Author: Jacob Lumbroso

Navajo is a member of the Athabaskan family of languages spoken in the southwestern United States by the Navajo Nation. Its native name is Din?izaad. It’s unique in that most of the other Athabakan language family members are from the north.
 
It’s also ranked as the most highly spoken Native American language of all, with a 178,000 speakers.  Unlike numerous other tribal tongues, the use of the Navajo language has actually grown over time, not declined.
 
The spelling for Navajo came from the Spanish language.  Literally, it is a Pueblo Indian word meaning “farmlands”.  It is speculated that this name was given due to the Navajo nature of settling and farming.
 
The Navajo peoples’ traditional name of Din?izaad is translated “the people” (what most Native Americans call themselves).  The Navajos refer to themselves as Navajo as well, particularly when conversing in English.
 
To describe the whereabouts of the language further, Navajo is spoken in the Four Corners states of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona.  It is a language widely spoken by not only adults, but Navajo kids, too.
 
More than fifty percent of Navajos speak it in their homes.  It is a language that is actively passed onto offspring, and thus, the language is a form of daily communication for the Navajos.
 
The Navajos of the past lived in domed earth houses called hogans.  The men hunted, warred, and ruled, while the women farmed, cared for the livestock, and performed domestic duties.
 
Artwork also had gender roles by way of males producing jewelry, and women crafting rugs and clay pots.  Today men often farm, and females can join the military.
 
The Navajo language is comprised of four vowels: a, e, i, and o.  Vowels come up short, long, or nasalized and employ high to low, rising to falling tones.  Combinations such as short/nasalized/low tone can be made.
 
Tones are very popular in the Navajo speech, rounding out practically every word, adding up to a very lively language.  The sounds of Navajo are similar to Apache languages, but different from any others outside of that group.
 
The subject-object-verb speech is packed with complex verbs.  Each verb mandates at least one prefix, with a maximum of eight.  Navajo accounts for the verb types imperfective, perfective, progressive, future, usitative, iterative, and optative.
 
Verbs can vary depending on the shape of the subject; the verb for example for holding a ball is not the same as holding a twig.
 
The Navajo language is quite hard for non-natives to comprehend due to the exact manner in which subjects relate to each other.  Such relationships could seem meaningless to foreigners, but are strikingly significant to a Navajo.
 
They have a take on life that is very connected to a bigger world.  Instead of saying, “I’m thirsty,” a Navajo would say, “Thirst is hurting me”.  In this way, some say the language paints pictures in your mind.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/education-articles/the-navajo-nation-and-language-524768.html

About the Author:
Jacob Lumbroso is a world traveler and an enthusiast for foreign languages, history, and foreign cultures. He writes articles on history and languages for and has used  Pimsleur courses  to learn various languages and contributes regularly to the Language Chronicle.

If you’re interested in learning Navajo, then consider the following courses from our store.

Talk Now Navajo Beginner Software

Break Through Navajo

Laughter the Navajo Way

Also be sure to check out our post on Learn to Speak Navajo.

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The first course is the Talk Now Navajo Software Program. This courses is software based and teaches approximately 450 words and phrases. The latest version also has a nifty IPOD feature which allows transfer of certain components.

The second program is the Breath Through Navajo course. which includes a text and audio.

Both programs are worth considering, though additional material is needed to reach an intermediate level of proficiency.

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State adopts Navajo textbook

FARMINGTON, NM — New Mexico has adopted a textbook for learning the Navajo language. The textbook’s co-author, Evangelina Parsons Yazzie, was o …

For those interested in learning Navajo, please consider the beginner Talk Now Navajo software course or the Break Through Navajo audio course.

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The spelling for Navajo came from the Spanish language. Literally, it is a Pueblo Indian word meaning “farmlands”. It is thought that this name was given due to the Navajo nature of settling and farming. The Navajo peoples’ traditional name of Diné bizaad is translated “the people” (what most Native Americans call themselves). The Navajos refer to themselves as Navajo as well, particularly when conversing in English.

To describe the whereabouts of the language further, Navajo is spoken in the Four Corners states of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. It is a language widely spoken by not only adults, but Navajo kids, too. More than fifty percent of Navajos speak it in their homes. It is a language that is actively passed onto offspring, and thus, the language is a form of daily communication for the Navajos.

The Navajos of the past lived in domed earth houses called hogans. The men hunted, warred, and ruled, while the women farmed, cared for the livestock, and performed domestic duties. Artwork also had gender roles by way of males producing jewelry, and women crafting rugs and clay pots. Today men often farm, and females can join the military.

The Navajo language is comprised of four vowels: a, e, i, and o. Vowels come up short, long, or nasalized and employ high to low, rising to falling tones. Combinations such as short/nasalized/low tones can be made. Tones are very popular in the Navajo speech, rounding out practically every word, adding up to a very lively language. The sounds of Navajo are similar to Apache languages, but entirely different from any others outside of that group.

The subject-object-verb speech is packed with complex verbs. Each verb mandates at least one prefix, with a maximum of eight. Navajo accounts for the verb types imperfect, perfect, progressive, future, usitative, iterative, and optative. Verbs can vary depending on the shape of the subject; the verb for holding a ball is not the same as holding a twig.

The Navajo language is quite hard for non-natives to comprehend due to the exact manner in which subjects relate to each other. Such relationships could seem meaningless to foreigners, but are strikingly significant to a Navajo. They have a take on life that is very connected to a bigger world. Instead of saying, “I’m thirsty,” a Navajo would say, “Thirst is hurting me”. In this way, some say the language paints pictures in your mind.

If you’re interested in learning Navajo, you may want to check out the Breakthrough Navajo language course.

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His younger sister, Kendra, at Newcomb, doesn’t have the language fluency either. Brown said that mispronouncing words in Navajo can be embarrassing because they can be “bad words.” The beauty of learning Navajo at UNM, he said, …

If you’re interested in studying Navajo, you may want to try the Beginner Navajo Language Course from EuroTalk. The course teaches approximately 450 basic words and phrases.

Additional posts and news from around the world of the internet:

Language Opportunity: Navajo Courses – The American Academy offers courses in Navajo Government and Navajo Language. Both courses are intended to enrich the cultural knowledge of students within and outside of the Navajo Nation. The Navajo Government course covers the …

The Navajo Code Talkers of World War II – They served in all six Marine divisions, Marine Raider battalions and Marine parachute units, transmitting messages by telephone and radio in their native language. The Japanese never broke this code. Philip Johnston originally came up …

The Navajo Language: A Grammar and Colloquial Dictionary by Young … – This just came in! And what a beauty it is! OUR PRICE: $200.00. Bibliographic Details – Publisher: UNM Press Publication Date: 1991 ISBN: 0826310141 Book Condition: Leather spine embossed with gold stamping, dark blue cloth boards. …

Navajo Language Academy 2007 – What’s being done to save the language.

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