Humorous Stories of The People (in Navajo and English)
Collected and annotated by Alan Wilson with Gene Dennison
The stories are Navajo: They reflect the Navajo love for, and genius with, words and humor. Although some stories are ancient, they are still being told by contemporary Navajos. The subtlety and beauty of the language is brought to bear upon a great variety of situations with an alchemy that renders them startlingly humorous. One story evolves into a tri-dimensional pun utilizing double plays on three words. Other jokes catch the similarity in sound between certain English and Navajo words or expressions.
These stories were collected by Alan Wilson with Gene Dennison, a Navajo Informant. For the teacher, language or Native American studies student, and for all of us, they provide vibrant insights into both language and culture.
* 74 minutes of audio, 159-page text, 21 stories
* Rhythm words, literal translation between Navajo and English
* Verb paradigms, modes, and tenses
* Word plays entirely in Navajo
* Word plays involving Navajo and English
* Situational stories with humor from practical jokes, foolish behavior, tongue twisting, accidental ridiculous situations
About the Language
Navajo is a language of the Southern Athabaskan branch of the Na-Dené family, which also includes several Apache languages. It is one of the most widely spoken Native American languages, with almost 170,000 native speakers, primarily in the Southwestern United States, especially the Navajo Nation area of northern Arizona and New Mexico and southern Utah and Colorado.
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Additional Courses Available through Audio-Forum®:
* Breakthrough Navajo
* Jicarilla Apache
* Let's Speak Mohawk
* Medical Navajo
* Navajo Place Names
* Speak Navajo