Dine Bizaad: Speak, Read, Write Navajo [Paperback]

IRvy W. Goossen (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0964418916 | ISBN-13: 978-0964418912 | Publication Date: September 1, 1995

Designed for both the beginning learner and the more advanced language student, Dine Bizaad is the ideal tool for improving Navajo speaking, reading, and writing skills. Each chapter starts with practice dialogues and concludes with written exercises. Navajo-English and English-Navajo glossaries are available in the back of the textbook. Perfect for teaching yourself Navajo!

Editorial Reviews

Review

The Navajo language forms the center of Navajo culture. The appearance of Diné Bizaad is particularly timely and most welcome. -- Peter Iverson --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Language Notes

Text: English

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Product Details

• Paperback: 337 pages
• Publisher: Salina Bookshelf, Inc. (September 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0964418916
• ISBN-13: 978-0964418912
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #88,942 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > Education & Reference > Dictionaries & Thesauruses > Foreign Language > Navajo
  • #2 in Books > Education & Reference > Dictionaries & Thesauruses > Foreign Language > Native American
  • #2 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Languages > Instruction > Native American

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and Useful - To accompany Class Training, June 6, 2002

By 

Anthro Chiq "southwest anthro chiq" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dine Bizaad: Speak, Read, Write Navajo (Paperback)

Goossen's text & tape are welcome supplamental materials to a 2-yr study of Navajo. He provides sound examples on "how Navajo is spoken", vitally important in Navajo. He provides many good examples on how nouns, and verbs, and positional markers are used. I spent 2 years @ 65 hours a week training in Navajo to gain a 'basic' ability to speak to weavers. Gossen's work served as a useful platform in our student search for additional reference material. Both tape & text must be used in conjunction with a grounded study of Navajo - which means "lots of spoken training". Gossen provides good reference material on Navajo dialogue/conversation. Best used in sessions with native speakers. Would recommend it to students who are studying Navajo.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is excellent!, December 22, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Dine Bizaad: Speak, Read, Write Navajo : Lessons 1-10 (Audio Cassette)

I cannot praise this book too highly. For years I have been searching for a good Dine (Navajo) course and this is by far the best one I have seen. It is clear, concise and user-friendly while also being thorough and grammatically accurate. The lessons are structured around useful, every-day language in the form of dialogues, stories, grammmatical explanations and exercises. The book includes an appendix of Dine verb structure and a two-way vocabulary, Dine/English and English/Dine. I haven't got the tapes yet, but the book is wonderful and definitely a valuable acquisition for anyone interested in learning to speak the Dine language.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best There is, June 5, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Dine Bizaad: Speak, Read, Write Navajo : Lessons 1-10 (Audio Cassette)

The Navajo Language is a fairly difficult language to learn, and there are few books out there that can teach you the Language. In general, cultural practices of the Navajo are seldomly documented and packaged for sale--it's a cultural thing. But this book is the most extensive book out there. Unlike what a previous reviwer claimed, THERE ARE english translations for the Navajo words in the book, including a glossary in the back. YOU WILL NEED THE TAPES to accompany this book!! You just can't read the book and learn the language---the tapes are required. Navajo is a very "throaty" language and it takes a lot of prctice to learn it. Furthermore, I would suggest buying the Navajo-English Dictionary after you have mastered the book.