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
Yadiizíní bigháníshgéésh.
can 3-through-1-cut.open.I’Ak’ah ła’ dishhį́įhgo baa naashá.
lard some 3-1-melt.I 3-to 1-go.CIbee ’ééhóziní
- Imperfective (I) (∅, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- dishhį́įh melt itfind in Navajo Verb Modes
- -go verb and subordinating encliticfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- -aa tofind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- Continuative Imperfective (CI)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- naashá go aboutfind in Navajo Verb Modes
’Anít’i’ ńtłóo’go biniinaa béégashii t’óó yigháníkah.
fence 3-loose.P-GO 3-because.of cow just 3-through-3-go.pl.P’Atiin bąąhgóó béésh halne’é tsin bá ’adaaz’á.
road 3-along.side telephone pole 3-for 3Pl-stand.upright.SPN’Atsą́ą́’ ła’ jóyą́ą’ le’.
ribs some 4-eat.O desire’Áłchíní bi’éé’ náádaségis.
children 3-clothes 3-1-wash.R’Óshą́ą́’ laanaa’ dichin shi’niiłxį́.
1-eat.O wish hunger 1-3-kill.I-í + -jígo
-ní
Béégashii ndahaniihdi dóola ’ayóí ’ánóolin léi’ t’óó bidánééł’į́į́’.
cattle-NOM pl-3-sell.CI-at bull remarkable 3-resemble.N INDEF just 3-1-look.at.Pbik’ídidiidis
3DO-1dpl-wrap.it.around.it.FBilagáana bizaad bił nantł’a.
English language 3-with 3-difficult.NIbíhoosh’aah
1-learn.it.ICh’iyáán t’óó ’ahayóí ndi tó ’ádin.
food lots but water 3-none.NICh’óóshdą́ą́dą́ą́’ Diné Bizaad naalkaah doo shił bééhózin da. K’ad éí t’áá shxǫǫd shił báá hózin.
formerly Navajo language research NEG 1-with 3-of ho-know.CI NEG | now TOP luckily 1-with 3-about-ho-know.CIChidí naa’na’í ’ayóo bídin nishłį́.
tractor really 3-without 1-be.NIDa’ k’ad daats’í ch’iyáán ’áníléehgo ná ’adazh’niiyą́ą́’?
Q now perhaps food 2-make.I-GO 2-for feast.happenDamóo yę́ędą́ą́’ dziłghą́ą́’dę́ę́’ shádí dóó ba’áłchíní bił ’adaashkai.
sunday past-time mountain top.of-from 1-elder.sister and 3-children 3-with downward-1-go.Pl.Pdiilyį́į́h
3DO-1dpl-melt.it.IDíí tł’éé’ ’iidííłhosh.
this night 2-sleep.FDziłghą́ą́’góó deeshááł nissin.
mountain-top-toward 1-go.F 1-want.CIHa’át’éegoshą’ ’ayóo náníldzid?
why-Q very 2-fear.IHa’át’éegoshą’ ’ayóo náníldzid?
why-Q very 2-fear.IHa’át’íí biniiyé shą́ą́h ńdídááh?
what 3-because 1-passing.by 2-go.Ihaa + Neuter V
haidoołtééł
3DO-3-carry.him/her.up.out.of.something.Fhainiłchaad
3DO-3-card.it.(as.in.wool).IHáádę́ę́’shą’ tó ndahohheeh?
where-from-Q water pl-3-2-haul.LPB.IHodíina’go bááh dootł’izhí deeshį́į́ł dóó ’ahwéé bił ła’ deeshdlį́į́ł.
after.a.while-GO bread blue 3-1-eat.F and coffee 3-with some 3-1-drink.FKinaaldáágóó jidóya’ t’óó ’ílį́.
puberty.ceremony-to 4-go.O hope just thinkNa’ahóóhaii Ya’iishjááshtsoh bini góne’ nída’adleeh.
July 3-in 3-into rodeo 3-Pl-SUP-be.RNidlóóhísh doodaii’ doo daats’í nidlóoh da?
2-cold.I-Q or neg perhaps 2-cold.I negnisínílá
3DO-2-carry.a.ropelike.thing.around.Pnitł’ó
3DO-2-weave.it.INił hǫ́zhǫ́ǫ́sh doodaii’ doósh nił hózhǫ́ǫ da?
2-with-happy.NI-Q or neg-Q 2-with happy.NI negSáanii ’éétsoh bi’oh ’ádaníłtso.
women coat 3-less.than indef-Pl-3.size.NShi’dizhchį́į́ yęędą́ą́’ ’éí tsinaabąąs dahólǫ́ nt’éé.
1-pass-born.P past TOP wagon 3-with pl-3-drive.I pl-be.NI pastShí hanii t’éiyá Naasht’ézhí bizaad shił bééhózin.
I contrary only English 3-language 1-with 3-know.PT’áá ch’ééh ’ásht’į́įgo bįįh biyaaghah ’eelwod.
just in.vain 1-act.NI-GO deer 3-around.corner 3- run.away.PT’áá hazhóó’ógo yisháałgo biniinaa shaa ’adiildee’.
just carefully 1-walk.Prog-GO 3-because 1-for PASS-left.behind.PT’áá kintahdi ’ííyą́ą́’ nidi náá’áshdą́.
just town-at 1-eat.P but 3-1eat.RT’iis Ts’ózídi shicheii bidááh níyá.
Crownpoint.at 1-grandfather 3-meet 1-walk.PTsinaabąąs bikáádę́ę́’ ’adaashááh nt’éé shitł’aakał ’íízǫ́ǫ́z.
wagon 3-from downward-1-go.I past 1-skirt 3o-1-tear.PTsinaabąąs t’éiyá bee ch’aa nida’asdee’ ha’níigo dahane’.
wagon only 3-it travel pl-3-go.P 3-say-GO.NI pl-3-tell.Pwołbéézh
3DO-2dpl-boil.it.Iyiilbéézh
3DO-1dpl-boil.it.IYiską́ągo Na’nízhígóó deet’áazhgo haa’í lá ’adiidį́į́ł?
tomorrow Gallup-to 1dpl-go.du.F-GO where Q 1pdl-eat.Fbee ’ééhóziní
- yiską́ągo tomorrowfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- -góó to, toward, along, on, with a numeral it indicates a datefind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- -go verb and subordinating encliticfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- Future (F)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- déyá start to gofind in Navajo Verb Modes
- haa’í where
- lá particle for content questions
- Future (F)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- ’ashą́ eatfind in Navajo Verb Modes