Birthday Project 2012--Navajo word of the day

[Theresa]

Getting you ready to be able to order a Coke and popcorn at the movie theater....

Dilchxoshí
Things that 'pop'



Dilchxoshí, or dilchxosh, is the Navajo word used to describe things that have a characteristic ‘pop.’ Another way to describe it is effervescence.

Two common snacks have this characteristic: soda and popcorn. The soda, being carbonated, fizzes and bubbles. With the popcorn, well, the kernels pop.

Here are their Navajo counterparts:

• Tó dilchxoshí (water that pops/fizzes)
• Naadą́ą́’ dilchxoshí (corn that pops)

[shadowydog]

I wonder what the reaction would be to walking in a movie theater in Vegas and saying either of those to the people at the refreshment stand.

I typed good morning in Navajo this morning and got accused of typing by sitting on my keyboard.

[Theresa]

Today's word of the day will be a little different. After after last night's premiere, I thought this word would be appropriate.

Naalkidgo Bee Béého'dílzin
Movie Star

[youtube]Sjdm2zwy1JM[/youtube]


Published on Mar 29, 2012 by daybreakwarrior

For Today's Navajo Word of the Day, I got the help of a Native American actor, dancer, & model, Moses Brings Plenty, of the Oglala Lakota Nation from the Pine Ridge Reservation of South Dakota. Today's Navajo Word of the Day is "Naalkidgo Bee Béého'dílzin," which means "Movie Star," in the Navajo language. The breakdown:

Naalkidgo: when he is showing (implying by movie or video)
Bee: by means of it
Béého'dílzin: he is well-known/famous

When you translate it from Navajo to English literally, it doesn't sound quite right but the translation makes sense to the Navajo ear!

I was honored to have Moses Brings Plenty help me with today's Navajo Word of the Day. As a Native American actor, he was the perfect person to help me with this word. Moses Brings Plenty has had small movie roles in popular movies, such as Hidalgo, Thunder Heart, Pirates of the Caribbean & Cowboys and Aliens. He portrayed Quanah Parker in the documentary "Comanche Warrior" for the History Channel, He even had a part in the Native American movie "Rez Bomb." He was involved with an episode of the "Deadliest Warrior," which aired on Spike TV. He has modeled for Ed Hardy & Harley Davidson. He has performed with the Native American group "Brulé" as a drummer and had drummed and danced for the Many Moccasins Dance Troupe.

Moses Brings Plenty is such an inspiration to our Native youth & I proudly support his endeavors! If you'd like to learn more about Moses Brings Plenty, check out his website at: http://www.mobringsplenty.com/

[Theresa]

Ha’a’aah
East


http://navajowotd.com/post/18545299417/haaaah

In English, ha’a’aah is commonly translated into ‘east.’ In the Navajo way, it refers to the sunrise - a consistent reminder of the underlying symbolism of the four directions.

If you’re familiar with the Navajo culture, then you’ve probably noticed that the number four is a recurring value, such as the four sacred mountains, the four types of corn, the four original clans, and so forth. The four cardinal directions follow in much the same fashion, with every quarter part representative of an important aspect of Navajo cultural understanding.

Navajo people will rise before the sun to witness the dawn, as it provides Navajo with the reminder that creativity and the senses lay the foundation for strong ideas and a better life. The light nurtures this mindset in a way that encourages personal development, and is attributed to be white light (white being one of the four colors).

So, if you think of east, think of sunrise. Then think of ha’a’aah to remind yourself that creativity and free-thinking are essential parts of Navajo cultural thought process.

[Theresa]

Hooghan
Home


http://navajowotd.com/post/18895524615/hooghan

Literally: home, or hogan.

The traditional Navajo family house is called hooghan. The most common variety are constructed of logs arranged in a circle, stacked upwards upon which support beams and an earthy mixture form a rounded roof. Many other varieties are still used, but they all open up facing ha’a’aah, to greet the day.

Many new family homes are built using suburbanite design principles, so the word is meant to reflect the home aspect more than the house aspect.

[Theresa]

Nda’iiníísh
Friday



Today’s Navajo word is everybody’s favorite: Friday.

Technically, you may hear this word also said like this, “Ashdla’ajį́ nda’anish.” The first part of the phrase contains jį́ (see díí jį́), and ashdla’ (which is the number five), so it approximates to “the fifth day.” The latter part of the phrase contains the particle -nish in reference to work, or working, preceded by the particle nda- which can mean no, or none, and in this case (the) end.

Nda’iiníísh is the more common way to say Friday in Navajo.

Phrase: Díí jį́ éí Nda’iiníísh. Today is Friday.

[Theresa]

Níłch’i naalkidí
Television



The first part of this phrase refers to something that is carried by air — common translations are “air” itself and “spirit”. The latter part is a combination of particles that each approximate to “seen with the eyes” and “that which is moving”.

Together, the phrase in its entirety is understood to mean television. So, you could say it literally means “air movie”. If this is confusing to you, just think about tv stations that were broadcasted over the air, as opposed to the newer cable tv and internet tv. The television set is the physical manifestation of these “air movies” so it inherits this name. But today, most Navajo people just call any television set níłch’i naalkidí.

[Theresa]

Naaltsoos
Books



This Navajo word refers to paper. It also refers to books of all varieties, and is used in conjunction with other descriptive words to name specific things. For instance, the word for mailman uses naaltsoos, and also the word for certain treaties — which were contained within paper binders.

[SnoopyDances]

Theresa for doing all of this!
I love learning new things and this "Word of the Day" is brilliant!

[Theresa]

Nóomba
Numbers 11 through 20



Here’s the next series of the Navajo number system.

Since you’re familiar with the base numbers 1-9, to create the “teen” numbers simply append “-ts’áadah” to the end of those numbers. Once you get to 20, as with any multiple of 10 up to 90, this attachment becomes “-diin”. See:

• 11. ła’ts’áadah
  12. naakits’áadah
  13. táá’ts’áadah
  14. dį́į́’ts’áadah
  15. ashdla’ts’áadah
  16. hastą́ts’áadah
  17. tsost’idts’áadah
  18. tseebííts’áadah
  19. náhást’éíts’áadah
  20. naadiin

Notice how t’ááłá’í can be shortened to ła’. In some cases, you may also notice with numbers 15 and 16 that some people tend to leave out the “-ts’-” pronunciation.

[bella6626]

Thank you, Theresa. This is fabulous.

[Theresa]

Thank you, Theresa. This is fabulous.

Thanks, bella. I'm glad you're enjoying it!

So far, the only word I've been able to remember without hesitation is the word for coffee.

[Theresa]

Shádi’ááh
South



This is the second of the four cardinal directions of the Navajo: South. (The first being ha’a’aah, or East.) [see May 9 post for pronunciation]. Though the direction is South, the meaning of the word itself refers to the sun, where at its highest point it is generally in that direction - shá being the sun.

As such, the direction is traditionally significant because it symbolizes the beginning of order to freedom of thought and creativity — a kind of purpose or aim.

[Theresa]

Colors

[youtube]LSMAFNIf-mY[/youtube]


This video shows you how to say all the basic colors in the Navajo Language. These are the following words included in the video:

• Łichíí': Red
  Łitso: Yellow
  Yéego Łitso: Orange
  Łitsxo: Orange
  Ch'ilgo Dootł'izh: Green (Plant Green)
  Tátł'idgo Dootł'izh: Green (Algae Green)
  Yágo Dootł'izh: Blue (Sky Blue)
  Tsédídééh: Purple
  Dibéłchí'í: Brown
  Łizhin: Black

This video also shows how to say some other complimentary phrases, like:

• Díí hait'áo naashch'ą́ą́?
  What color is this?
  
  Díí éí ch'ilgo dootł'izh.
  This is green.

[Fairy]

so much Theresa! I really enjoy reading and listening to the Navajo word of the day... although I am not able to pronounce most of the words not to speak of remembering them
But I especially enjoyed the video about the colours. Thanks again for all the work you do in here.