Appendix:Navajo roots and stems derivation

Introduction

This appendix proposes an analysis of the patterns in which stems derive from roots. While comparison with other Athabaskan languages or knowledge in the Proto-Athabaskan reconstruction efforts may prove vital to a deeper understanding of the mechanisms at stake, it is not the goal of this analysis, which has a more statistical / synchronic focus.

For the purpose of this study, only the momentaneous aspect, the most pervasive of all, will be considered.

The root is conventionally represented by its momentaneous perfective stem, as it is the most conservative of all stems and preserves many of the root's original features (one exception is for closed short roots where original tone is neutralized, see below).

Phonological principles

Restrictions on tone, length and openness

1. Short closed syllables are always low-tone (tone is neutralized).
2. Open syllables must be closed by a glottal stop, except for high-tone short syllables.

Length	Tone	Open	Closed
			Glottal	H	D	Fricative
short	low	ka →	kaʼ	kah	kad	kas
	high	ká	káʼ ←↑	káh ↑	kád ↑	kás ↑
long	low	kaa →	kaaʼ	kaah	kaad	kaas
	high	káá →	kááʼ	kááh	káád	káás

Note: There are very few exceptions to these general principles: cha, zo, yaa/laa.

Restrictions on vowel quality

1. e in short fully-closed syllables never occurs and raises to i: *kes > kis
2. In roots with historically labialized onset or coda, short vowels are limited to o and i: *kʷes > kos.

Root types

Stem derivation is primarily dependent on the root's coda. Five types of roots can be distinguished:

1. Open roots (∅-type)

   Historically ended in a vowel or diphthong, open roots are today either open (if short and high) or closed by a glottal stop. Sometimes a nasal (-v̨) suffix appears in the perfective only.

2. Nasal roots

   Historically ended in a nasal, these roots end today in a nasal vowel. Sometimes a dental suffix (-d) appears in the perfective. Also, in some occurrences, the vowel didn't nasalize and a consonantal -n survived.

3. Quasi-open roots (K-type)

   Historically ended in a velar or uvular, quasi-open roots typically end in a glottal stop (not to be confused with the purely phonotactical glottal stop of open roots), or in the diphthong -ai (when the velar was palatalized).

4. Dental-closed roots (D-type)

   Historically ended in a dental, these roots end today in -d, which also lenites to a glottal stop in the iterative stems.

5. Fricative-closed (S-type)

   These roots end in -z, -zh, or -l. They typically devoice in stems other than perfective.

Stem permissible shapes

The table below shows what shapes a stem can take depending on the root type and the mode. Only tone, length, and coda are considered here. Actual quality of the vowel, which may be affected by labialization, ablaut, or shortening, is not addressed.

The possible shapes of the optative for the open and nasal roots are by far the most difficult to delimit, even more so to predict based on synchronic data.

Type	Coda	IMP	PERF	FUT	ITER	OPT	Comments
∅	∅	-aah -ááh	-aaʼ -ááʼ -aʼ -á	-aał -ááł	=FUT-h	?	FUT-h = FUT replacing final -ł by -h. Not always identical to IMP.
	-n		-ąąʼ -ą́ą́ʼ -ąʼ -ą́
N	-∅	-ąąh -ą́ą́h	-an -ą́ą́ʼ -ąʼ -ą́	-ąął -ą́ą́ł	=FUT-h	?
	-d		-ąąd -ą́ą́d
K	-’	-aah -ááh	-aa’ -ááʼ -aʼ -a	-ah	=FUT	=IMP	vowel can be either oral or nasal
D	-d	-aad -áád	-aad -áád -ad	-ał	-aʼ	=IMP
S	-l	-aał -ááł	-aal -áál -al	-ał	=FUT	=IMP
	-z	-aas -áás	-aaz -ááz -az	-as	=FUT	=IMP	vowel can be either oral or nasal
	-zh	-aash -áásh	-aazh -áázh -azh	-ash	=FUT	=IMP	vowel can be either oral? or nasal

Roots and stems table

Deriving imperfective stems from perfective ones is sometimes fuzzy. For example, while -CHʼIIZH has imperfective stem with a low tone (-ch’iish), -ZHIIZH with a similar rhyme, has a high-tone imperfective (-zhíísh).

	Structure				Stems						Rhyme
Root					I	P	F	R	O		I	P	F	I	O		R	O
ʼÁÁZH			-S		ʼaash	ʼáázh	ʼash				aash	áázh	ash
CHʼIIZH	w		-S		chʼiish	chʼiizh	chʼish				iish	iizh	ish
CHʼIL	w		-S		chʼííł	chʼil	chʼił	chʼił	chʼííł		ííł	il	ił	ił	ííł		=F	=I
DIZ			-S		díís	diz	dis				íís	iz	is
KÉÉZ	w		-S		kees	kééz	kos				ees	ééz	os
LIZH			-S		líísh	lizh	lish				íísh	izh	ish
MÁÁZ			-S		máás	mááz	mas				áás	ááz	as
ZHIIZH			-S		zhíísh	zhiizh	zhish				íísh	iizh	ish
GHAAZH	w		-S		gháásh	ghaazh	wosh				áásh	aazh	osh
GHÁÁZH			-S		gháásh	gháázh	ghash				áásh	áázh	ash
GHAZH			-S		gháásh	ghazh	ghash				áásh	azh	ash
WOD	w		-D		yeed	wod	woł	woʼ	yeed		eed	od	oł	oʼ	eed			=I
DLOʼ			-K		dlóóh	dloʼ	dloh				óóh	oʼ	oh
GOʼ	w		-K		geeh	goʼ	goh	goh	geeh		eeh	oʼ	oh	oh	eeh		=F	=I
DEEʼ			-K		dééh	deeʼ	dah	dah	dééh		ééh	eeʼ	ah	ah	ééh		=F	=I
JÉÉʼ			-K		jeeh	jééʼ	jah				eeh	ééʼ	ah
KAI			-K		kááh	kai	kah				ááh	ai	ah
LOʼ			-K		leeh	loʼ	loh	loh	leeh		eeh	oʼ	oh	oh	eeh		=F	=I
NAʼ			-K		neeh	naʼ	nah	nah	neeh		eeh	aʼ	ah	ah	eeh		=F	=I
NAʼ			-K		nééh	naʼ	nah	nah	nééh		ééh	aʼ	ah	ah	ééh		=F	=I
NEʼ			-K		nííh	neʼ	nih	nih	nííh		ííh	eʼ	ih	ih	ííh		=F	=I
NIIʼ			-K		nííh	niiʼ	nih	nih	nííh		ííh	iiʼ	ih	ih	ííh		=F	=I
TIʼ			-K		tééh	tiʼ	tih	tih	tééh		ééh	iʼ	ih	ih	ééh		=F	=I
BĄʼ			-N		bįįh	bą́	bįįł	bįįh	bą́ą́ʼ		įįh	ą́	įįł	įįh	ą́ą́ʼ		=F-h
CHĄĄʼ			-N		chįįh	chąąʼ	chįįł	chįįh	chįįh		įįh	ąąʼ	įįł	įįh	įįh		=F-h	=I
CHĄ́Ą́ʼ			-N		chįįh	chą́ą́ʼ	chįįł	chįįh	chą́ą́ʼ		įįh	ą́ą́ʼ	įįł	įįh	ą́ą́ʼ		=F-h	=P
CHĄ́Ą́ʼ			-∅	-n	chééh	chą́ą́ʼ	chééł	chééh	chééł		ééh	ą́ą́ʼ	ééł	ééh	ééł		=F-h	=F
CHĮ́			-∅	-n	chííh	chį́	chííł	chííh	chííł		ííh	į́	ííł	ííh	ííł		=F-h	=F
DÁ			-∅		daah	dá	daał	daah	daah		aah	á	aał	aah	aah		=F-h	=I
DĮĮD			-N	-d	dįįh	dįįd	dįįł	dįįh	dįįh		įįh	įįd	įįł	įįh	įįh		=F-h	=I
DLĄ́Ą́ʼ			-N		dlį́į́h	dlą́ą́ʼ	dlį́į́ł	dlį́į́h	dlį́į́h		į́į́h	ą́ą́ʼ	į́į́ł	į́į́h	į́į́h		=F-h	=I
DǪǪD			-N	-d	dǫǫh	dǫǫd	dǫǫł	dǫǫh	dǫǫh		ǫǫh	ǫǫd	ǫǫł	ǫǫh	ǫǫh		=F-h	=I
DON			-N		dǫǫh	don	dǫǫł	dǫǫh	don		ǫǫh	on	ǫǫł	ǫǫh	on		=F-h	=P
GHĄ́Ą́ʼ			-N		ghą́ą́h	ghą́ą́ʼ	ghą́ą́ł	ghą́ą́h	ghą́ą́h		ą́ą́h	ą́ą́ʼ	ą́ą́ł	ą́ą́h	ą́ą́h		=F-h	=I
GHĄ́Ą́ʼ			-N		ghą́ą́h	ghą́ą́ʼ	ghą́ą́ł	ghą́ą́h	ghą́ą́ʼ		ą́ą́h	ą́ą́ʼ	ą́ą́ł	ą́ą́h	ą́ą́ʼ		=F-h	=P
ʼĮĮD			-N	-d	ʼįįh	ʼįįd	ʼįįł	ʼįįh	ʼįįh		įįh	įįd	įįł	įįh	įįh		=F-h	=I
ʼĮĮD			-N	-d	ʼįįh	ʼįįd	ʼįįł	ʼįįh	ʼį́į́ʼ		įįh	įįd	įįł	įįh	į́į́ʼ		=F-h
KĄ́			-∅	-n	kaah	ką́	kááł	kááh	kááł		aah	ą́	ááł	ááh	ááł		=F-h	=F
LAA			-∅		lééh	laa	lííł		leʼ		ééh	aa	ííł		eʼ
LĄĄD			-N	-d	ląąh	ląąd	ląął	ląąh	lą́ą́ʼ		ąąh	ąąd	ąął	ąąh	ą́ą́ʼ		=F-h
LĮ́Į́ʼ			-∅	-n	leeh	lį́į́ʼ	leeł	leeh	leʼ		eeh	į́į́ʼ	eeł	eeh	eʼ		=F-h
NÁ		ä	-∅		nééh	ná	nééł	nééh	nééł		ééh	á	ééł	ééh	ééł		=F-h	=F
NAʼ			-∅		naah	naʼ	naał	naah	naah		aah	aʼ	aał	aah	aah		=F-h	=I
NÁÁʼ			-∅		nááh	nááʼ	nááł	nááh	nááł		ááh	ááʼ	ááł	ááh	ááł		=F-h	=F
NEʼ			-∅		neeh	neʼ	neeł	neeh	neeh		eeh	eʼ	eeł	eeh	eeh		=F-h	=I
NEʼ			-∅		neʼ	neʼ	niił	niih	neʼ		eʼ	eʼ	iił	iih	eʼ		=F-h	=I
TĄ́			-N		tį́į́h	tą́	tį́į́ł	tį́į́h	tį́į́ł		į́į́h	ą́	į́į́ł	į́į́h	į́į́ł		=F-h	=F
TĄ́			-N		tį́į́h	tą́	tį́į́ł	tį́į́h	tą́ą́ʼ		į́į́h	ą́	į́į́ł	į́į́h	ą́ą́ʼ		=F-h
TĄ́Ą́ʼ			-∅	-n	tááh	tą́ą́ʼ	taał	taah	tááh		ááh	ą́ą́ʼ	aał	aah	ááh		=F-h	=I
TĄ́Ą́ʼ			-K	-n	tááh	tą́ą́ʼ	tah	tah	tááh		ááh	ą́ą́ʼ	ah	ah	ááh		=F	=I
TIN			-N		tin	tin	tį́į́ł	tį́į́h	tin		in	in	į́į́ł	į́į́h	in		=F-h	=I
TĮ́			-∅	-n	teeh	tį́	tééł	tééh	tééł		eeh	į́	ééł	ééh	ééł		=F-h	=F
TʼEʼ			-∅		tʼeeh	tʼeʼ	tʼeeł	tʼeeh	tʼeeh		eeh	eʼ	eeł	eeh	eeh		=F-h	=I
TŁʼǪ́			-∅	-n	tłʼóóh	tłʼǫ́	tłʼóół	tłʼóóh	tłʼóół		óóh	ǫ́	óół	óóh	óół		=F-h	=F
TSĄ́			-∅	-n	tsaah	tsą́	tsaał	tsaah	tsaał		aah	ą́	aał	aah	aał		=F-h	=F
YÁ			-∅		ááh	yá	ááł	ááh	aʼ		ááh	á	ááł	ááh	aʼ		=F-h
YAA			-∅			yaa						aa					=F	=I