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
Shichʼéʼé kinaasdaʼgo bitsiiʼ shá beʼdíítłʼóół. Tʼáásh ʼáko?
1-daughter 3-reach.puberty.P-GO 3-hair 1-for 3-2-tie.F just-Q okaybee ’ééhóziní
- Request, affirmativefind in Navajo Imperatives
- ’Áhoodzaii’áhát’íní hoolzhishgi bik’ídáahgi
- -go verb and subordinating encliticsaad ’át’éii zanoo’į́ bik’ídáahgi
- -á for, for the benefit of’akéé’ si’ání zanoo’į́ bik’ídáahgi
- Náásgóó’áhát’íní hoolzhishgi bik’ídáahgi
- -ísh enclitic for yes/no questions
- t’áá justfind in Navajo Particle Lexicon
’Ałah ’aleehgóó deesháál nínízinísh doodago béésh nitsíkeesí daats’í bee nidoonááł ’éí doodago t’áá hooghanídi daats’í KTNN yídíiłts’iił?
meeting-to 1-go-F 3-2 want.NI-Q or computer possibly 2-watch.F or just home-at possibly KTNN 3-2-listen.Fbee ’ééhóziní
- -góó to, toward, along, on, with a numeral it indicates a date’akéé’ si’ání zanoo’į́ bik’ídáahgi
- Náásgóó’áhát’íní hoolzhishgi bik’ídáahgi
- déyá start to go’áhát’íní hoolzhishgi bik’ídáahgi
- Neuter Imperfective (NI)’áhát’íní hoolzhishgi bik’ídáahgi
- nisin think, want’áhát’íní hoolzhishgi bik’ídáahgi
- doodago orfind in Navajo Conjunction Lexicon
- -ísh enclitic for yes/no questions
- daats’í maybe, perhaps, possiblysaad ’át’éii zanoo’į́ bik’ídáahgi
- -ee by means of’akéé’ si’ání zanoo’į́ bik’ídáahgi
- -di at’akéé’ si’ání zanoo’į́ bik’ídáahgi
- Náásgóó’áhát’íní hoolzhishgi bik’ídáahgi
’Áádóó shą’?
and.then QBikáá’ dah ’asdáhí bikáa’gi doodaai’ ni’góó daats’í nishdaah?
chair 3-top-at or floor-on perhaps 1-sit.NIBá’ólta’íísh níyá?
3-for-3-teach-Q 3-come.PCh’ah ’éí doodaii’ nák’ee sinilí łizhinígíí daats’í nee hólǫ́’?
hat or sunglasses perhaps 2-with 4-exist.NIChidí naat’a’í ’íinilaaígíí háajį’ ninít’a’?
airplane 3-2-make.P-ÍGÍÍ where-up.to 3-fly.PChidí naat’a’íísh hooghan yikáá’góó ch’ét’a’ doodaii’ dził bąąhgóósh ch’ét’a’?
airplane-Q hogan 3-over-along 3-fly.P or mountain 3-side-along-Q 3-fly.Pbee ’ééhóziní
- -ísh enclitic for yes/no questions
- -káá’ on, on top of’akéé’ si’ání zanoo’į́ bik’ídáahgi
- location
- -góó to, toward, along, on, with a numeral it indicates a date’akéé’ si’ání zanoo’į́ bik’ídáahgi
- location
- -ąąh on, beside’akéé’ si’ání zanoo’į́ bik’ídáahgi
- location
- -góó to, toward, along, on, with a numeral it indicates a date’akéé’ si’ání zanoo’į́ bik’ídáahgi
- location
Da’ ’ałní’ní’ą́ąjį’ tł’óo’di nishínílnish?
Q noon-until outside-at 2-work.Pbee ’ééhóziní
- da’ particle for yes/no questions
- ’ałní’ní’ą́ąjį’ noon-untilsaad ’át’éii zanoo’į́ bik’ídáahgi
- -jį́’ up to, as far as’akéé’ si’ání zanoo’į́ bik’ídáahgi
- time
- -di at’akéé’ si’ání zanoo’į́ bik’ídáahgi
- location
- ’Áhoodzaii’áhát’íní hoolzhishgi bik’ídáahgi
- naashnish work’áhát’íní hoolzhishgi bik’ídáahgi
Da’ chidíísh bee hólǫ́ doodaii’ ni daats’í chidí nee hólǫ́?
Q car-Q 3-with 4-exist.NI or 2 maybe car 2-with 4-exist.NIDa’ chidíísh bee hólǫ́ doodaii’ ni daats’í chidí nee hólǫ́?
Q car-Q 3-with 4-exist.NI or 2 maybe car 2-with 4-exist.NIDaniel hahgosh hidilníísh?
Daniel when-Q 3-start.work.IDibé nee hólǫ́, ya’?
sheep 2-with 3-exist.NI QDichinísh doodaii’ dibáá’ísh dzinízin?
hunger-Q or thirst-Q 3-4-want.NIDichinísh doodaii’ dibáá’ísh jinízin?
hunger-Q or thirst-Q 3-4-want.NIDíigi ’át’éegoósh ’ájiił’įįh?
this-at 3-be-GO-Q SUP-4-do.PDíísh haa yit’éego ’atiin?
this-Q how 3-be.NI roadDíkwíí jį́ nanilnish?
how.many-Q day 2-work.IDíkwíísh ninááhai?
how.many-Q 2-winter.NIGohwééh t’áá bizhání ’éí doodaii’ ’abe’ biłgo daats’í nínízin?
coffee only TOP or milk 3-with-GO perhaps 3-2-want.NIHa’at’iish náádaadi’ní?
what-Q again-pl-3-say.IHa’at’íí shą’ baa naniná?
what Q 3-2.do.IHa’át’éegosh náníldzid?
why-Q 2-fear.IHa’át’íí biniiyé ’ákǫ́ǫ́ díníyá?
what 3-for.purpose there 2-start.go.PHa’át’ííshą’ hastiin dóó ’at’ééd ’áyiilaa?
what-Q man and girl 3-3-make.PHaa néelą́ą́’ nidá’ák’eh?
how 3-much.N 2-cornfieldhaa níłtsááz
haa nóoshóní
Haa’í lá neezgai?
where Q 3-hurt.NHaash nízah kodóó nighanjį’?
how-Q 3-long.N here-from 2-home-toHaashą’ ʼátʼé, shí bichʼįʼ haʼdiisdzih.
how-Q 3-be.NI 1 3-to 1-speak.FHaaʼí yeeʼ dibé naakaí?
where-Q show.me sheep 3-walk.around.CIHahgosh Daniel hidilníísh?
when-GO-Q Daniel 3-start.workHá’át’íí lá hastiin dóó ’at’ééd ’áyiilaa?
what Q man and girl 3-3-make.PHáágóó shą’ díníyá?
where-to.Q 2-go.FHáidíígíísh neidiyoołnih nínízin?
which.one-ÍGÍÍ-Q 3-3-buy.F 2-think.NIHáísh yiską́ągo ’adoogis?
who-Q tomorrow 3-wash.FHáá’íshą’. ’Ákǫ́ǫ́ dílyeed!
what-Q there 2-run.FJáan, nanilnishísh?
John 2-work.I-QK’aa’ísh ’aní’á biyaa doodago daats’í báhátis ’ayiist’oh?
arrow-Q bridge 3-under or perhaps 3-over 3-3-shot.Pbee ’ééhóziní
- -ísh enclitic for yes/no questions
- doodago particle or
- daats’í particle for perhaps
- -yaa under, beneath, down’akéé’ si’ání zanoo’į́ bik’ídáahgi
- location
- -tis over’akéé’ si’ání zanoo’į́ bik’ídáahgi
- location
- ’Áhoodzaii’áhát’íní hoolzhishgi bik’ídáahgi
- ’adisht’oh be an archer, shoot arrows’áhát’íní hoolzhishgi bik’ídáahgi
Kin Łánídiísh ’éí doodago Bee’eldííldahsinildi daats’í naniná?
Flagstaff-at-Q TOP or Albuquerque-at perhaps 2-go.around.CINa’azhǫǫshgi díkwíí shį́į́ shaa woobįįh?
hoop.and.pole.game-at how.much 1-to pass-win.INichidíshą’ háadi nííníłbą́ą́z?
2-car-Q where-at 3-2-park.PNizhé’é ha’át’íísh nayiisnii’?
2-father what-Q 3-3-buy.PNił bééhózinísh ’éí doodaii’ nicheii daats’í bił bééhózin?
2-with 3-know.CI-Q TOP or 2-grandfather perhaps 3-with 3-know.CIbee ’ééhóziní
- -ił with’akéé’ si’ání zanoo’į́ bik’ídáahgi
- accompaniment
- Continuative Imperfective (CI)’áhát’íní hoolzhishgi bik’ídáahgi
- nisin think, want’áhát’íní hoolzhishgi bik’ídáahgi
- -ísh enclitic for yes/no questions
- doodaii’ particle or
- daats’í particle for perhaps
- Continuative Imperfective (CI)’áhát’íní hoolzhishgi bik’ídáahgi
- nisin think, want’áhát’íní hoolzhishgi bik’ídáahgi




