Navajo language
E54419
Athabaskan language
Native American language
Southern Athabaskan language
polysynthetic language
tonal language
verb‑heavy language
The Navajo language is an Athabaskan Native American language spoken primarily by the Navajo people of the Southwestern United States and known for its complex verb morphology and historical use as a World War II code.
Aliases (2)
- Navajo ×3
- Diné bizaad ×1
Statements (59)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Athabaskan language
→
Native American language → Southern Athabaskan language → polysynthetic language → tonal language → verb‑heavy language → |
| closelyRelatedTo |
Apachean languages
→
Jicarilla language → Lipan Apache language → Mescalero‑Chiricahua language → Plains Apache language → Western Apache language → |
| glottocode |
nava1243
→
|
| hasFeature |
classifier system in verbs
→
complex verb morphology → obligatory verb inflection for subject and object → prefixing morphology → productive derivational morphology → relatively free word order → switch‑reference in some constructions → templatic verb structure → tone distinctions → use of aspect rather than tense → verb‑based syntax → |
| hasLoanwordsFrom |
English
→
Spanish → |
| hasNumberOfTones |
2 or more lexical tones
→
|
| hasPhoneme |
ejective consonants
→
laryngealized consonants → nasalized vowels → |
| hasStandardForm |
standardized orthography developed in the 20th century
→
|
| hasWritingSystem |
Latin script
→
|
| ISO639-1Code |
nv
→
|
| ISO639-2Code |
nav
→
|
| ISO639-3Code |
nav
→
|
| languageFamily |
Athabaskan languages
→
Dené–Yeniseian languages (proposed) → Na‑Dene languages → |
| nativeName |
Diné bizaad
→
|
| primaryRegion |
Arizona
→
Colorado → New Mexico → Southwestern United States → Utah → |
| recognizedBy |
United States government
→
|
| spokenBy |
Navajo people
→
|
| status |
endangered language
→
language undergoing revitalization → one of the most spoken Native American languages in the United States → |
| taughtAt |
various universities in the United States
→
|
| usedAs |
code language in World War II
→
|
| usedBy |
Navajo Code Talkers
→
|
| usedFor |
contemporary literature and poetry
→
oral storytelling → traditional Navajo ceremonies → |
| usedIn |
Navajo Nation government
→
Navajo Nation media → Navajo Nation schools → |
| usedInConflict |
Pacific Theater of World War II
→
|
Referenced by (10)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Navajo people
→
Southwestern United States → |
language |
|
Apache
→
|
hasLanguage |
|
CRIT
→
|
hasLanguageHeritage |
|
Colorado River Indian Tribes Reservation
→
|
hasTraditionalLanguage |
|
Na-Dene
("Navajo")
→
|
includesLanguageWithLargeSpeakerPopulation |
|
Bosque Redondo Memorial at Fort Sumner (Navajo and Mescalero Apache internment site)
("Navajo")
→
|
languageOfSignage |
|
Navajo language
("Diné bizaad")
→
|
nativeName |
|
Navajo Nation
("Navajo")
→
|
officialLanguage |
|
Navajoland Area Mission
→
|
usesLanguage |