Documentation:RelLex/The Navajo Language: A Grammar and Colloquial Dictionary
The Navajo Language: A Grammar and Colloquial 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
Robert W. Young; William Morgan, Sr.
Others Involved
Mr. and Mrs. Donald B. Anderson (Revision Assistance); Genevieve Yazzie, Judy Bendetti, Julia Kee, Ethel Marianito, Sarah Platero, Janet Trujillo, (Typing); the University of New Mexico Department of Linguistics, the National Endowment for the Humanities (Support–Financial and Administrative); Alyse Neundorf, Howard W. Gorman, Julia Kee, Sarah Platero, Genevieve Yazzie (Consultants); Clay Slate (Computer Assistance); Bernard Spolsky, Garland Bills, John Oller (Support); Eddie Begay, Arthur Benallie, Nora Boyd, Eleanor Curley, Thelma Curley, Allison Hudson-Edwards, Benny Hale, Maia Cramer, Christina Litson, Maebah Morris, Joan Musket, Sarah Platero, Laura Wallace, Etta M. Yazzie (Compilation of Data); Mary Begay, Julia Kee, Sarah Platero, Genevieve Yazzie (Alphabatization); Judy Bendetti (Administration Assistance); Allison Hudson-Edwards (Devolopment and Formatting Assistance); Benny Hale, Laura Wallace (Reviewing); Allan Manning, Oswald Werner (Language Contribution).
Publishing Information
The second edition was published in 1987 by the University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The first edition was published in 1980.
A digital, searchable edition of this dictionary (2.0 Edition) was published in 2000 by Salina Bookshelf, Inc., Flagstaff, Arizona.
How People are Cited
People are cited in the dictionary's Preface to the Second Edition and Acknowledgements.
How Information is Cited
Language consultants and compilers are listed in the Acknowledgements, as are key previous publications. Other previous publications are listed in the Introduction and References sections.
Where is Information Coming from
Information in this dictionary primarily comes from the authors' previous works with the Navajo language, primarily The Navaho Language, Grammar and Dictionary (1943) and A Vocabulary of Colloquial Navajo (1951).
Other previous publications utilized were James M. Kari's Navajo Verb Prefix Phonology (1976), Harry Hoijer's The Apachean Verb (1945–49) and Phonology and Morphology of the Navajo Language (1967), Leland C. Wyman and Clyde Kluckhohn's Navajo Classification of their Song Ceremonials (1938), David F. Aberle's Matrilinial Kinship (1961), Mary Shepardson and Blodwin Hammond's The Navajo Mountain Community, Social Organization and Kinship Terminology (1970), the Franciscan Fathers' Ethnological Dictionary of the Navajo Language (1910) and Vocabulary of the Navajo Language (1912), and Fr. Berard Haile's Stem Vocabulary of the Navajo Language (1950).
This dictionary also relied heavily on published Navajo texts, such as 'Ádahooníɬígíí (the Navajo-language newspaper published from 1943–57) and the authors' Díí K'ad 'Anaa'ígíí Baa Hane (an account of the opening phases of WWII, published in 1943), among other lexical works as listed in the Introduction.
Tools and Framework used
This dictionary is available as a physical book and a digital version (CD).
Access
Both the physical book and digital version (housed on CD) are accessible through libraries.
Included Languages and Directionality
Navajo to English; English to Navajo.
Dialects Included
No dialect is specified for this dictionary.
Type of Dictionary
This is a bilingual, bidirectional dictionary preceded by a thorough grammar.
How are Entries Organised
Entries in the first section of the dictionary are listed alphabetically by Navajo. Entries include the Navajo headword, English translations, and related terms. Many entries also include the part of speech, how the word functions in sentence structure or word formation, and an example sentence in both Navajo and English. Verbs have a conjugation chart with different tenses. There are several topical word lists at the end of this section of the dictionary. Topics include personal names and personal descriptors. Entries in the second section are listed alphabetically by English. Entries include the English headword, English variations of the headword, and Navajo translation(s).
The grammar that precedes the dictionary is thorough, covering information about spelling and sound system, and parts of speech (such as, nouns, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, verbs, and others). The information included about verb usage and structure is extensive. At the end of the grammar, there are several appendices, which include several indexes about roots and stems, among other grammatical topics.
The introduction to this resource contains some historical background information.
Other Features
| Feature | Included | More Information |
|---|---|---|
| Guide to use and understand | ✅ | A guide in the Introduction |
| Audio | ❌ | It is unclear whether the digital version (housed on CD) contains audio |
| Images | ❌ | |
| Example phrases | ✅ | Within most entries in the Navajo to English section |
| Speakers marked | ❌ | |
| Dialects marked | ❌ | There is only one dialect included |
External Links
Reference to the Second Edition (print version) on WorldCat: https://worldcat.org/title/866262954
Reference to the 2.0 Edition (digital version on CD) on WorldCat: https://worldcat.org/title/225568200