Navajo language
1
8.0
- noun
- /ˈnævəhoʊ ˈlæŋɡwɪdʒ/
:
idioma navajo
- The Navajo language has many unique words that express concepts not found in English.
- speak in the Navajo language
- using the Navajo language
Examples
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In school, we studied the Navajo language to better understand the heritage of the Navajo people.
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Many elders still speak Navajo language as their first language at home.
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She is fluent in Navajo language and often translates for her community.
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The school offers classes in both English and Navajo language to preserve the culture.
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The Navajo language is rich in history.
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Do you speak Navajo language?
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I spoke to my grandmother in the Navajo language to learn about our culture's traditions.
Synonyms
A Native American language that people speak in the southwestern United States
The Native American language spoken by a people from the American Southwest
A language spoken by the Navajo people in the US Southwest
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'Navajo' (the people/ethnonym) combined with 'language' clearly denotes the language spoken by that group. The 'X language' naming pattern is regular and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Navajo language simply means the language of the Navajo people. The community actually call themselves Diné ('the people'), but outsiders used the name 'Navajo', so the phrase came to mean the group's language.