Documentation:RelLex/Navajo Code Talkers' Dictionary
Navajo Code Talkers' Dictionary
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Language Name
Navajo.
Alternate Language Names
Navaho, Diné bizaad, Naabeehó bizaad.
Region
Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah, United States.
Who
US Marine Corps.
Others Involved
There is no information included in this resource about others involved.
According to INTEL.gov, the Navajo Code Talkers consisted of Navajo recruits and marines (about 400 people, according to the Central Intelligence Agency website), who were responsible for supplying the Navajo language data.
According to the Central Intelligence Agency website, Philip Johnston is credited with the initial idea to use Navajo as a code language for military communications during WWII.
Publishing Information
An online version published in 1999 by Department of the Navy at the Naval Historical Center, Washington, DC.
An online version on the Naval History and Heritage Command website was published in 2020.
The physical dictionary from which these online versions are based does not have a publication date. According to the Naval History and Heritage Command website, it was revised in 1945 and declassified under Department of Defense directive 5200.9.
How People are Cited
This dictionary does not cite any contributors.
How Information is Cited
This dictionary does not cite the source of any of its information.
Where is Information Coming from
This dictionary does not indicate where information is coming from or what sources were used.
According to INTEL.gov, information in this dictionary comes from Navajo-speaking recruits and marines.
Tools and Framework used
This is an online dictionary.
Access
This dictionary is open access.
Included Languages and Directionality
English (naval terms) to Navajo (using word substitution) to English (literal translation).
Dialects Included
No dialect is specified for this dictionary.
Type of Dictionary
This is a bilingual, mono-directional word list that is first sorted topically, then alphabetically.
How are Entries Organised
Entries are first organized topically. Topics include the alphabet and names of various organizations, officers, countries, airplaines, ships, and months. Following these topics, entries are listed alphabetically by English in a list of vocabulary. Entries include the English headword (usually a naval term), followed by the Navajo word substitution, and then a literal English translation. There is no other information within entries.
According to the Central Intelligence Agency website, "the Marine Corps took the code to the next level and made it virtually unbreakable by further encoding the language with word substitution...The Navajo recruits began developing the code by taking words from their language and applying them to implements of war...The initial code consisted of 211 vocabulary terms which expanded to 411 over the course of the war. In addition, an alphabet system was also developed by the Code Talkers. It would be used to spell our some of the words not found in Navajo vocabulary...Several different words were chosen to represent the more commonly used letters in order to make the code more secure" ("Navajo Code Talkers and the Unbreakable Code").
Other Features
| Feature | Included | More Information |
|---|---|---|
| Guide to use and understand | ❌ | |
| Audio | ❌ | |
| Images | ❌ | |
| Example phrases | ❌ | |
| Speakers marked | ❌ | |
| Dialects marked | ❌ | There is only one dialect included |
Other Notes
The Navajo spelling in this dictionary is phonetic and is, therefore, not accurate to modern Navajo orthography or spelling conventions.
External Links
Access the open access, online dictionary hosted on the Naval History and Heritage Command website here: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/n/navajo-code-talker-dictionary.html
Access the open access, digital dictionary through the Federal Depository Library Program here: https://permanent.fdlp.gov/LPS73077/LPS73077/www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq61-4.htm
Reference on WorldCat: https://worldcat.org/en/title/70915601
An article about the creators of the Navajo Code from INTEL.gov, "1942: Navajo Code Talkers, Inventors of an Unbreakable Code": https://www.intelligence.gov/people/barrier-breakers-in-history/453-navajo-code-talkers
An article about how the Navajo Code was created and operates from the Central Intelligence Agency website, "Navajo Code Talkers and the Unbreakable Code" (2008): https://www.cia.gov/stories/story/navajo-code-talkers-and-the-unbreakable-code/