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].

An example search has returned 50 entries

’Asdzą́ą́ Báhóózhóní yinishyée dooleeł.

woman happy 1-called.NI FUT

’Ałk’ésdisí naháłnii’go sitsilí dóó shideezhí ’aheełt’éego bá ’ahá níjaa’.

candy 3-1-buy.P-GO 1-little.brother and 1-little.sister RECP-equal-GO 3-for RECP-for 3-lie.aligned.PlO.NP

’Ałk’idą́ą́’ dahane’ yę́ę k’ad ’índa baa nídahane’.

past pl-3.tell.story.I old now until.now 3-for pl-3.tell.story.I

’Áádóó éí haa daadzaa?

and.then TOP what pl-3-do.P

’Áshįįh Bii’ Tóodi níyáago dził bąąh hanáádeesh’nah.

Salt.Lake.City-at 1-go.P-GO mountain 3-on again-1-climb.R
listenloadingplaying

When I go to Salt Lake, I will climb mountains again.

’Óshą́ą́’ laanaa’ dichin shi’niiłxį́.

1-eat.O wish hunger 1-3-kill.I

-aa

-k’ą́ą́h

-ta’

-ts’ą́ą́’, -ts’á

bik’ídidiidis

3DO-1dpl-wrap.it.around.it.F

Bilagáana kin baa naháłnii’go neeznáá nááhaijį’ bik’é na’iishłée dooleełgo b ’ahadi’nisht’ą́.

whiteman house 3-from 3-1-buy.P-GO ten years-up.to 3-for 1-pay.Prog FUT-GO 3-with sup-1-agree.P

Chidíísh bee hólǫ́ ’éí doodago ni daats’í ła’ nee hólǫ́?

car-Q 3-with 4-exist.N TOP or 2 maybe one 2-with 4-exist.NI

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.NI

Damóo 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.P
listenloadingplaying

Last Sunday I accompanied my older sister and her family down from the mountaintop.

deidoołbish

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

deiitł’ó

pl-3DO-1dpl-weave.it.I

Díí chąą’ shą’ háádę́ę́’ niníyęęzh?

this manure-Q where-from 3-ooze.P

ha’át’íí biniyé/ biniinaa

Ha’át’íí lá hastiin dóó ’at’ééd ’áyiilaa?

what Q man and girl 3-3-make.P
listenloadingplaying

What did the man and the girl make?

haa yit’é (hait’é), haa yit’éego (hait’éego)

listenloadingplaying

how is it, what is its condition

Haidą́ą́’ ’a’áán góne’ nishishnish ńt’éé’ --- doo sh yá’áhoot’éeh da.

winter-past mine.shaft 1-work.P past neg 1-with 3-good.N neg

Hastiin dóó ’at’ééd ha’át’íí lá ’áyiilaa?

man and girl what Q 3-3-make.P
listenloadingplaying

What did the man and the girl make?

hádą́ą́’

listenloadingplaying

when [past]

Háidíígíísh neidiyoołnih nínízin?

which.one-ÍGÍÍ-Q 3-3-buy.F 2-think.NI

Jáanísh naalnish?

John-Q 3-work.I

k’adę́ę

K’os jóhonaa’éí yich’ą́ą́h ’i’ííjool.

cloud sun 3-protect 3-drift.P
listenloadingplaying

A cloud moved in front of the sun.

Na’nízhoozhídę́ę́’ shíká b ’oolwoł.

Gallup-from 1-for 3-with 3-drive.I

Na’nízhoozhígóósh díníyá?

Gallup-to-Q 2-go.SP

Nanise’ígíí ch’iiyáán daohsą́ ’áko bee nihits’íís bitah ya’ádahoot’ééh dooleeł.

plant-ÍGÍÍ food pl-2-eat.I so 3-with 2pl-body 3-among pl-3-good.NI future

Nidlóóhísh doodaii’ doo daats’í nidlóoh da?

2-cold.I-Q or neg perhaps 2-cold.I neg

Níká ’adeeshwoł biniiyé níyá.

2-for 1-run.F 3-purpose.of 1-came.P

Ńléí ’asdzą́ą́ sáníshą’ háí ’át’į́?

there woman old-Q what 3-be.N

Who’s that old lady over there?

Ólta’di ndeii’néego ’ashkii ła’ kin bizánághahdę́ę́’ shich’į’ ch’élwodgo b ’ahídégoh.

school-at 1pl-play.I-GO boy some building-3-around-from 1-to out-3-run.P-GO 3-with 3-1-collide.P

Shich’ahashkéé léi’ doo bíká ’iishyeed da.

1-3-upset.I since NEG 3-for 1-help.I NEG
listenloadingplaying

I didn’t help him/her since s/he was upset with me.

Shicheii béeso bideená naalnish.

1-grandfather money 3-exchange.for 3-work.I

Shínaaí chidí b dah diilwodgo bizánághah góne’ łeezh ’adzíísi’.

older.brother car 3-with up 3-run.I-GO 3-around areal-in dust 3-trail.P
listenloadingplaying

When my older brother started off in the car he left a trail of dust around the corner.

Shínaaí 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 NEG

Shį́į́dą́ą́’ łé’é yázhí shee hazlį́į́’.

summer-past pony 1-with 3-become.P
listenloadingplaying

I got a pony last summer, I acquired a pony last summer.

Sikétsíín diniihgo bik’í’dísdis.

1-ankle pain-GO 3-wrap.I
listenloadingplaying

My ankle aches so I’m wrapping it

Sitsiitł’óól tsásk’eh bikáá’ dah yishłééh.

Navajo.hair.tie bed 3-on up 3-1-put.SFO.U

Tó ńlį́įgo ha’naa niníyáá ńt’éé’ kohgo tó bínéés’ąąd.

water 3-be.N-GO area-across 1-walk.P past here water 3-rise.P
listenloadingplaying

When I waded across the river the water came up to here.

woołhį́į́’

3DO-2dpl-melt.it.(snow).P

Yadiizíní bitł’ááhdę́ę́’ bigháda’shéshiizh.

can 3-under-from 3-through-SUP-1-poke.P

yik’ídeididoodis

pl-3DO-3dpl-wrap.it.around.it.F

Yiską́ągo daats’í doodaii’ naakiiską́ągo daats’í dah dideeshááł.

tomorrow.GO maybe either two.tomorrow-GO or start.off 1-start.go.F

yínídlą́ą́’

3DO-2-drink.it.P

Łį́į́’ hooghangóó nooshkaałgo táá’ shits’ą́ą́ bizánághah góne’ ’ałhaa’eekai.

horse hogan-GO 3-1-herd-Prog-GO 3-1-away-from around areal-in-3 3-run.P.Pl
listenloadingplaying

I was chasing the horses home when three of them took off around the bend.

łahgo