How to Say “Omg” in Navajo

Did you know?

• Navajo is an Athabaskan language, meaning it is more closely related to languages spoken in Alaska and Canada than to the Spanish or Hopi languages spoken in the American Southwest.
• While 'omg' is a purely emotional outburst in English, the Navajo yáadilá óolyé contains a specific grammatical component, the '-l-', that categorizes the physical shape or nature of the thing that caused the shock.
• The word óolyé is built from a root meaning 'to be called', which suggests that when you express shock, you are essentially remarking on how something 'has been called' or 'is being named'.