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].

Ła’ ha’nitáhígíí ’éí biihidzóhí 50 entries

Shichʼéʼé kinaasdaʼgo bitsiiʼ shá beʼdíítłʼóół. Tʼáásh ʼáko?

1-daughter 3-reach.puberty.P-GO 3-hair 1-for 3-2-tie.F just-Q okay

’Ałah ’aleehgóó deesháál nínízinísh doodago béésh nitsíkeesí daats’í bee nidoonááł ’éí doodago t’áá hooghanídi daats’í KTNN yídíiłts’iił?

meeting-to 1-go-F 3-2 want.NI-Q or computer possibly 2-watch.F or just home-at possibly KTNN 3-2-listen.F

’Áádóó shą’?

and.then Q

Bikáá’ dah ’asdáhí bikáa’gi doodaai’ ni’góó daats’í nishdaah?

chair 3-top-at or floor-on perhaps 1-sit.NI

Bá’ólta’íísh níyá?

3-for-3-teach-Q 3-come.P

Ch’ah ’éí doodaii’ nák’ee sinilí łizhinígíí daats’í nee hólǫ́’?

hat or sunglasses perhaps 2-with 4-exist.NI

Chidí naat’a’í ’íinilaaígíí háajį’ ninít’a’?

airplane 3-2-make.P-ÍGÍÍ where-up.to 3-fly.P

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

Da’ ’ałní’ní’ą́ąjį’ tł’óo’di nishínílnish?

Q noon-until outside-at 2-work.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’ 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

Daniel hahgosh hidilníísh?

Daniel when-Q 3-start.work.I

Dibé nee hólǫ́, ya’?

sheep 2-with 3-exist.NI Q

Dichinísh doodaii’ dibáá’ísh dzinízin?

hunger-Q or thirst-Q 3-4-want.NI

Dichinísh doodaii’ dibáá’ísh jinízin?

hunger-Q or thirst-Q 3-4-want.NI

Díigi ’át’éegoósh ’ájiił’įįh?

this-at 3-be-GO-Q SUP-4-do.P

Díísh haa yit’éego ’atiin?

this-Q how 3-be.NI road

Díkwíí jį́ nanilnish?

how.many-Q day 2-work.I

Díkwíísh ninááhai?

how.many-Q 2-winter.NI

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’at’iish náádaadi’ní?

what-Q again-pl-3-say.I

Ha’at’íí shą’ baa naniná?

what Q 3-2.do.I

ha’át’éegi

Ha’át’éegosh náníldzid?

why-Q 2-fear.I

Ha’át’íí biniiyé ’ákǫ́ǫ́ díníyá?

what 3-for.purpose there 2-start.go.P

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

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

Haa néelą́ą́’ nidá’ák’eh?

how 3-much.N 2-cornfield

haa níłtsááz

’íísíníłts’ą́ą́’loadingplaying

haa níłtso

’íísíníłts’ą́ą́’loadingplaying

haa nóoshóní

’íísíníłts’ą́ą́’loadingplaying

Haa’í lá neezgai?

where Q 3-hurt.N

Haash nízah kodóó nighanjį’?

how-Q 3-long.N here-from 2-home-to

Haashą’ ʼátʼé, shí bichʼįʼ haʼdiisdzih.

how-Q 3-be.NI 1 3-to 1-speak.F

Haaʼí yeeʼ dibé naakaí?

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

Hahgosh Daniel hidilníísh?

when-GO-Q Daniel 3-start.work

Há’át’íí lá hastiin dóó ’at’ééd ’áyiilaa?

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

Háágóó shą’ díníyá?

where-to.Q 2-go.F

háidí

Háidíígíísh neidiyoołnih nínízin?

which.one-ÍGÍÍ-Q 3-3-buy.F 2-think.NI

Háísh yiską́ągo ’adoogis?

who-Q tomorrow 3-wash.F

Háá’íshą’. ’Ákǫ́ǫ́ dílyeed!

what-Q there 2-run.F

Jáan, nanilnishísh?

John 2-work.I-Q

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

Kin Łánídiísh ’éí doodago Bee’eldííldahsinildi daats’í naniná?

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

lá

Na’azhǫǫshgi díkwíí shį́į́ shaa woobįįh?

hoop.and.pole.game-at how.much 1-to pass-win.I

Nichidíshą’ háadi nííníłbą́ą́z?

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

Nizhé’é ha’át’íísh nayiisnii’?

2-father what-Q 3-3-buy.P

N bééhózinísh ’éí doodaii’ nicheii daats’í b bééhózin?

2-with 3-know.CI-Q TOP or 2-grandfather perhaps 3-with 3-know.CI

“Shich’é’é baa shíni’" diníine’. T’ahdiísh t’áá ’ákónít’é?

1-daughter 3-about 1-mind 2-say.P still-Q just 2-well.NI