yikʼaash

Navajo

Etymology

y- (3rd person object prefix) + ∅- (3rd person subject prefix) + -∅- (classifier) + -kʼaash (imperfective stem of root -KʼAAZH, “to grind”).

Verb

yikʼaash

1. he/she is whetting it (knife, axe)
2. he/she is grinding it finely (grains, minerals)
3. he/she is singing in falsetto voice

Conjugation

Paradigm: Durative (∅/yi).

IMPERFECTIVE	singular	duoplural	plural
1st person	yishkʼaash	yiikʼaash	deiikʼaash
2nd person	nikʼaash	wohkʼaash	daahkʼaash
3rd person	yikʼaash		deikʼaash
4th person	jikʼaash		dajikʼaash

PERFECTIVE	singular	duoplural	plural
1st person	yíkʼaazh	yiikʼaazh	deiikʼaazh
2nd person	yíníkʼaazh	wookʼaazh	daookʼaazh
3rd person	yiyííkʼaazh		dayííkʼaazh
4th person	jííkʼaazh		dajííkʼaazh

FUTURE	singular	duoplural	plural
1st person	deeshkʼash	diikʼash	dadiikʼash
2nd person	dííkʼash	doohkʼash	dadoohkʼash
3rd person	yidookʼash		deidookʼash
4th person	jidookʼash		dazhdookʼash

Verbal stems

• IMPERFECTIVE: -kʼaash
• PERFECTIVE: -kʼaazh
• FUTURE: -kʼash

See also

• yikʼá (“to grind”)