jooł iih nálniihí
In Navajo, the sport basketball is jooł iih nálniihí.
This term refers specifically to the sport of basketball.
Meaning: the sport (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase jooł iih nálniihí is composed of elements meaning 'ball' and 'to bounce/rebound', describing the action as 'the one who bounces the ball'.
Did you know?
- The term jooł iih nálniihí functions as a nominalizer, meaning it literally describes the person who performs the action of the game rather than just the game itself.
- The structure of jooł iih nálniihí shows how Navajo creates new words for modern inventions by describing the physical action required to use them.
- Navajo is an agglutinative language, meaning the phrase jooł iih nálniihí is built by gluing several distinct concepts together into a single complex structure.
Example conversation
Jessica and Tyler are talking about their weekend plans.
- JessicaJooł iih nálniihí náyááł?Do you want to play basketball?
- TylerÁáko, jooł iih nálniihí nilááł.Yes, let's play basketball.
- JessicaTʼáá áéí, biniyaa náyááł.Alright, let's go play.
- TylerYáʼátʼééh, t'áá áéí.Good, let's do it.
