Navajo people and their music. Navajo Navajo self-study guide
According to the 2000 census, Navajo is the only native American language north of the Mexican-American border with 178,000 spoken at the beginning of the 21st century, a number now growing.
- high (?)
- short (aa)
- ascending (a?)
- descending (? a)
1.2. Consonants
The following are the Navajo consonants in IPA spelling and transcription:
| bilabials | alveolar | palatal | velar | guttural | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| central | lateral | simple | labial | |||||
| Explosive | don't get in | b[P] | d[T] | g[K] | ||||
| aspirated | t | k | ||||||
| Swallowing | t " | k " | " [ʔ] | |||||
| Afrikats | don't get in | dz [ʦ] | dl | j [ʧ] | ||||
| aspirated | ts [ʦ ʰ] | tł | "Ch" [ʧ ʰ] | |||||
| swallowing | ts " [ʦ "] | Tł " | ch " [ʧ "] | |||||
| fricative | Deaf | s[S] | ł [ɬ] | sh [Ʃ] | h[X] | hw | h[H] | |
| Calls | z[Z] | l[L] | zh [Ʒ] | gh [Ɣ] | ghw [Ɣ ʷ] | |||
| nasal | m[M] | n[N] | ||||||
| Glide | y[J] | w[W] | ||||||
Voiced lateral l is realized as an approximant, and ł - as fricative. Such a correlation is common in the languages of the world (cf. Welsh), since the real deaf is usually hardly noticeable, but against the background of other southern Athabaskan languages, it looks rather unusual. Consonant h pronounced as [X] at the beginning of the stem and as [H] at the beginning of a suffix or noncoccal position at the stem.
As with many other Northwest American languages, Navajo has relatively few labial consonants.
1.3. Morphonology
In the Navajo language, there is a so-called consonant harmony: within the framework of one word, either only sibilants or only sibilants can be found.
2. Grammar
From a typological point of view, Navajo is an agglutinative polysynthetic vertex-labeled language. Moreover, the Navajo has a fairly high degree of fusion, especially phonological. The predominant word order in Navajo is SOV, but the speech is predominantly prefixed, typologically unexpected.
The verb plays an important role in Navajo - nouns carry relatively little grammatical information. In addition, Navajo has many modifiers such as pronouns, clitics, demonstratives, numbers, postpositions, adverbs, and conjunctions. In H. Hoyer's grammar, all these elements are called parts. In Navajo there are adjectives as a special part of speech - verbs are used instead.
2.1. Nouns
Most nouns do not have distinct number forms; there is no declension in Navajo.
Full noun phrases are often unnecessary in a sentence because the verb contains enough information.
2.2. Verbs
In contrast, Navajo verb forms are very complex and contain rich lexical and grammatical information.
Many concepts are expressed by nominalizations and verbal paraphrases, for example Hoozdo- "Phoenix" (literally "it's hot here"), ch "?"? tiin- "doorway" (literally "here is a horizontal road to the outside"), n? "oolkił?- "clock" ("something that slowly moves in a circle") and chid? naa "na"? bee "eld ǫǫ htsoh bik? "dah naaznil? g?- "tank" ("a car on which they sit on top and which crawls from a big exploding anniversary from above").
Verb forms consist of a stem, to which various derivational and inflectional prefixes are added. Each verb must have at least one prefix. The order of the prefixes is rigidly fixed.
The base itself, in turn, consists of a root and a suffix (often poorly visible in the superficial form through the fusion). To this basis (stem) prefixes of the so-called classifiers are added, which depend on the type of the argument (this system is similar to the nounclass systems in African or Dagestan languages). The stem with these prefixes is called "subject" (theme).
The theme is combined with derivational prefixes to form the "base" (base), to which, in turn, inflectional ("Paradigmatic") prefixes are added.
2.2.1. The structure of the verb word form
The order of prefixes in a word form depends on the class of the prefix; there is a kind of template for a word form. The table shows one of the recent versions of such a pattern for the Navajo, although the very idea of such a word form device goes back to Edward Sapir.
Of course, not every word form contains all of these prefixes.
The verb word form consists of three parts:
| disjunct prefixes | conjunctny prefixes | the foundation |
These parts, in turn, are divided into 11 positions.
| disjunct prefixes | conjunctny prefixes | the foundation | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1a | 1b | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| object by postpositions | postpositions | "Thematic" adverb | iterative | a bunch of | direct addition | deictic element | "Thematic" adverb | mode of action and appearance | subject | classifier | the foundation |
In this case, sometimes some combinations of prefixes are permuted, violating the above order. So the prefix a- (object 3rd person) usually goes To prefix di-, Wed: Adisbąąs"I'm starting to drive the wheeled cart" [
Nevertheless, if in one word form with a-meet prefixes di-and ni-, the first changes places with the second, which tidies up di-- a - ni-, Wed Di "anisbąąs"I keep visas (in something) and get stuck" [adinisbąąs ("a-di-ni-sh- ł-bąąs")
2.2.2. Verbs with classifiers
Many verb stems in Navajo (and other Athabaskan languages) have special forms that differ depending on the shape or other characteristics of the object. These are the basics called verbs with classifiers (classificatory verbs). Usually, each classifier has an abbreviation label. There are 11 primary classes of "touch" verbs (handling).
They are listed below (in the form of a performance)
| Classifier + base | Label | Description | Examples of |
|---|---|---|---|
| - "Ą | SRO | Solid rounded object | bottle, ball, boot, box |
| -Yį | LPB | Burst, bag, bundle | Backpack, bundle, bag, saddle |
| -Ł-jool | NCM | non-compact substance | clump of hair or grass, cloud, fog |
| - L? | SFO | Thin flexible object | Rope, legs, a slide of fried onions |
| -Tą | SSO | Thin solid object | Arrow, bracelet, frying pan, saw |
| -Ł-tsooz | FFO | Flat flexible object | Rug, raincoat, bag of greens |
| -Tł? " | MM | Soft substance | Ice cream, mud, drunken fallen |
| -Nil | PLO1 | Multiple items (1) | Eggs, balls, animals, coins |
| -Jaa " | PLO2 | Multiple items (2) | Balls, grains, sugar, insects |
| -Ką | OC | Open vessel | A glass of milk, a spoonful of food, a handful of flour |
| -Ł-tį | ANO | living thing | Microbe, human, corpse, doll |
Thus, the Navajo does not have, say, the verb "give." To say "give me hay" you need to use the basics of the NCM classifier: n? łjool. On the contrary, "give me a cigarette" will be conveyed by another verb: n? tįįh. Primary verbs with classifiers also distinguish between several ways of dealing with an object. On this basis, they are divided into three classes:
- "Moving away" (handling), for example, "carry", "lower", "brothers";
- "Setting in motion" (propelling), for example "toss", "let in", "throw";
- "Free flight" (free "flight), for example "fall" or "fly".
So, for example, if you take the class SRO, there are three different verbs
- - "Ą touch (something round)
- -Ne quit (something round)
- -L-ts "id (something round) moves exactly.
2.2.3. Alternation yi- / bi-
As with most Athabaskan languages, liveliness plays an important role in Navajo grammar: many verbs take different forms depending on the liveliness of its arguments.
In the Navajo, the following hierarchy of vivacity can be distinguished: Human → Child / Great animal → Medium sized animal → Small animal → Power of nature → Abstraction. Usually the most animated name comes first in the sentence. If both names occupy the same place in this hierarchy, both can occupy the first place in the sentence.
3. Current situation
Navajo Indians, 1887
The Navajo language is still spoken by many Navajo people of all ages. Many parents pass on Navajo to their children as their first language: this is now a rarity among the Indian tribes of North America. Speech is still under threat, however, especially in urban areas beyond reservations, as more and more young Navajo converts to English.
Even on reservations, according to census data, the proportion of Indians 5-17 years old who do not possess the Navajo rose from 12% to 28% between 1980 and 1990. In 2000, this figure reached 43%.
The Navajo language, incomprehensible to the Japanese, was used in the US Army as a radio communication language during World War II (these events formed the basis of the film "Speakers with the Wind").
4. Sample text
Folk story with Navajo:
Ashiik? t "? diigis l? i" t? łikan? ła "? diiln? ł d? nihaa nahidoonih n? igo yee hodeez "ą jin ?. ? ko t "? ał" ąą ch "il na" atł "o" ii k "iidiil? d? h? hg? shįį yinaalnishgo t "?? łah ch" il na "atł" o "ii n? ineest "ą jin ?. ?? d? t? łikan? ? yiilaago t "? b? h? g? t"? ał "ąą tł"? z? k? g? yii "haid? łbįįd jin ?. "H? Adida d? T? Łikan? Y? G? Doo ła" aha "diidził da," n? Igo aha "deet" ą jin? ". ?? d? baa nahidoonih biniiy? kintahg? dah yidiiłjid jin ?.
A rough translation: A few crazy boys decided to make wine for sale, so each one planted a vine, and after hard work they brought it to maturity. Then, having made wine, they poured it into wineskins. They agreed that they would never give each other a sip of them, and, putting the bellows on their backs, went into the city.
Navajo people
Navajo, or Navahi (self-name - Dene, Dine, self-name of the territory of residence of the Navajo - Dinet) - Indian people living mainly in the United States. The Navajo language belongs to the Athabaskan languages. The Navajo is the most numerous Indian people in North America - about 250 thousand people. (2006).
In the 11th century, they broke away from the Athabaskans and moved from Alaska to the southwestern United States (here their main occupations were agriculture and, with the beginning of Spanish colonization, cattle breeding; crafts appeared - weaving, pottery, etc.); the northern origin of the Navajo is confirmed by the presence of a dwelling house and some other features.
In the late 17th - early 18th century. representatives of the Pueblo tribes flee to the territory of the Navajo, fleeing from the Spaniards. This leads to the fact that the Navajo borrows a number of Pueblo traditions, in particular, they begin to build pueblito fortresses, reminiscent of the fortresses of the ancient Pueblos. Pueblitos serve to defend against both the Spaniards and the Ute and Comanche raids. The traditional Navajo dwellings, the hogans, are reed huts plastered with clay. 
Until the 19th century, the gradual disintegration of the primitive communal system continued; at the same time, the Navajo remained independent from the Spanish colonialists and (later) the Mexican authorities. Lost their independence after the capture of the United States in 1848 southwestern North America; in the 1860s they were settled on reservations (in the states of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah; while the Indians were given the most meager lands).
Nowadays, the main occupation of the Navajo is herding; handicrafts are widespread. The Navajo are actively involved in the movement to improve the lives of the Indians. Most believers are Christians, there are followers of syncretic cults.
The Navajo reservation completely encircles the lands of the small Hopi people. Since the Hopi maintain active contacts with outside world, this becomes the cause of frequent conflicts between them and the Navajo over land and related rights. Despite repeated attempts, the US Congress has not yet been able to resolve the conflict between the Navajo and the Hopi.
MUSIC & SONGS NAVAHO
We bring to your attention a disc with national chants of the Navajo. There are 19 tracks on the disc. In my opinion, very interesting and unusual music. The recordings are good enough to plunge into the atmosphere of Indian life.
Download and listen….=)
Format / format: MP3, 44.100 Hz; 16 Bit; Stereo
Size / size: 105 Mb
MORE ABOUT NAVACHO
NAVAHO (from "Navaha", in the Teva language - "a wide river valley with cultivated fields"), ding (self-name - "people"), the largest Indian people of the Athapaskan group (also Apaches) in the United States (reservations in the states of Arizona, New Mexico , Utah). Navajo, which is spoken by 62%, is being supplanted by English. The Navajo are mostly Christian and peyote.
Migrated, presumably, by the 14th - the end of the 15th century from the forest regions of Northwest America (the Mackenzie River basin) to the basin of the upper reaches of the San Juan River (in the north of the modern state of New Mexico), where, under the influence of the Pueblo Indians, they switched from hunting to sedentary agriculture, to XVIII century the leading role was taken by the cattle breeding borrowed from the Spaniards. The traditional culture is typical of the Indians of the Southwest of North America.
The Navajo fought stubbornly against European colonization. Together with groups of pueblos, shoshone, yuma, and others, they were pushed back into the Colorado River basin and the region of mountain canyons. After the suppression of armed resistance in 1846-67, about 9 thousand Navajos were forcibly resettled to the Basque Redon reservation, where many of them died of hunger and disease. In 1868, on the border of the states of Arizona, Utah and New Mexico, the Navajo Reservation (modern area 60 thousand km2) was created, one of the largest in North America.
The traditional large maternal family, occupied 3-10 semi-dugouts for matrimonial cells (hogan), had a common cattle corral and a land plot. Several large families using common pastures made up a community headed by a leader - one of the heads of the families.
They were divided into 15 phratries and more than 60 matrilineal genera. There is no information about the breeding organization. Since the end of the 17th century, clan relations were destroyed, social and property differentiation, patriarchal slavery developed.
Traditional summer clothes were made of grass, winter clothes were made of skins, moccasins and leggings were worn, in the 19th century short leather skirts, cotton shirts, and blankets appeared.
Since the beginning of the 20th century, commercial cattle breeding (cattle), irrigation agriculture, and industry (mainly mining) have been spreading.
Elements of traditional culture are preserved: agricultural cults, ritual chants, shamanism, "painting in the sand". WITH late XIX century peyotism, which has the largest number of followers among the Navajo, spread.
NAVAHO LANGUAGE
(Navajo, obsolete. Navaho), a North American Indian language of the Athabaskan language family, spoken in the southwestern United States (mainly on a huge reservation in the states of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah). Návajo is one of the closely related South Tatabask or Apache languages that migrated south relatively late from the original Athabaskan range in western Canada and Alaska. The origin of the ethnonym Navajo is not entirely clear. He came to English from Spanish, and in Spanish, most likely reflects the Tanoan word Teva, meaning "a deep canyon (canyon) with cultivated fields." The Navajo language is very homogeneous, dialectal division is poorly expressed.
The number of Navajo speakers reaches from 100 to 150 thousand people ( total number Navajo Indians close to 200 thousand). Navajo is one of the most prosperous North American Indian languages in terms of survival prospects. Back in the 1970s and even in the 1980s, the number of Navajo speakers grew, and in the 1990s, English became the native language of children in many Native American families. Navajo-English bilingualism is typical for the vast majority of speakers.
Navajo was studied by many linguists, including E. Sapir. In one of his works, Sapir, on a purely linguistic basis, proved the northern origin of the Navajo Indians. After Sapir's death, his materials were partially processed and published by his student H. Hoyer. Navajo is currently the most documented Native American language in North America. First of all, this is the merit of R. Young and W. Morgan, who studied the Navajo for more than 50 years, founded the modern spelling of the Navajo and published many thousands of pages of grammatical descriptions and dictionaries. A large number of teaching materials have been published in the Navajo. The language is taught in schools and colleges.
Many linguistic phenomena were first described using material from the Navajo and other Athabaskan languages. Among the various noun classifications common in the languages of the world, such as noun classes, classifiers, etc., is the Athabaskan system of so-called classifying verbs. One and the same verb of European languages in Navajo can correspond to a whole series of verbs, used depending on the characteristics of the object with which the given event occurs. So, the meanings "to fall", "to move", "to carry" are conveyed by different verbs, depending on such characteristics of the object as its animateness, number (one / two / many), shape and consistency (rounded, oblong rigid, oblong flexible, flat , mushy, etc.).
In 1973, the American linguist K. Hale, based on Navajo data, first introduced the concept of hierarchy into linguistic theory. Hale noted that in the Navajo, the use of 3rd person pronominal prefixes is governed, among other things, by the subject-object relationship of a sentiment or intrinsic activity sentence. In particular, if the subject is more active than the object (for example, the subject is a person, and the object is an animal or inanimate object), then the prefix yi- ( Boy bee yi -killed), and if the object is more active, then the prefix bi- ( boy bee bi - bitten).
Navajo is a typical polysynthetic language with a morphologically complex verb that includes many grammatical categories. In the 1980s, using Navajo material, E. Gelinek formulated the idea of a language with pronominal arguments. According to this idea, the arguments of the verb in different languages are implemented in different ways. Whereas in languages such as English or Russian, verb arguments are autonomous words - noun phrases, in a language like Navajo, the arguments are pronominal morphemes in the verb, and noun phrases are optional appendices to pronoun arguments.
Navajo, like other Athabaskan languages, is almost exclusively a prefix language. The verb word form is described as an ordinal structure with a final root and about two dozen prefix positions. Moreover, the order of prefix positions is complex and paradoxical. Inflectional and derivational positions are mixed in an unpredictable way. Values of the same type are often labeled in different positions and vice versa. Sapir wrote that the Athabaskan languages are very different in structure from most North American Indian languages. On the other hand, the Athabaskan languages are as far as possible from the Central Eurasian "standard".
A feature of the Navajo vocabulary is the almost complete absence of borrowings from other languages. Despite the fact that the ancestors of the Navajo crossed most of the North American continent, moving into the area of modern residence, and probably came into contact with many Indian tribes, there is no trace of these events in their language. There are several nouns borrowed from the Spanish language (such as bilagáana "white man", from the Spanish americano "American"). In principle, there can be no verbal borrowings in Navajo - due to the peculiarities of the structure of the Navajo verbal root and prefix inflection.
The name of the traditional Navajo dwelling was transferred from the Navajo to English and other European languages: English. hogan from navakhsk. hooghan "a rounded dwelling, usually with walls of mud-plastered logs." In addition, in archeology, the term "Anasazi" is used - the name of the Native American culture that was widespread in the modern territory of the Navajo for several centuries before their arrival (from Navajo "anaas ází" ancestors of enemies ").
During World War II, Navajo was used by the US Navy as a code for secret radio communications. In May 1942, a group of Navajo scholars serving in the Navy developed the foundations of a new code: "corps" was designated by the Navajo word for "clan", "Germans" were designated as "iron hats", "tank" as "turtle", etc. .d. Hundreds of military concepts have been coded. In addition, the designations for the letters were invented. Latin alphabet- these were Navajo translations English words starting with the corresponding letter. For example, the letter A could be encoded in Navajo words meaning ant, apple, or ax. About four hundred Navajos worked as code talkers.
Phonology
Vowels
Navajo has four vowels: a, e, i and o... Each of them can be long (indicated by doubling) and nasalized (indicated by a sign like a light, for example ą , ęę ).
Also, there are four tones in Navajo:
- high ( áá )
- short ( aa)
- ascending ( aá)
- descending ( áa)
Consonants
The following are the Navajo consonants in spelling and transcription:
| Bilabial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| central | lateral | simple | labial | |||||
| Explosive | unaspirated | b | d | g | ||||
| Aspirated | t | k | ||||||
| Glottalized | t " | k " | " | |||||
| Affricates | Non-aspirated | dz | dl | j | ||||
| Aspirated | ts | tł | ch | |||||
| Glottalized | ts " | tł " | ch " | |||||
| Fricative | Deaf | s | ł | sh | h | hw | h | |
| Voiced | z | l | zh | gh | ghw | |||
| Nasal | m | n | ||||||
| Glides | y | w | ||||||
Voiced lateral l is realized as an approximant, and ł - as fricative. This correlation is common in the languages of the world (cf. c), since the true deaf is usually poorly distinguishable, but it looks rather unusual against the background of other southern Athapaskan languages. Consonant h pronounced as at the beginning of the stem and as at the beginning of a suffix or in a non-starting position in the stem.
As with many other Northwest American languages, Navajo has relatively few labial consonants.
Syllabic structure
Morphonology
In the Navaja language, there is the so-called consonant harmony: within the framework of one word, either only sibilants or only sibilants can be found.
Grammar
Nouns
Most nouns do not have distinct forms; not in navajo and. Often, full noun phrases are not needed in a sentence, since the verb contains enough information.
Verbs
In contrast, Navajo verb forms are very complex and contain rich lexical and grammatical information. Many concepts are expressed by verbal paraphrases, for example Hoozdo"Phoenix" (literally "it's hot in here") and ch "é" étiin"doorway" (literally "there is a horizontal road outward"). Wed See also nomination: ná "oolkiłí"clock" ("that the international moves in a circle") and chidí naa’na "í bee'eldǫǫ htsoh bikáá" dah naaznilígíí"tank" ("a car that is sitting on top and which crawls with a big exploding thing on top").
Verb forms consist of a stem, to which various derivational and prefixes are added. Each verb must have at least one prefix. The order of the prefixes is rigidly fixed.
The base itself, in turn, the base consists of and a suffix (often poorly distinguishable in the superficial form due to fusion). To this basis ( stem) the prefixes of the so-called classifiers are added, which depend on the type of the argument (this system is similar to the system of [nounclass | nounclasses]] in or languages). The stem with these prefixes is called "theme" ( theme). The theme is combined with derivational prefixes, forming a "base" ( base), to which, in turn, inflectional () prefixes are added.
The structure of the verb word form
The order of prefixes in a word form depends on the class of the prefix; there is a kind of template for the word form. The table shows one of the recent versions of such a template for the Navajo, although the very idea of such a word structure goes back to. Of course, not every word form contains all of these prefixes.
Inflection
Verbs with classifiers
Many verb stems in Navajo (and other Athabaskan languages) have special forms that differ depending on the shape or other characteristic of the object. Such stems are called verbs with classifiers ( classificatory verbs). Usually each classifier has a label -. There are 11 primary classes of the verbs "touch" ( handling). They are listed below (in the form of a performance)
| Classifier + base | Label | Description | Examples of |
|---|---|---|---|
| -"ą́ | SRO | Solid round object | bottle, ball, boot, box |
| -yį́ | LPB | Burst, bag, bundle | Backpack, bundle, bag, saddle |
| -ł-jool | NCM | Non-compact substance | Hair or grass clump, cloud, fog |
| -lá | SFO | Thin flexible object | Rope, varzheki, legs, a slide of fried onions |
| -tą́ | SSO | Thin solid object | Arrow, bracelet, frying pan, saw |
| -ł-tsooz | FFO | Flat flexible object | Rug, raincoat, bag of greens |
| -tłéé " | MM | Soft matter | Ice cream, mud, fallen drunk |
| -nil | PLO1 | Multiple items (1) | Eggs, balls, animals, coins |
| -jaa " | PLO2 | Multiple items (2) | Balls, grains, sugar, insects |
| -ką́ | OC | Open vessel | A glass of milk, a spoonful of food, a handful of flour |
| -ł-tį́ | ANO | Animate item | Microbe, human, corpse, doll |
Thus, the Navajo does not have, say, the verb "to give." To say "give me hay" you need to use the basics with the NCM classifier: níłjool... On the contrary, “give me a cigarette” will be translated by another verb: nítįįh.
Primary verbs with classifiers also distinguish between several ways of dealing with an object. On this basis, they are divided into three classes:
- "Touching" ( handling), for example "carry", "lower", "take"
- "Setting in motion" ( propelling), for example "toss", "drop", "throw"
- "Free flight" ( free "flight), for example "fall" or "fly".
So, for example, if you take the SRO class, there are three different verbs
- -"ą́ touch (something round)
- -ne throw (something round)
- -l-ts'id (something round) moves by itself.
Alternation yi- / bi-(animation)
As with most Athabaskan languages, animality plays an important role in Navajo grammar: many verbs have different forms depending on the animateness of its arguments. In the Navajo, the following hierarchy of animateness can be distinguished:
Human → Child / Large Animal → Medium Animal → Small Animal → Power of Nature → Abstraction
Usually, the most animated name comes first in a sentence. If both names occupy the same place in this hierarchy, both can occupy the first place in the sentence.
Current situation
Navajo is still spoken by many people of all ages. Many parents pass on Navajo to their children as their first language: this is now a rarity among the Indian tribes of North America. However, the language is still under threat, especially in off-reservations urban areas, as more young Navajo converts to. Even on reservations, according to census data, the proportion of 5,017-year-olds who do not speak Navajo rose from 12% to 28% between 1980 and 1990. In 2000, this figure reached 43% [ ] .
Sample text
Folk story from
Ashiiké t "óó diigis léi" tółikaní ła "ádiilnííł dóó nihaa nahidoonih níigo yee hodeez" ą́ jiní. Áko t "áá ał" ąą ch'il na'atł "o'ii k'iidiilá dóó hááhgóóshį́į́ yinaalnishgo t" áá áłah ch'il na'atł "o'ii néineest" ą́ jiní. Áádóó tółikaní áyiilaago t "áá bíhígíí t" áá ał "ąą tł" ízíkágí yii "haidééłbįįd jiní." yidiiłjid jiní
Approximate translation:
Several crazy boys decided to make wine for sale, so each one planted a vine, and after hard work they brought it to maturity. Then, making wine. they poured it into wineskins. They agreed that they would never give each other a sip of them, and, putting the bellows on their backs, went into the city.
Links
Wikipedia contains chapter
in navajo
nv: Íiyisíí_Naaltsoos
- Small English-Navajo Dictionary(with pronunciation)
- How Different can Languages be ?: The grammatical mosaic of Navajo(English)
- Navajo consonants on the site of Peter Ladefoged
- Dine Bizaad: The Navajo Language(English)
- Tuning in to Navajo: The Role of Radio in Native Language Maintenance(English)
- Bá "ólta" í Adoodleełgi Bína "niltingo Bił Haz" ą́ Center for Teacher Education
- Blair, Robert W .; Simmons, Leon; & Witherspoon, Gary. (1969). Navaho Basic Course... BYU Printing Services.
- Goossen, Irvy W. (1967). Navajo made easier: A course in conversational Navajo... Flagstaff, AZ: Northland Press.
- Goossen, Irvy W. (1995). Diné bizaad: Speak, read, write Navajo... Flagstaff, AZ: Salina Bookshelf. ISBN 0-9644-1891-6
- Goossen, Irvy W. (1997). Diné bizaad: Sprechen, Lesen und Schreiben Sie Navajo... Loder, P. B. (transl.). Flagstaff, AZ: Salina Bookshelf.
- Haile, Berard. (1941-1948). Learning navaho, (Vols. 1-4). St. Michaels, AZ: St. Michael's Mission.
- Platero, Paul R. (1986). Diné bizaad bee naadzo: A conversational Navajo text for secondary schools, colleges and adults... Farmington, NM: Navajo Preparatory School.
- Platero, Paul R .; Legah, Lorene; & Platero, Linda S. (1985). Diné bizaad bee na'adzo: A Navajo language literacy and grammar text
- Tapahonso, Luci, & Schick, Eleanor. (1995). Navajo ABC: A Diné alphabet book... New York: Macmillan Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0-6898-0316-8
- Witherspoon, Gary. (1985). Diné Bizaad Bóhoo'aah for secondary schools, colleges, and adults... Farmington, NM: Navajo Language Institute.
- Witherspoon, Gary. (1986). Diné Bizaad Bóhoo'aah I: A conversational Navajo text for secondary schools, colleges and adults... Farmington, NM: Navajo Language Institute.
- Wilson, Alan. (1969). Breakthrough Navajo: An introductory course... Gallup, NM: The University of New Mexico, Gallup Branch.
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Tutorials
Research and References
Navajo immersion school. A textbook in Navajo.
The Window Rock Unified School District, located in the Navajo Nation capital of Arizona, addresses the academic and cultural needs of Navajo children through recourse to the historical values of Navajo language and culture, and through traditional media Navajo Pedagogy. The purpose of such education is to achieve high academic performance by children in school disciplines.
The Navajo Immersion School (Tséhootsooí Diné Bi'ólta ') is one of 6 operated by the unified school district. Here, language immersion is used in grades 1 through 6 in an attempt to revitalize and preserve the Dine (Navajo) language among the families the school district serves.
Parents can choose a language immersion school for their children, in which, in kindergarten and first grade, Navajo is the language of instruction for all subject areas. Starting from the second grade, English is introduced, and so on until the 6th grade, 50% of instruction is in English.
The Navajo National Dine Cultural Standards (Dine is the Navajo name), combined with the Arizona State Academic Standards, are used as a framework for teaching that is primarily in the Dine language. The result is that Dine speaking and thinking students also meet the standard's academic English proficiency level.
The main goal of the Navajo Immersion School (Tséhootsooí Diné Bi'ólta ') is the preservation and revitalization of the Navajo language among children school age within the communities of Window Rock Unified School District through a culturally and linguistically relevant educational program that focuses on oral language proficiency. Around 200 students are taught by 15 Navajo-only teachers and 3 English-only teachers who can also use Navajo if needed.
The content of the training combines the requirements of the national cultural standards of the Navajo with the state educational standard Arizona State, in both reading, writing, math, foreign languages and in the natural and social sciences. This stems from the school district's aspiration to be "an exemplary, student-centered organization that reflects Navajo values in lifelong learning."
The immersion school cannot change the administration state system estimates, but according to the AIMS (Arizona Instrument for Measuring Standards), students enrolled in the Navajo Immersion Program outperform their peers in non-bilingual schools in terms of their level of competence. Figures 1 and 2 show the results of a 2004 government survey of students in the Windou Rock Unified School District in Arizona.
Figure 1 compares data on the attainment of grade 3 students in reading (gray bars), writing (green bars), and math (black bars). The columns on the left show the skills of the immersion school students, the right columns show the students in the regular schools.
Figure 2 provides comparative survey data for the same competencies of grade 5 students in Arizona mainstream schools and language immersion schools.
The following are lessons learned from the experience of education in two languages - Navajo and English, dating back to 1986, when the first Kindergarten language immersion using Navajo.
-Learning the Navajo language allows students to enhance their English skills.
-Retention of the Navajo language in educational process increases the language base of schoolchildren, which they need in the future to start for academic study.
-Use of Navajo teaching to state academic standards increases the speed of learning the Navajo language.
-Consistent exposure to the Navajo culture provides a feedback system for learning the Navajo language.
-Using students' life experiences and analyzing them make learning relevant to them.
-Use of the Navajo language and integration into the Navajo culture confirms the Navajo identity of the learners
-System based on training standards ( Academic plan, Instruction, Assessment, Reporting)
Results:
- proficiency in Navajo and English;
-Literacy in English and Navajo languages;
-high performance at the end of school;
-reservation / retention of teachers;
- family involvement and responsibility for the education of children;
-knowledge of culture;
- introduction to the values of the Navajo;
- the revival and use of the Navajo language.
Specificity:
-use of the Navajo (heritage) language as a means of teaching;
- consistent integration of Navajo culture into teaching;
-significant parental involvement motivates students to learn (the child and parents learn together);
-spiritual leadership.
A textbook in Navajo.
In many indigenous countries, the question of how these groups adapt to modern world while maintaining their own culture. So it was widely reported when New Mexico became the first US state in July to approve a Native American textbook, Diné Bizaad Bínáhoo "aah, or Re-Discovery of the Navajo Language."
According to the 2000 Census, approximately 380,000 Americans are spoken in the native languages of North America. The Navajo people number nearly 300,000, of whom 178,000 speak the Navajo language, making it the most spoken language of Native Americans.
According to experts, only half of the approximately 300 local languages that were once spoken in North America are still in living use, and less than 50 are still spoken by children - the future of any language.
The textbook was prepared by Evangeline Parsons-Yazzie, an assistant professor of Navajo at the University of Northern Arizona, and Peggy Spies, a professor of linguistics at the University of Massachusetts.
The project grew out of the Navajo language courses taught by Parsons-Yazzi, who wanted to create "a tool that will help maintain and preserve the Navajo language."
“As a full color book, beautifully designed, well written and easy to learn, the textbook will introduce Navajo into the realm of other commonly taught languages. and for Navajo youth, "Parsons-Yazzi said in an interview on e-mail.
The book is colorful, beautiful, elegant and graceful in order to "inspire pride among the Navajo students in their language," she said. The textbook introduces not only the language, but also the culture of the Navajo.
Moreover, she wanted the textbook to reflect her approach to teaching as communication, and the teacher's guide helps teachers unfamiliar with this approach. "The presented methodology includes principles of language teaching by elders, when language is associated with activities, situations and events. It is in these activities, situations and events that elders model the language for the beginner. An additional benefit is that students also acquire literacy skills," said Parsons Yazzie.
"The exercise book is unique in that it requires the student to refer to the Navajo speakers and Navajo elders as their sources of information and knowledge," said Parsons-Yazzi.
Spis, who studied Navajo as a graduate student, said in a separate email interview that her goal was "to make it as easy as possible to explain grammar rules and to determine which aspects of grammar should and should not be included."
Spies has partnered with the Navajo Language Academy, a group of linguists, both native and non-native, that has been conducting summer workshops for bilingual Navajo teachers for over a decade. As a result, she gained the experience to explain Navajo grammar to people who speak the language but have no linguistic background.
"I think linguists who develop educational materials often include more grammatical analysis than is necessary or helpful, "she said.
“The main challenge for me was the weekly meetings I had with the Navajo elders,” Parsons-Yazzi said. “At these meetings, I covered the material, read the Navajo text to make sure that the vernacular was preserved and that the material did not offend anyone.” ...
Parsons-Yazzie had to take into account the fact that she "presented material that was addressed to male elders of the Navajo tribe, such as teaching about building a hogan (traditional Navajo dwelling), making a cradle, caring for horses and cows, hunting, etc. "I grew up in a house with five brothers, so I had the information, but I was worried about how people would perceive the fact that these topics were introduced to the audience by a woman."
Another difficulty was how to present the Navajo culture without explicitly teaching the traditional Navajo religion. “Many Navajo parents who are Christian and do not want the religious aspect of the class find it difficult to allow their children to take Navajo lessons,” said Parsons-Yazzi.
“I was fortunate in that my father was a pastor in a Baptist church and my mother played the piano, translated for the Navajo people and missionaries, and worked on many translations of Navajo hymns. So I understood the 'boundary' that is drawn between culture and religious beliefs, ”said Parsons-Yazzi.“ I consulted with Navajo elders who profess Christianity on all cultural components so that no one would be offended. ”
Spies hopes the book will serve as a model and inspiration for other endangered languages. It is important that the book looks beautiful. "When young people see their language being taken seriously and presented as valuable, it can have a very important impact."
Another aspect that Spies hopes will become a model is “how Dr. Parsons-Yazzi incorporated cultural lessons that may still be relevant today, rather than just stories about the traditions of the past. as she describes it, is a system of values and relationships, and not just a collection of traditional dress, dance, music and ceremony. "
The language of the Navajo Indians living in the southwestern United States in the states of Arizona, Utah and New Mexico (most of them live on the Navajo Nation reservation). Refers to the Athabaskan languages. The Navajo have about 170 thousand native speakers, most of whom are bilingual (the other language is English), only the Navajo language is spoken by about 7.5 thousand people. The Navajo call themselves Diné, and your language - Diné bizaad.
Dictionaries, textbooks, and grammars are available for the Navajo language. It is actively used in education at all levels, up to the highest. There is Wikipedia on it, which contains more than 2.5 thousand articles.
The peculiarities of the language include a large number of phonemes: 33 consonants and 16 vowels (4 basic vowels can be simple and nasalized, short and long). Tones also stand out. The Navajo alphabet is based on Latin, and there are many special symbols and specific letters to write this many phonemes. For example, tones and nasalization (pronunciation "into the nose") can be written as follows: ó , ǫ , ǫ́ ; and to convey long vowels, doubled letters are used: aa, áa, aá, áá .
The grammar is difficult: basic information is expressed in the verb using a large number prefixes and suffixes in a strictly fixed order. Nouns have no cases and may simply be absent in a sentence, since all the necessary information already expressed in the verb. An important role is played by animation, which has different degrees and affecting the word order. For example, a person or lightning has more animation than a child or a large animal, and they have more than a small animal.
The verb has four faces and three numbers (including the dual). The fourth person, like the third, refers to what (or about whom) they are talking, but the third person is associated only with a specific and definite object.
The so-called verbs with classifiers always contain a special indicator that determines one of the eleven characteristics of an object, for example, "hard round object", "thin flexible object", "soft substance", "living". Therefore, the verb "to give" will correspond to 11 Navajo verbs, differing in classifiers depending on the characteristics of what is given.
During World War II, the Navajo was used as a cipher by the American army. The determining factors were the absence at that time of the Navajo writing and written grammar of the language, as well as its non-prevalence: no more than 30 Americans knew it outside the Navajo people. In 1942, 29 Navajo Indians who identified themselves windtalkers("Speakers with the Wind") joined the army and developed a code. For new concepts, for which there were no words in the Navajo, either the old words or the fixed expressions were used, for example, to designate a submarine - words with the meaning of "iron" and "fish". In total, about 450 new vocabulary units were invented.
