-NAʼ

-NAʼ

Navajo

Etymology 1

From Proto-Athabaskan *na (“to live, to move, to work”). Related to -NÁÁʼ (“to move”) and to -NÁÁD (“to last”). Maybe originating in several distinct roots.

Cognate root found in Ahtna ghetnaa (“he is working”), Chipewyan ɣɛna (“he is alive”), Carrier nelnaʼ (“to be slow, sluggish”).

Root

-NAʼ

 1. to live

Theme	Category	Bases	Transitive bases (O + ł)
hi + Ø	adjectival	S is alive hiná (ni-NEUT)
hi + Ø		S comes to life hidinaah (Ø-MOM) hiinaah (TRANS)	S brings O to life, generates O — yiiiłnaah (TRANS)

 2. to last, to endure (supplies)

Theme	Category	Bases	Transitive bases (O + ł)
di + Ø	operative	S lasts dinaʼ (DUR) hodinaʼ

 3. to act slowly

Theme	Category	Bases	Transitive bases (O + ł)
di + l	motion?	S acts slowly ndilnaʼ (CONT)

Stem set

Aspect	IMP	PERF	FUT	ITER	OPT
MOM	-naah	-naʼ	-naah	-naał	-naah
DUR / CONT	-naʼ	-naʼ	-naah	-naał	-naʼ
NEUT	-ná	-	-	-	-

See also Appendix: Roots and stems derivation.

Synonyms

to live, to come to life:

• -CHĮ́
• -DÉÉL
• -DĮĮD
• -GHAN

to last, to endure:

• -NAʼ (FFO moves)

Antonyms

to die:

• -DĮĮD
• -NÁ
• -TSĄ́

to run out, to exhaust:

• -CHĄ́Ą́ʼ
• -DĮĮD
• -NAʼ

Derived terms

Navajo terms belonging to the root -NAʼ (live)

Navajo terms belonging to the root -NAʼ (act slowly)

Etymology 2

From Proto-Athabaskan *nə̓q’ (“to swallow”).

Cognate root found in Ahtna itełnaʼ (“he swallowed it”).

Root

-NAʼ

1. to swallow, to regurgitate, to choke

Theme	Category	Bases	Transitive bases (O + ł)
O + ł	motion	S swallows iiłneeh (MOM) hanéíłneeh ↳ hááʼiiłneeh (“ruminate”) néíłneeh
ni + l	?	S chokes yinilneeh ↳ náʼniłnah (“hiccup”)

Stem set

Aspect	IMP	PERF	FUT	ITER	OPT
DUR / CONT	-naʼ	-naʼ	-naah	-naał	-naʼ

See also Appendix: Roots and stems derivation.

Synonyms

to regurgitate:

• -KWI

 

Derived terms

Navajo terms belonging to the root -NAʼ (swallow)

Etymology 3

From Proto-Athabaskan *nəɢ, with a wide semantic range including “a flat flexible object (as sheets) moves”, “to last, to endure, to become tired”.

Compare with -NAʼ above for the meaning "to last, to endure".

Cognate root found in Ahtna naghinak (“(a blanket) fell down”), łdaniniłnak (“it lasted a long time”), taatnak (“he is tired”).

Root

-NAʼ

  1. FFO moves, falls (blanket, surface of water)

Theme	Category	Bases	Transitive bases (O + ł)
Ø	motion	FFO moves yinééh (Ø-MOM) iinééh dinééh diinééh haanééh naanééh nʼdiinééh (“break loose”) yínééh (ni-MOM) chʼénééh niinééh yinah (PROG)
Ø	successive	FFO flaps, bounces nikídínah (REP) nikídiinah (SEM)
di + ł	?	S infects P yiʼdiłnééh
ni + ł	motion?	S lasts, runs out; S wilts, tires out aneełnééh chʼíhiniłnééh díníłnééh naniłnééh neełnééh nineełnééh niiłnééh noołnah (PROG)

  2. to crawl, to creep

Theme	Category	Bases	Transitive bases (O + ł)
d	motion	S crawls yinééh (Ø-MOM) iiʼnééh diʼnééh diiʼnééh diniʼnééh (“stuck”) haaʼnééh kʼéʼnééh naaʼnééh ńdíníiʼnééh (“good start”) nʼdiiʼnééh (“break loose”) ńdiiʼnééh (“get up”) yisdáʼnééh tádíʼnééh (DIV) yíʼnééh (ni-MOM) chʼéʼnééh niiʼnééh naaʼnaʼ (CONT) yiʼnah (PROG)	S stands O up                     néidiiłʼnééh

Stem set

Aspect	IMP	PERF	FUT	ITER	OPT
MOM	-nééh	-naʼ	-nah	-nah	-nééh
CONT	-nah	-naʼ	-nah	-nah	-nééh
REP	-nah	-	-	-	-
SEM	-nah	-nah	-nah	-nah	-nah

See also Appendix: Roots and stems derivation.

Synonyms

to crawl, to creep:

• -DLOOZH

to wilt:

• -GAN

to last, to endure:

• -NAʼ (live)

to run out, to exhaust:

• -CHĄ́Ą́ʼ
• -DĮĮD

Derived terms

Navajo terms belonging to the root -NAʼ (FFO moves)

Navajo terms belonging to the root -NAʼ (crawl)