User:Eirikr/usr/nv-resources

Like it says on the tin.

Navajo color words
Navajo color words starting with are stative (neuter) verbs, if I've got this right, and they do indeed take the distributive. Do they also take pronominal infixes, producing words like "I'm white" (as in, covered in paint or something, not bilagáana) or  "you're yellow"?

What about color words that don't start with, like or ?

Lastly, I've seen both and  -- is that a dialectical difference, or a contextual change? NV WP has both, but only lists the former on the Nidaashchʼąąʼígíí page. -- TIA, Eiríkr Útlendi | Tala við mig 18:22, 7 September 2011 (UTC)


 * I’m not as good with conjugations as Seb az86556. He’s much better with that, and I can understand what I read better than trying to write. That said, I believe that, though it originates from the classifier , functions as a conjunct thematic prefix in these verbs. In the ni-imperfective, they have forms like , , , , , ; duals: , ; plurals: , , , . With (to turn white) and  (to be whitened) in the y-imperfective, you get forms like , , , , , ,  (he’s being whitened); dual , , and so on.
 * Or, (I, you are black); ,  (I, you are yellow); ,  (I, you are red); ,  (I, you are fat); ,  (I, you are flammable); ,  (I, you are oily); ,  (I, you are sweet).
 * When there are other prefixes, as in some other colors, forms are different, as they are with any verb that has various and sundry prefixes.
 * is the verb form, is nominalized. —Stephen (Talk) 00:54, 8 September 2011 (UTC)


 * Thank you very much. Thinking about the  prefix then, as a prefix, it seems to express more the older Athabaskan / Yeniseian progressive sense (ongoing state) rather than the causative / transitive sense of the modern classifier infix .  Interesting.  So in terms of transitive vs. intransitive / passive, does  (to turn white) ->  (to be whitened) then also imply  (to turn something white)?  And are  and  different modes of the same root?  But then if both are imperfective, is some other phonetic shift happening here?


 * I'm curious too if you'd be opposed to the creation of entries for verb stems, like, , etc.? I can imagine quite a bit of utility in such a page, giving a basic meaning gloss and listing all basic 3rd-person-singular verbs that use that stem with mention of the prefixes and infixes used, and listing related stems or stem forms.


 * And lastly, do you have any specific references you'd recommend? I've currently just got Goossen's Diné Bizaad beginner's textbook and Faltz's The Navajo Verb as a more in-depth reference.  I'm in Seattle, not exactly close to the Dinétah, so I have to get by with books or audiovisual materials, or help from others online -- but I certainly do not want to become a pest with all my questions.  :)  -- Many thanks again, Eiríkr Útlendi | Tala við mig 17:04, 8 September 2011 (UTC)


 * can be made transitive by adding the transitive classifier and object pronouns. (intransitive),  (transitive):  = he/she is whitening it.
 * atʼééd  = the girl is whitening the wool.
 * = he’s blackening it (-ł-zhį́į́h > -shį́į́h); = they’re blackening it;  = he’s reblackening it; but,  = I’m turning black (intransitive).
 * I’m not sure what the relationship between and  is. It’s probably a regular derivation of some sort, but there are many, many kinds.
 * I think the creation of entries for verb stems is a great idea. We also need many more prefix entries.
 * Anything written by Robert W. Young is excellent. I have always wanted his "Analytical Lexicon of Navajo", but I haven’t managed to get my hands on one yet. Young’s "The Navajo Verb System" is quite good, but very technical and (in my opinion) not well indexed. "Navajo/English Dictionary of Verbs" by Alyse Neundorf is said to be excellent, but I have not seen it. —Stephen (Talk) 00:43, 9 September 2011 (UTC)


 * Brilliant, thank you! I've ordered Neundorf's Dictionary of Verbs and Young's Navajo Verb System; I looked for his Analytical Lexicon but could only find a few copies for sale, used, starting from $175 -- which is a bit beyond the budget at the moment.  One copy in new condition is going for over $700!  I do hope U of NM, or whoever has the rights now, sees fit to reprinting it.  -- Thank you, Eiríkr Útlendi | Tala við mig 15:28, 12 September 2011 (UTC)


 * }

Verb stems

 * yiijį́į́h -> łizhin
 * yiigááh -> łigai