-TŁÉÉʼ

Navajo

Etymology

From Proto-Athabaskan *tłeqʼʷ, 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 ghitlaeʼ (“he handed (some mud)”), nałtloʼ (“it became wet”), 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	IMP	PERF	FUT	ITER	OPT
MOM / CONT / CONCL	-tłeeh	-tłéé	-tłoh	-tłoh	-tłeeh
DIST	-tłeʼ	-tłéé	-tłoh	-tłoh	-tłeʼ
REV / CON	-tłoh	-tłéé	-tłoh	-tłoh	-tłoh
NEUT	-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)

Navajo terms belonging to the root -TŁÉÉʼ (wet)