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
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.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
’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’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.OBee ’atiní ’éí doo ’ashohodoobéézhgóó bee ’azk’az.
freezer TOP extremely 3-with 3-cold.SPNChidí 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.PDa’ Ron saad neiskáá’?
Q Ron word 3-3-investigate.PDah díníilghaazhísh ’íilnilaa?
fry.bread-Q 3-2-make.Pdaoohdlą́ą́’
pl-3DO-2dpl-drink.it.Pdaooyą́ą́’
pl-3DO-2dpl-eat.it.PDá’ák’ehdi nídahodoohgoł.
cornfield-at pl-3-2-hoe.Fdeididoołhįh
pl-3DO-3dpl-melt.it.Fdidishjeeh
3DO-1-start.fire.IDíkwíí jį́ nanilnish?
how.many-Q day 2-work.IDoo kingóó diit’ash da.
NEG town-to 1dpl-go.du.Prog NEGbee ’ééhóziní
- Proposal with negationfind in Navajo Imperatives
- Ájoolį́į́łfind in Navajo Imperatives
- doo --- da frame to negativize verbs and phrasesfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- -góó to, toward, along, on, with a numeral it indicates a datefind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- Progressive (Prog)find in Navajo Verb Modes
dooshą’ dó’ léi’ --- lá
Gohwééh t’áá bizhání ’éí doodaii’ ’abe’ biłgo daats’í nínízin?
coffee only TOP or milk perhaps 3-with 3-2-want.NIHa’át’éego lá ’íiyisíí ’atiinjį’ ’ańdeeshdááł lá?
how Q main road-up.to 1-back-on-go.F DISCha’át’ééjí
Ha’át’íísh biniinaa naníchxǫ’?
what-Q 3-because 2-pout.CIhaashgéésh
3DO-1-cut.it.out.Ihadííłtééł
3DO-2-carry.him/her.up.out.of.something.FHak’az bik’ee shíchį́į́h doo ’áháłchįįh da.
Hádą́ą́’sh Mary ’ólta’dę́ę́’ nádzá?
when-past-Q Mary school-from 3-return.PHáí lá Naatsis’áángóó náádeesdzá?
who-Q discover Navajo.Mountain.GOO again-3-go.FJáan naalnishísh?
John 3-work.I-QK’ad hooghangóó nááshdááł dooleeł.
now hogan-toward 1-go.Prog FUTnanilé
3DO-2-carry.a.ropelike.thing.around.INáhookǫsdę́ę́’ níłch’igo ’ayóo deesk’aaz.
north.from breeze-GO very cold.SPNNédáá dóó bikáá’adání bik’i ndinís’eez.
1-sit and table 3-on 1-place-1-foot.Pnishóóh
3DO-2-brush/comb.it.IShicheii 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 FUTShimá 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.FT’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 pastTooh 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.PTsxį́įłgo ni’éé’ biih ni’nééh.
hurry 2-clothes 3-into 2-crawl.ITsé 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-becauseTł’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.Ibee ’ééhóziní
- Neuter Imperfective (NI)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- diltłi’ burnfind in Navajo Verb Modes
- Imperfective (I) (∅, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- dináádish’nííł put more of them into the firefind in Navajo Verb Modes
- tł’óo’di outsidefind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- -gi atfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
Yiską́ągo łį́į́’ ’ahaniniilkaad dooleeł.
tomorrow-GO horse 1dpl-round.up.P FUTÁniid iiyą́ą́ ’áko ndi t’ah dichin nisin.
Recently 1-eat.P even then still 3-hungry 1-want.NIbee ’ééhóziní
- ’ániidígo recently, not long agofind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- ’áko ndi even so, even thenfind in Navajo Conjunction Lexicon
- -t’ah in a recess, pocket or enclosed space, undercoverfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- Neuter Imperfective (NI)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- nisin think, wantfind in Navajo Verb Modes