Navajo (Diné bizaad)

User avatar
limoneneis
Posts:240
Joined:2007-09-03, 10:34
Gender:female
Re: Navajo (Diné bizaad)

Postby limoneneis » 2011-07-31, 11:10

Here's another exercise from my book. You had to write a story about the area where you live and describe the roads (for example if they are good or bad when it rains or if they are slippery when it snows):

Shighandóó da'níłts'ą́ą́'góó hózhóní yee'. Kodóó shinaanishígóó atiin ahoodlézhí. Éí biniinaa atiin t'áá yá'áhoot'éeh łeh. Áko ndi łahgi atiin ayóo hodiwol. Nahóółtą́ągo éí doodago yidzaazgo atiin łahda ayóo nahateeł łeh. Shighandi tsin ła' naazkaad. Ch'il ałdó hólǫ́. Alį́į́' t'óó ahayóí. Shighan bikée'di atiin niinah. Éí łeezhtahgóó atiin. Nahałtingo ayóo hashtł'ish łeh. Atiingóó dá'ák'eh t'óó ahayóí hólǫ́. Kodi hózhónígo shił haz'ą́.
[flag=]kl[/flag][flag=]ja[/flag]

raoul2
Posts:102
Joined:2006-07-12, 23:28
Real Name:raoul2
Gender:male
Location:FR
Country:FRFrance (France)

Re: Navajo (Diné bizaad)

Postby raoul2 » 2012-07-27, 18:50

I gave up Diné bizaad because the texts are not translated in Goosen's book; even with the help of a dictionary and Falz's grammar I can't make out the meaning of many sentences. I think navajo should be learnt from a teacher because its templatic structure is very complex. This language is the most difficult one that I have tried among many others.

ceid donn
Posts:2256
Joined:2008-02-15, 0:58
Country:USUnited States (United States)

Re: Navajo (Diné bizaad)

Postby ceid donn » 2012-07-27, 21:01

I understand. Good resources have kept me from pursuing this language too, along with time constraints. I haven't brought the Goossen book because it's so expensive now. I've been dabbling with what resources I can find online and a few things are coming together for me, but I don't know how far I can get with it without more intensive study.

ceid donn
Posts:2256
Joined:2008-02-15, 0:58
Country:USUnited States (United States)

Re: Navajo (Diné bizaad)

Postby ceid donn » 2012-07-28, 6:15

I've been using daybreakwarrior's You Tube videos to get acquainted with the sounds of Navajo. Right now I'm just using the ones for numbers.

1- 10 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7XeCFNL ... ure=relmfu
11-20 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkSw5-XK ... ure=relmfu
20 and beyond http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljU0SAsl ... ure=relmfu

At the end of the first video for 1-10, he adds a segment because he forgot the word for "white" (łigai) in an earlier video about colors--and if you watch him say łigai, you get a good view of the tongue and lips positions for the fricative ł

księżycowy

Re: Navajo (Diné bizaad)

Postby księżycowy » 2012-07-28, 15:51

I see you're lighting up my forum ceid donn, I'm glad. It was starting to get lonely over here. :P

As for book resources, I've always liked Breakthrough Navajo and Speak Navajo by Wilson. But then again, it depends on how much grammar you want. They are relatively cheap (the books anyway). And I have the audio for the first book (and Goosen's book) if any one needs help "finding" it.

ceid donn
Posts:2256
Joined:2008-02-15, 0:58
Country:USUnited States (United States)

Re: Navajo (Diné bizaad)

Postby ceid donn » 2012-07-28, 16:09

If you have the audio for Breakthrough Navajo, I might get that.

When I searched for Speak Navajo, I found this app: http://www.speaknavajo.com/

Has anyone tried it yet? Looks promising, although one reviewer complained it took up a lot of memory on her mobile device. But hey, it's a language app, so that's not surprising.

User avatar
limoneneis
Posts:240
Joined:2007-09-03, 10:34
Gender:female

Re: Navajo (Diné bizaad)

Postby limoneneis » 2012-07-28, 18:33

I've worked through Goossen's book, so if anyone has trouble understanding the texts maybe I can help... It's been a while since I've worked on it though. Anyway, I thought it was a good book! Even though it doesn't give translations of the texts, it introduces new words slowly and with a lot of exercises.
[flag=]kl[/flag][flag=]ja[/flag]

ceid donn
Posts:2256
Joined:2008-02-15, 0:58
Country:USUnited States (United States)

Re: Navajo (Diné bizaad)

Postby ceid donn » 2012-07-28, 20:11

Oh yay! I may be studying Navajo for realz after SAC then. Just ordered $13 used copy of the German language version of Goossen's Diné Bizaad! księżycowy, you have the audio to that text, right?

ceid donn
Posts:2256
Joined:2008-02-15, 0:58
Country:USUnited States (United States)

Re: Navajo (Diné bizaad)

Postby ceid donn » 2012-07-28, 23:07

ceid donn wrote:When I searched for Speak Navajo, I found this app: http://www.speaknavajo.com/

Has anyone tried it yet? Looks promising, although one reviewer complained it took up a lot of memory on her mobile device. But hey, it's a language app, so that's not surprising.


Update: I downloaded the version for Kindle Fire and was quite disappointed to find several of the Navajo words do not appear in the field that's provided from them, although I can see the phonetic rendering and listen to the audio of that word. Still, pretty incomplete if I cannot see how it's properly written in Navajo orthography (or a pain in the ass if I have to look it up in another source--especially since I cannot edit the app itself).

Also the volume of the audio is very low. My Kindle Fire doesn't have much volume output to begin with and I have to use headphones or speakers to hear the audio properly.

księżycowy

Re: Navajo (Diné bizaad)

Postby księżycowy » 2012-07-29, 22:07

ceid donn wrote:księżycowy, you have the audio to that text, right?

Sure do! Right now my computer is down (I'm on another one for the time being), so I'm not sure when or how I'd get it to you, but I'll get it too you some how. :P

ceid donn
Posts:2256
Joined:2008-02-15, 0:58
Country:USUnited States (United States)

Re: Navajo (Diné bizaad)

Postby ceid donn » 2012-07-29, 22:53

Cool. Just got confirmation that my copy of Diné Bizaad shipped, so definitely am getting a copy. I may not be able to start until September, so no big rush with the sound files.

księżycowy

Re: Navajo (Diné bizaad)

Postby księżycowy » 2012-07-30, 13:50

Ok, great. That'll give me some time.

ceid donn
Posts:2256
Joined:2008-02-15, 0:58
Country:USUnited States (United States)

Re: Navajo (Diné bizaad)

Postby ceid donn » 2012-08-06, 3:25

My copy of Diné Bizaad: Sprechen, lesen und screiben Sie Navajo arrived. :D I like the layout of the book and the German text isn't difficult, from what I've glanced over so far. Looking forward to starting this in a month or so.

ceid donn
Posts:2256
Joined:2008-02-15, 0:58
Country:USUnited States (United States)

Re: Navajo (Diné bizaad)

Postby ceid donn » 2012-09-19, 17:12

Well, I've started on Diné Bizaad and read through chapter 5. Now that I have some of the audio, I am reviewing them and practicing pronunciation, as well as making sure I understand this stuff. :lol:

Once I've done with reviewing these chapters, I'll probably start my own study thread here to post the exercises and other stuff I work on. This thread has a lot of links to materials that I don't want lost amid my blabbering. :P

handsomenavajo01
Posts:37
Joined:2012-10-21, 18:45
Gender:male
Country:USUnited States (United States)

Re: Navajo (Diné bizaad)

Postby handsomenavajo01 » 2012-10-21, 19:07

księżycowy wrote:
Formiko wrote:Apache is just a dialect of Navajo. Just don't tell the Navajo that :)
The Apache can understand the Navajo, but the Navajo can't necessarily understand the Apache.

Indeed. Language or dialect, Apache is quite similar to Navajo. Interesting that the Navajo can't necessarily understand Apache though. Is that because of some cultural/historical reason?


I honestly don’t know what you guys are talking about. I can understand the Apache languages just fine it depends on which Apache tribe you talk about. The Mescalero-Chiricahua are a bit harder to understand but not much. We, Navajos can still understand them very well.
’Ayóo shaa dzólní, ’aoo’, t’áá íídą́ą́’ shił bééhózin éí lá biniinaa ’at’ééké chxǫǫ́h dashinízin. T’óó ’ádíshní! ;)

księżycowy

Re: Navajo (Diné bizaad)

Postby księżycowy » 2012-10-22, 10:41

That was my question. I wasn't sure how mutually intelligible they were.

handsomenavajo01
Posts:37
Joined:2012-10-21, 18:45
Gender:male
Country:USUnited States (United States)

Re: Navajo (Diné bizaad)

Postby handsomenavajo01 » 2012-10-22, 18:56

księżycowy wrote:That was my question. I wasn't sure how mutually intelligible they were.


Yes, because we understand like 50-85% of what they are saying. It depends and this is rough estimate. Older Navajos may understand a little more (i.e. the elders). If you guys have questions, you can ask.

księżycowy

Re: Navajo (Diné bizaad)

Postby księżycowy » 2012-10-22, 23:26

handsomenavajo01 wrote:If you guys have questions, you can ask.

Sure will. :wink:

handsomenavajo01
Posts:37
Joined:2012-10-21, 18:45
Gender:male
Country:USUnited States (United States)

Re: Navajo (Diné bizaad)

Postby handsomenavajo01 » 2012-10-23, 2:02

Okay. :mrgreen:

I have wanted to ask you.
Ty jestes Polska?
If so. Czéść!

I know a little Polish.

księżycowy

Re: Navajo (Diné bizaad)

Postby księżycowy » 2012-10-23, 18:00

Nie, nie jestem Polska. Jestem Amerykanin.

Dzięki jednakże!


Return to “North American Indigenous Languages”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests