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].
Da’ | Na’nízhoozhígóó | díníyá? |
Q | Gallup-to | 2-go.F |
Are you going to Gallup? |
Mary | ha’át’íí | nayiisnii’? |
Mary | what | 3-3-buy.P |
What did Mary buy? |
’Atsį́’ísh | ’éí | doodaii’ | łóó’ísh | nínízin? |
meat-Q | TOP | or | fish-Q | 3-2-want.NI |
Do you want meat or fish? |
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
Át’ah ’inda shaa náádíídááł.
later 1-to again-2-come.Fbik’ídadidiidis
pl-3DO-1dpl-wrap.it.around.it.Fch’óóshdą́ą́dą́ą́’
Chidí naat’a’í ’íinilaaígíí háajį’ ninít’a’?
airplane 3-2-make.P-ÍGÍÍ where-up.to 3-fly.Pdadizhdínóołkał
pl-3DO-4dpl-start.to.herd.them.(animals).Fdadoołhį́į́’
pl-3DO-2dpl-melt.it.Pdeididínóołkał
pl-3DO-3dpl-start.to.herd.them.(animals).FDibé bighan báátis dah yiishte’.
Sheep corral 3-over up 1-climb.Pdidazhdííłjéé’
pl-3DO-4dpl-start.fire.Pdidoołjéé’
3DO-2dpl-start.fire.Pdidííníłjéé’
3DO-2-start.fire.Pdoo ’ashohodoobéézhgóó
doo --- da
Doondó’ ’ółta’ da.
NEG 3-go.school.NI NEGdííłhį́į́’
3DO-1-melt.it.PGohwééh t’áá bizhání ’éí doodaii’ ’abe’ biłgo daats’í nínízin?
coffee only TOP or milk perhaps 3-with 3-2-want.NIHa’át’éegishą’ nich’ah nííní’ą́?
where-at-Q 2-hat 3-2-set.down.SRO.Phaoogeed
3DO-2dpl-dig.it.out.Phazhdínóołchał
3DO-4-card.it.(as.in.wool).Fháádę́ę́’
Hádą́ą́’sh Mary ’ólta’dę́ę́’ nádzá?
when-past-Q Mary school-from 3-return.PHodíínáá’ágo bááh dootł’izhí ła’ deeshį́į́ł.
after.a.while-GO bread blue some 1-eat.FHoozdo 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.Pháíníłgizh
3DO-2-cut.it.out.PJáan naalnishísh?
John 3-work.I-QK’ad shį́į́ deesk’aaz hodooleeł.
now probably cold area-become.FNa’nízhoozhídę́ę́’ shíká bił ’oolwoł.
Gallup 1-for 3-with 3-drive.INeeznáadigóó ’oolkiłgo ’áłah ’aleeh daaní.
ten.at-toward time-GO meeting pl-4-say.NInideidooleeł
pl-3DO-3dpl-carry.a.ropelike.thing.around.FSam ’ádił yálti’.
Sam reflx-with 3-talk.DIShighanídóó ’e’e’aah bich’ijígo shádí bighan.
1-home-from west 3-in.the.direction.of older.sister 3-dwell.NShínaaí chidí bił dah diilwodgo bizánághah góne’ łeezh ’adzíísi’.
older.brother car 3-with up 3-run.I-GO 3-around areal-in dust 3-trail.PShínaaí 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 NEGbee ’ééhóziní
- -ká after, forfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- benefactive
- Future (F)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- yishwoł run alongfind in Navajo Verb Modes
- Neuter Imperfective (NI)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- nisin think, wantfind in Navajo Verb Modes
- ńt’éé’ relates to past timefind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- ’áłt’ąą after allfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- t’áadoo notfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- doo --- da frame to negativize verbs and phrasesfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- nishááh come, arrivefind in Navajo Verb Modes