

NEG 3-go.school.NI NEG

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?

Ha’át’éegosh náníldzid?

why-Q 2-fear.I
listenloadingplaying

Why are you afraid?

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

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

Ha’ąądi dibé bighan.

areal-other.side sheep 3-corral
listenloadingplaying

The sheep corral is on the other side (of the hill).

hadííníłbįįd

3DO-2-fill.something.up.with.it.P

Hooghan binááshwoł ńt’éé shimá sání shich’ahóóshkeed.

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

hááłgizh

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

K’ad niba’ sédáa dooleeł.

now 2-wait 1-sit.SPN FUT

Kin Łánídi daats’í ’éí doodago Bee’eldííldahsinildiísh naniná?

Flagstaff-at perhaps or Albuquerque-at-Q 2-go.around.CI

Mary hádą́ą́’sh ’ólta’dę́ę́’ nádzá?

Mary when-past-Q school-from 3-return.P

Na’nishkaadgo nídíshchííyaagi hanáshyį́į́h ńt’éé’ ’iiłhaazh lá, t’ah nít’éé’ shilééchąą’í ch’ééshinísid.

1-herd.I-GO pinetree-under-at 1-rest.I past 1-slept.P DISC all.of.sudden 1-dog 1-woke.up.P

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.

Náhookǫsdę́ę’go níłch’igo ’ayóo deesk’aaz.

north.from-GO breeze-GO very cold.SPN

nideizlá

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

nijilé

3DO-4-carry.a.ropelike.thing.around.I

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.

Saad naashkaahgo baa naash.

word 3-1-research.CI-GO 3-to 1-go.Prog

Sáanii ’éétsoh bi’oh ’ádaníłtso.

women coat 3-less.than indef-Pl-3.size.N

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

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

Shileechąą’í halǫ́ǫ́ ńt’éé’ są biis.

1-dog have past old.age 3-die.of.P
listenloadingplaying

I used to have a dog but it died of old age.

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.

shoołbéézh

3DO-2dpl-boil.it.P

t’áadoo

Tó bąąhjí naa’ołí k’idíílá.

Tł’óół tsin bigaan binah dah sélá.

rope stick arm 2-against up 3-1-hung.P

yah

listenloadingplaying

in, inside (a spacious chamber, as a room, burrow, cavern, building, mouth)

yiishjį́į́h

Usitative Mode: 1-become.black.U
listenloadingplaying

I usually become black, get sunburned

yik’íideezdiz

3DO-3-wrap.it.around.it.P

yik’íididis

3DO-3-wrap.it.around.it.I