A Linguistic Homework

Problem 1. Navajo Numbers

 

 

Here are some numbers in Navajo. (From this point on, orthography rather than IPA is used unless specifically noted.)

 

 

ɫa’	‘one’	tseebíí	‘eight’
naaki	‘two’	náhást’éí	‘nine’
táá’	‘three’	neeznáá	‘ten’
díí’	‘four’	ɫa’ts’áadah	‘eleven’
’ashdla’	‘five’	naakits’áadah	‘twelve’
hastááh	‘six’	naadiin	‘twenty’
tsosts’id	‘seven’	naadiintáá’	‘twenty-three’

 

 

(a) Based on ɫa’ts’áadah and naakits’áadah, describe the pattern for producing the numbers

‘eleven’ and ‘twelve’.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(b) Assuming that all of the numbers from ‘eleven’ through ‘nineteen’ are formed in the same way, give the forms that you predict for ‘fourteen’ and ‘nineteen’.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(c) What do you think that the following number is: táádiin

 

 

 

 

 

 

(d) Describe the pattern for predicting the tens.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(e) Describe the morpheme order of naadiintáá’ ‘twenty-three’.

 

 

 

 

 

(f) How do you think you would say ‘forty-two’?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(g) Take a guess at what the following might mean, paying attention to the meaning of the parts. (There are sometimes small differences in how the numbers are pronounced on their own and how they are pronounced in combination with other numbers.) The first one is done.

neeznádiin 100 naakidi neeznádiin

 

tseebíí neeznádiin ɫa’ts’áadah

 

 

 

 

Problem 2. Navajo verbs

 

 

The verb of Navajo is complex and has been the object of much study in Navajo linguistics. The verb is like a sentence in English, containing information about the subject, the object, tense, and adverbs as well as the main meaning of the verb.

 

Some examples of verbs are given below, written in Navajo orthography.

 

 

(1)	hasmáás	‘I toll up out.’
	hanimáás	‘You (sg.) roll up out.’
	hamáás	‘She/he/it rolls up out.’
(2)	hasts’ǫǫd	‘I stretch my neck up out.’
	hanits’ǫǫd	‘You (sg.) stretch your neck up out.’
	hats’ǫǫd	‘She/he/it stretches his, her, its neck up out.’
(3)	hashdlóósh	‘I creep up out on all fours.’
	hanidlóósh	‘You (sg.) creep up out on all fours.’
	hadlóósh	‘She/he/it creeps up out on all fours.’
(4)	hashɫé	‘I take it up out (e.g., a belt from a box).’
	hanilé	‘You (sg.) take it up out (e.g. a belt from a box).’

 

(Ignore the variation between [ɫ ] and [l] in these forms.)

 

 

 

(a) Identify each of the following morphemes in the data above by listing all of the possible forms.

 

 

‘roll’

 

 

‘I’

 

 

‘up out ’

 

 

‘stretch neck’

 

 

‘you-singular’

 

 

‘creep on all fours’

 

 

‘he/she/it‘

 

 

‘take it (belt)’

 

 

(b) Note that the pronoun ‘I’ has two forms. Identify these. It might be hard for you to explain the difference and when does each of the forms appear, so don’t bother with this. It is enough to just state which two possibilities are there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(c) Now look at the data in (5)-(6).

 

(5)	’adasmáás	‘I roll down from a height.’
	ch’ésmáás	‘I roll out horizontally.’
	yisdásmaas	‘I roll to safety.’
(6)	’adashdlóósh	‘I creep down from a height on hands and knees, come down on all fours.’
	ch’éshdlóósh	‘I creep out horizontally on hands and knees.’
	yisdáshdlóósh	‘I creep to safety on hands and knees, escape by creeping to safety on all fours.’

 

 

 

 

 

Identify the following translations:

 

 

‘down from a height’

 

 

‘out horizontally’

 

 

‘to safety’

 

 

(d) Taking all the data into account, state the order of morpheme categories in the Navajo verb.

The morphemes which you have to order are: (1) Subject (2) Verb (3) Adverb. In which order

they occur in Navajo?

 

 

 

 

 

 

(e) Suppose that you find a new verb stem of the form ’eeɫ ‘float, go by boat’. How do you predict you would say the following?

 

I float to safety by boat.
You (sg.) float down from a height.
She/he floats out horizontally.

 

 

 

 

(f) Now add the following forms with objects (me/you/him/her):

 

 

 

(7)	yisdánismáás	‘I roll you (sg.) to safety.’
	yisdáyilé	‘He/she carries it to safety.’ (rope, belt, snake, pair of gloves or shoes)
	yisdáshilé	‘He/she carries me to safety.’ (stretched out and limp like a rope)

 

 

 

 

Identify the morphemes with the following meanings.

 

 

‘me’

 

 

‘you-singular (object)’

 

 

‘him/her/it’

 

(g) Revise your order of morphemes in Navajo verb. Now in addition to morphemes listed in (d) you have to add the morpheme for object (me/you/him/her/it). Where does object morpheme appear? You have to specify the order of all four types of morphemes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(h) How do you predict you would say the following?

 

 

I float you down from a height.

 

 

I roll you out horizontally.

 

 

She/he takes it (ropelike object) up out.

 

 

(i) The verbs below show another prefix. This prefix is usually called inceptive and means ‘start’.

 

 

(8)	dismáás	‘I start to roll along.’
	dimáás	‘She/he starts to roll along.’
(9)	yidilé	‘She/he starts to handle it (ropelike object).’
	hanidismaas	‘I start to roll you (sg.) up out.’

 

 

Based on the forms above, state where this morpheme belongs in the order of morphemes you described in (g).

 

(j) How would you say the following?

 

 

I start to float you to safety.

 

 

He starts to roll you up out.