DINE

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DINE" BII'ZAAD
(Navaho Language)
Often, in my travels I'm asked by teachers and others to offer resources for language. At first, this seemed like a huge undertaking. With technology reaching new horizons every day, this challenge seemed attainable. So here, for the first time anywhere, you can hear and learn individual words in a Native tongue. These are simple words, and many of these words DO NOT join together to correctly frame a sentence, as words in English do. The thought process is completely different, and therefore constructing phrases is a unique characteristic of ALL Native languages, not just Dine'.
Dine' is an Athapaskan language, and is shared by several tribes, including the Apache' and the Tine' of Alaska/Yukon areas.
Regardless, I hope you can learn some words, and perhaps gain an unfamiliar respect for another language, especially one that is not founded in Latin or Germanic background such as many languages are.
Good luck, and good learning!: These words can only be heard by using the RealPlayer audio player. This is available at no cost**
The files take about 5 seconds each to load.
Dine' Words

My Mother	My father's parent	Hello	Goodbye
My Father	Baby	Where?	What?
My Grandfather	Girl	When?	Why?
My Grandmother	Boy	Yes	No

Cat	Dog	Horse	Cow
Sheep	Car	House	My House

What's your name?	How OId Are You?	My Name is ________ (your name goes in the blank)	How much/many?
How much does it cost?	Beautiful	Happy	It's cold (weather kind of cold)
It's Hot (weather kind of hot)	Let's Go!	Hungry	Taste Good?

To hear these words play more than once, press the "play" button on your Real Player

For instance, notice where it says "It's Hot" (weather kind of hot) There are basically 3 words for "Hot"

Spicy Hot
Weather Hot
Temperature/Food Hot

Dine' is not loaded with the vernacular's and expressions that the English language has. It is fairly literal. There are no swear words, no real word/s for things like "I'm sorry", "I love you," or certain other expressions. Words in English like "Cool, wicked, bad (which means good) crap, garbage, junk, refuse, scrap," and other similar descriptives are usually summed up in one word in most Native languages. In other words, where one word will suffice, one word is used, not 20, as is often the case in English. Is there any wonder there is so much miscommunication in the English language?

As time permits, and resources present themselves, we'll attempt to get a few words from every linguistic stock group there is, up on this, or similar pages.

If you have a resource, please let us know. We'll do our best to utilize outside resources.

Ahe'hee' (Thank you)

** The Real Audio Basic player is free. The 'Plus' version is NOT required to play these files. These files are compatible with the 5.0 Real audio player that comes built in to Explorer for WinX, and Netscape. Enjoy!!