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

ʼAghááł chidí bídadooltłʼółígíí k'ad hashtʼe dadiilnííł.

rattle rope car 3-3-tie-ÍGÍÍ.F now 3-prepare 3-1pl-make.F

’Ashkiísh ’at’ééd yiyiiłtsą́?

boy-Q girl 3-3-see.P

’Awéé’ dah biséłdá.

baby up 3-1-CAUS-hold.AnO.SPN

’Áhéhee’ dóó baa ’ahééh nisin.

thank.you and 3-for appreciation 1-think.CI

’áko shį́į́ ’índa

CONJ

’Áłah ’aleehgo ch’iyáán ’ádadiilnííł ’áko shį́į́ ’índa diné ndahidookah.

meeting-Comp food 3-1-Pl-make.F CONJ people 3-Pl.will-arrive.F

-íniiká

-ne’

Beehaz’áanii biaad késhdę́ę́’į́">k’ehgo baa hwiiníst’įįd.

laws 3-according-to-GO 3-about 3-discuss.P

bik’ídadiidis

pl-3DO-1dpl-wrap.it.around.it.I

bik’ídadohdis

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

bik’ídideesdis

3DO-1-wrap.it.around.it.F

Chidí t’ą́ą́’ nináníłbą́ą́z.

car just 3-1-reparked.R

Da’ ’áájí ’ałdó’ ’áłah ’azlį́į́’?

Q that-side also meeting 1-happen.P

Da’ naadą́’ísh nee hólǫ́?

Q corn-Q 2-with 3-exist.NI

dadidíníilkał

pl-3DO-1dpl-start.to.herd.them.(animals).F

dah

Dibé bighan báátis dah yiishte’.

sheep corral 3-over up 1-climb.P

Dibé tóógóó dínóshkaad.

sheep water-toward 3-1-start.herd.O

didínéeshkał

3DO-1-start.to.herd.them.(animals).F

didííníłjéé’

3DO-2-start.fire.P

Díigi ’át’éego yigááł.

this-similar.to 3-walk.Prog

Díí tł’éé’ t’áá ká dóola dá’ák’eólyeed lágo, dádiʼnítįįh.

this night NEG bull into.field-3-run.O hope.not 3-2-close.gate.I

doodaii’

or

Díidí háísh bichidí?

this who-Q 3-car

dííłbish

3DO-2-boil.it.F

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

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

Ha’a’aahdę́ę́sh naaghan ’éí doodago e’e’aahdę́ę́sh naaghan?

east-from-Q 2-home TOP or west-from-Q 2 home

Ha’át’éegoshą’ ’ayóo náníldzid?

why-Q very 2-fear.I

hadajishgizh

pl-3DO-4dpl-cut.it.out.P

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

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

Háidíígíísh łį́į́ʼ bił deeshdlóózh?

which.one-ÍGÍÍ-Q horse 3-with 3-crawl.F

K’ad hooghangóó nááshdááł dooleeł.

now hogan-toward 1-go.Prog FUT

Kintahdę́ę́’ hahí néínídzáá lá.

town-from quickly 2-return.P DISC

Naalyéhé hooghandi tł’oh hániikai ńt’éé’ ’áníídí yee’ ’ásdįįd lágo ’áadi niikai.

trading.post-at hay 1dpl-go.pl.P past recently very 3-disappear.P DISC-GO there 1dpl-go.pl.P

Níwe, doo ch’il bikáá’ nijigháa da!

stop NEG plant 3-on 3-4-walk.I NEG
’íísíníłts’ą́ą́’loadingplaying

Níwe, doo tsésǫ’ góne’ ch’ééjí’nah da!

stop NEG window 3-into 4-crawl.R NEG
’íísíníłts’ą́ą́’loadingplaying

Shighan bich’ą́ą́h łeeshch’ih désas.

1-hogan 3-protect ashes 3-1-strew.P

Shilééchąą’í yázhí táa’go tsásk’eh yiyaa ’ahííjéé’.

1-dog small three-comp bed 3-under 3-lie.pl.NP

Shiye’, t’áadoo nikídíltałí.

1-son NEG 2-stomp.IR-Í

Shí hanii t’éiyá Naasht’ézhí bizaad sh bééhózin.

I contrary only English 3-language 1-with 3-know.P

Sikétsíín diniihgo bik’í’dísdis.

1-ankle pain-GO 3-wrap.I

T’ah ’ałk’idídą́ą́’ t’áá neesh’į́į́ ńt’éé’.

still quite.long.ago just 2-1-see.P past

T’áadoo hooyání łį́į́’ shidáagi ch’éltáál.

suddenly horse 1-front-at 3-bolt.P

Tsékooh góyaa tł’óół bee ’adanásh’nah.

canyon areal-down 3-with 1-climb.down.R

Tsiiyi’di náá’dzítseeł yiits’a’.

forest.up.to 4-again.chop in.sound.R

yididínóołkał

3DO-3-start.to.herd.them.(animals).F

yiidą́ą́’

3DO-1dpl-eat.it.P

yóó’

Łį́į́’ ’áhidiníłnáago sizį́.

horse Recip-3-opposite-GO 3-du-stand.SPN