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

’Ach’íí’ ła’ deeshį́į́ł.

rolled.intestine some 1-eat.F

’Adą́ą́dą́ą́’ shá bíighah kintahdi tádísháahgo shee ’i’íí’ą́.

yesterday sun proportionate town-at 1-go.about.Prog-GO 1-on 3-sun.went.down.P

’Ak’ah kǫ’ dishtłi’go sédá.

candle 3-1-cause.burn.NI-GO 1-sit.SPN

’Ak’ah ła’ dishhį́įhgo baa naashá.

lard some 3-1-melt.I 3-to 1-go.CI

’Ashkii nishłínę́ędą́ą́’ łah yoostsah bik’íníyá.

boy 1-be.NI-past once ring 3-1-find.P

’Ałk’idą́ą́’ ye’iitsoh lei’ jiní “łeeh nideeshbish.”

long.ago giant INDEF 4-say.P ground-into 2-1.roast.F
’íísíníłts’ą́ą́’loadingplaying

’Ííshją́ą́ ’at’ééd yázhí hooghandę́ę́’ ch’idoogááł.

certainly girl little house-from out-3-walk.F

’Íídeeshwosh daats’í doodaii’ saad naalkaah bindeeshnish.

1-sleep.F maybe or word research 3-1-work.F

-ę́ę+-dą́ą́’ (yę́ędą́ą́’)

Ashkii tó nílinígíi yiih dzółhaał.

Boy flowing.water-ÍGÍÍ 3-in 3-3-fall.O

Bee ’atiní ’éí doo ’ashohodoobéézhgóó bee ’azk’az.

freezer TOP extremely 3-with 3-cold.SPN

Chidí bąąh dah sitání bąąh dah shishtįįh ńt’éé’ ’ił adaagizí doo ’éí da lá.

car license plate 3-1-put. I SSO past Sup-with screw neg that neg Disc.

Da’ ’áájí ’ałdó’ ’áłah ’azlį́į́’?

Q that-side also meeting 1-happen.P

Da’ Ron saad neiskáá’?

Q Ron word 3-3-investigate.P

Dah díníilghaazhísh ’íilnilaa?

fry.bread-Q 3-2-make.P

daoohdlą́ą́’

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

daooyą́ą́’

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

Dá’ák’ehdi nídahodoohgoł.

cornfield-at pl-3-2-hoe.F

deididoołhįh

pl-3DO-3dpl-melt.it.F

didishjeeh

3DO-1-start.fire.I

Díkwíí jį́ nanilnish?

how.many-Q day 2-work.I

Doo kingóó diit’ash da.

NEG town-to 1dpl-go.du.Prog NEG

dooshą’ dó’ léi’ --- lá

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’éego lá ’íiyisíí ’atiinjį’ ’ańdeeshdááł lá?

how Q main road-up.to 1-back-on-go.F DISC

ha’át’ééjí

Ha’át’íísh biniinaa naníchxǫ’?

what-Q 3-because 2-pout.CI

haashgéésh

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

hadííłtééł

3DO-2-carry.him/her.up.out.of.something.F

Hak’az bik’ee shíchį́į́h doo ’áháłchįįh da.

Hádą́ą́’sh Mary ’ólta’dę́ę́’ nádzá?

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

Háí lá Naatsis’áángóó náádeesdzá?

who-Q discover Navajo.Mountain.GOO again-3-go.F

Jáan naalnishísh?

John 3-work.I-Q

K’ad hooghangóó nááshdááł dooleeł.

now hogan-toward 1-go.Prog FUT

nanilé

3DO-2-carry.a.ropelike.thing.around.I

Náhookǫsdę́ę́’ níłch’igo ’ayóo deesk’aaz.

north.from breeze-GO very cold.SPN

Nédáá dóó bikáá’adání bik’i ndinís’eez.

1-sit and table 3-on 1-place-1-foot.P

Nishą́? Náádilyeed ho’dooniid.

2-Q It. 2-run 3-2-said.P
’íísíníłts’ą́ą́’loadingplaying

nishóóh

3DO-2-brush/comb.it.I

Shicheii t’áá sáhí ’átsą́ą́’ ’ałtso yoolghal --- doochǫǫł ’át’éego ’ajilghał dooleeł!

1-grandpa just himself rib whole 3-chew.P ridiculous 3-be.NI-GO SER-3-ate.DI FUT

Shimá nitsii’ yiilch’ííł áádóó bíni’ t’áá’ ákót’ée doo.

1-mom 2-hair 3-2-curl.I and.then let.be just it.is will.be.F

T’ah ’ałk’idídą́ą́’ ’éí Diné tát’áá góyaa kéédahat’íinii t’éiyá díí tábąąhgóó bidáda’ak’eh naaznil ńt’éé’.

still quite.long.ago the people water-near areal-down pl-3-reside.NI-NOM only this water-edge-toward farm 3-lie.PlO.SPN past

Tooh ńlínígíí ha’naa shił ’adeezbą́ą́z ńt’éé’ tsinaabąąs nihits’ą́ą́’ k’é’éłtǫ’.

water river areal-across 1-with 3-drive.P past wagon 2dpl-away 3-break.P

Tsxį́įłgo ni’éé’ biih ni’nééh.

hurry 2-clothes 3-into 2-crawl.I

Tsé dzídzahashníiłgo baa naashá, daniidoiigo táchééh góne’ yah ’adoo’nił biniiye.

rock into.fire-3-1-put.P-GO 1-go.I 3-become.hot.P-GO sweathouse into in 3-PASS.put.PlO.F 3-because

Tł’óo’di kǫ’ diltłi’ bikáa’gi chéch’il ła’ dináádísh’nííł.

outside-at fire 3-burn.NI 3-on-at oak some fire-again-3-1-move.PlO.I

Yiską́ągo łį́į́’ ’ahaniniilkaad dooleeł.

tomorrow-GO horse 1dpl-round.up.P FUT
’íísíníłts’ą́ą́’loadingplaying

Ániid iiyą́ą́ ’áko ndi t’ah dichin nisin.

Recently 1-eat.P even then still 3-hungry 1-want.NI

“Shich’e’e’ baa shíni' diniine’ t’ahdíish doo yá’át’ééh da?

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