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

’Adą́ą́dą́ą́’ ch’iyáán ’áshłaago dajííyą́ą́’.

yesterday food 1-make.P-GO pl-4-eat.P

’Atiin bąąhgóó béésh halne’é tsin bá ’adaaz’á.

road 3-near phone pole 3-for 3-stand.upright.NP

’ałk’idą́ą́’

’ááłk’iis

’Ádą́ą́dą́ą́’ásh nishínílnish?

yesterday-Q 2-work.P

-chá- or -chá

-niinaa

-tsé

Át’ah ’inda shaa náádíídááł.

later 1-to again-2-come.F

bik’ídadidiidis

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

ch’óóshdą́ą́dą́ą́’

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

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

dadizhdínóołkał

pl-3DO-4dpl-start.to.herd.them.(animals).F

dadoołhį́į́’

pl-3DO-2dpl-melt.it.P

deididínóołkał

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

Dibé bighan báátis dah yiishte’.

Sheep corral 3-over up 1-climb.P

didazhdííłjéé’

pl-3DO-4dpl-start.fire.P

didoołjéé’

3DO-2dpl-start.fire.P

didííníłjéé’

3DO-2-start.fire.P

doo ’ashohodoobéézhgóó

doo --- da

Doondó’ ’ółta’ da.

NEG 3-go.school.NI NEG

dííłhį́į́’

3DO-1-melt.it.P

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

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

Ha’át’éegishą’ nich’ah nííní’ą́?

where-at-Q 2-hat 3-2-set.down.SRO.P

hah

haoogeed

3DO-2dpl-dig.it.out.P

hazhdínóołchał

3DO-4-card.it.(as.in.wool).F

háádę́ę́’

Hádą́ą́’sh Mary ’ólta’dę́ę́’ nádzá?

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

Hodíínáá’ágo bááh dootł’izhí ła’ deeshį́į́ł.

after.a.while-GO bread blue some 1-eat.F

Hoozdo hoolyéedi deesdoi sha’shin. ’Áyaańda (’áyąą) diné bi’éétsoh t’áá gééd ndaakai.

Phoenix areal-called-at hot possibly no.wonder person 3-coat without pl-3-go.pl.P

háíníłgizh

3DO-2-cut.it.out.P

Jáan naalnishísh?

John 3-work.I-Q

K’ad shį́į́ deesk’aaz hodooleeł.

now probably cold area-become.F

Mary ha’át’íí nayiisnii’?

Mary what 3-3-buy.P

Na’nízhoozhídę́ę́’ shíká bił ’oolwoł.

Gallup 1-for 3-with 3-drive.I

Neeznáadigóó ’oolkiłgo ’áłah ’aleeh daaní.

ten.at-toward time-GO meeting pl-4-say.NI

nideidooleeł

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

Sam ’ádił yálti’.

Sam reflx-with 3-talk.DI

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

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

Shínaaí chidí b dah diilwodgo bizánághah góne’ łeezh ’adzíísi’.

older.brother car 3-with up 3-run.I-GO 3-around areal-in dust 3-trail.P

Shínaaí shíká ’adoolwoł nisin ńt’éé’ ’áłt’ąą t’áadoo níyáa da.

1-older.brother 1-for 3-run.F 1-want.NI but after.all NEG 3-come.sg.P NEG

Shínaaí łahda b náhoniidoh.

1-older.brother sometime 3-with 3-become.warm.R

Shį́į́dą́ą́’ łé’é yázhí shee hazlį́į́’.

summer-past pony 1-with 3-become.P

Tsé bikáa’gi béésh dah si’ą́.

rock 3-on-at knife up 3-sit.SNP

Tł’éédą́ą́’ mą’ii léi’ shidááh gónaa ch’élwod.

last-night coyote there 1-before areal-around 3-move-rapidly.P

wooyą́ą́’

3DO-2dpl-eat.it.P

wołhį́į́h

3DO-2dpl-melt.it.(snow).I

yiilzhóóh

3DO-1dpl-brush/comb.it.I