-TŁÉÉʼ

Navajo

Etymology

From Proto-Athabaskan *tɬeˑqʷʼ, classificatory root for mushy or decrepit objects (as mud, butter, a rotten rag), or animate object sharing such characteristics (as a frog, a drunken person).

Cognate root found in Ahtna tlaekʼ (a classificatory stem for mushy matter), Lower Tanana tlak (“id.”), Gwich'in naałtłik (“I threw it (a rotten cloth) down”).

Also occurs in Navajo along with hi-seriative in a motion theme describing the hopping of a frog (literally, a mushy object throwing itself successively).

Root

-TŁÉÉʼ

  1. to handle or propel mushy matter (as butter, mud)

Theme	Category	Bases	Transitive bases (O + ł)
O + ∅	motion	S handles MM yitłeeh (∅-MOM) iitłeeh yiditłeeh yidiitłeeh haitłeeh neitłeeh néidíníitłeeh (ńdíníi-, “good start”) néidiitłeeh (ńdii-, “pick up”) naʼiidiitłeeh (nʼdii-, “detach”) yisdéítłeeh yitłeeh [shishtłeeh] (si-MOM) yítłeeh (ni-MOM) chʼíítłeeh niitłeeh neitłeeh (CONT) yootłoh (PROG)
(dzi) + ∅	successive	S throws MM Motion: dzitłeeh adzitłeeh dziditłeeh dzídzadzitłeeh chʼídzítłeeh Successive: yótłeeh (yíní-, rep.) yííníitłeeh (yíníi-, semelf.)
∅	positional	MM is in position sitłééʼ (NEUT) naaztłééʼ chʼíhinítłééʼ nítłééʼ	S keeps MM in position yistłééʼ (NEUT)

Theme	Category	Bases	Transitive bases (O + ł)
hi + d	motion	S hops (a frog) hitłeeh (∅-MOM) ahatłeeh hiditłeeh hidiitłeeh hahatłeeh yisdéítłeeh heetłeeh (ni-MOM) chʼíheetłeeh niheetłeeh nahatłeeh (CONT) hootłoh (PROG)
ni + ∅	motion	S collapses, breaks down nitłeeh (∅-MOM)

  2. to be wet

Theme	Category	Bases	Transitive bases (O + ł)
∅	adjectival	S is wet ditłééʼ (NEUT) hoditłééʼ
∅	transitional	S gets wet náhoniitłeeh
l	conversive	S gets wet náltłeeh	S makes O wet néíłtłeeh

Stem set

Aspect	Imperfective	Perfective	Future	Iterative	Optative
MOM / CONT / CONCL	-tłeeh	-tłééʼ	-tłoh	-tłoh	-tłeeh
Distributive	-tłeʼ	-tłééʼ	-tłoh	-tłoh	-tłeʼ
REV / CON	-tłoh	-tłééʼ	-tłoh	-tłoh	-tłoh
Neuter	-tłééʼ	-tłééʼ	—	—	—

See also Appendix: Roots and stems derivation.

Synonyms

MM verbs:

• -YĘ́Ę́ZH (MM moves)

to hop:

• -CHAʼ
• -TʼEʼ
• -TSAAD

to collapse:

• -KAAD
• -YĘ́Ę́ZH

action of water:

• -ʼÉÉL (flush)
• -GIZH (wash)
• -TŁʼIIZH (soak)
• -TSEED / -TSIZ (sink)
• -ZHO (dampen)

 

 

Derived terms

Navajo terms belonging to the root -TŁÉÉʼ (handle MM)

adzitłeeh

ahatłeeh

biiʼ sitłéʼé

chʼíheetłeeh

chʼíhinítłééʼ

dzitłeeh

hiditłeeh

hitłeeh

hootłoh

iitłeeh

naaztłééʼ

neitłeeh

nítłééʼ

sitłééʼ

yitłeeh

yítłeeh

yootłoh

Navajo terms belonging to the root -TŁÉÉʼ (wet)

ditłééʼ

kétłoh

References

• Young, Robert; Morgan, William; Midgette, Sally (1992), Analytical lexicon of Navajo, Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, →ISBN, page 563