Appendix:Egyptian Swadesh list
This is a Swadesh list of words in Egyptian, compared with definitions in English.
Presentation edit
- For further information, including the full final version of the list, read the Wikipedia article: Swadesh list.
American linguist Morris Swadesh believed that languages changed at measurable rates and that these could be determined even for languages without written precursors. Using vocabulary lists, he sought to understand not only change over time but also the relationships of extant languages. To be able to compare languages from different cultures, he based his lists on meanings he presumed would be available in as many cultures as possible. He then used the fraction of agreeing cognates between any two related languages to compute their divergence time by some (still debated) algorithms. Starting in 1950 with 165 meanings, his list grew to 215 in 1952, which was so expansive that many languages lacked native vocabulary for some terms. Subsequently, it was reduced to 207, and reduced much further to 100 meanings in 1955. A reformulated list was published posthumously in 1971.
List edit
Note: The writing system of Egyptian was almost exclusively consonantal. The vowels have not yet been reconstructed with certainty, and are thus not included.
| No. | English | Egyptian r(ꜣ) n(j) kmt |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | I | jnk |
| 2 | you (singular) | Old Egyptian: ṯwt (m.), ṯmt (f.) Middle Egyptian: ntk (m.), ntṯ (f.) Late Egyptian: mntk (m.), mntt (f.) |
| 3 | he, she, it | Old Egyptian: swt (m.), stt (f.) Middle Egyptian: ntf (m.), nts (f.) Late Egyptian: mntf (m.), mntst (f.) |
| 4 | we | jnn |
| 5 | you (plural) | Old and Middle Egyptian: ntṯn Late Egyptian: mnttn |
| 6 | they | Old and Middle Egyptian: ntsn Late Egyptian: mntw |
| 7 | this | Old Egyptian: pj, pw, pn (m. det.), tj, tw, tn (f. det.), nw, nn (pron.) Middle Egyptian: pn (m.), tn (f.), nn (pl.) Late Egyptian: pꜣj (m.), tꜣj (f.), nꜣj (pl.) |
| 8 | that | Old Egyptian: pf (m. det.), tf (f. det.), nf (pron.) Middle Egyptian: pf (m.), tf (f.), nf (pl.) Late Egyptian: pꜣj (m.), tꜣj (f.), nꜣj (pl.) |
| 9 | here | ꜥn, ꜥꜣ |
| 10 | there | ꜥf |
| 11 | who | mj |
| 12 | what | mj, jḫ, jšst |
| 13 | where | ṯnj |
| 14 | when | zy nw |
| 15 | how | mj mj, mj jḫ |
| 16 | not | Old Egyptian: nj Middle Egyptian: nj, nn Late Egyptian: bw, bn |
| 17 | all | nb |
| 18 | many | ꜥšꜣ |
| 19 | some | nhj |
| 20 | few | nhj |
| 21 | other | ky |
| 22 | one | wꜥ |
| 23 | two | snwj |
| 24 | three | ḫmtw |
| 25 | four | jfdw |
| 26 | five | djw |
| 27 | big | ꜥꜣ, wr |
| 28 | long | ꜣw |
| 29 | wide | wsḫ |
| 30 | thick | wmt |
| 31 | heavy | dns |
| 32 | small | Old and Middle Egyptian: nḏs Late Egyptian: šrr |
| 33 | short | ḥwꜥ |
| 34 | narrow | gꜣw, ḥns |
| 35 | thin | pꜣq |
| 36 | woman | zt, ḥmt |
| 37 | man (adult male) | z |
| 38 | man (human being) | rmṯ |
| 39 | child | ẖrd, ms |
| 40 | wife | ḥmt |
| 41 | husband | hj |
| 42 | mother | mwt |
| 43 | father | jt |
| 44 | animal | ꜥwt (four-legged animals) |
| 45 | fish | rm |
| 46 | bird | ꜣpd |
| 47 | dog | ṯzm |
| 48 | louse | ktt |
| 49 | snake | ḥfꜣw (m.), ḥfꜣt (f.) |
| 50 | worm | fnṯ |
| 51 | tree | nht, šn |
| 52 | forest | — |
| 53 | stick | ḫt |
| 54 | fruit | dqr, jšdt |
| 55 | seed | prt |
| 56 | leaf | gꜣbt |
| 57 | root | wꜣb, mnyt |
| 58 | bark (of a tree) | qqtj |
| 59 | flower | ḥrrt, wnb |
| 60 | grass | ꜥnb |
| 61 | rope | nwḥ |
| 62 | skin | jnm |
| 63 | meat | jwf |
| 64 | blood | znf |
| 65 | bone | qs |
| 66 | fat (noun) | mrḥt |
| 67 | egg | swḥt |
| 68 | horn | ꜥb, ḥnwt, db |
| 69 | tail | ḫbzt, sd |
| 70 | feather | šwt |
| 71 | hair | šnj |
| 72 | head | chiefly Old and Middle Egyptian: tp chiefly Late Egyptian: ḏꜣḏꜣ |
| 73 | ear | msḏr |
| 74 | eye | jrt |
| 75 | nose | fnḏ |
| 76 | mouth | r(ꜣ) |
| 77 | tooth | jbḥ, nḥḏt |
| 78 | tongue (organ) | ns |
| 79 | fingernail | ꜥnt |
| 80 | foot | rd |
| 81 | leg | wꜥrt, sbq |
| 82 | knee | pꜣḏ |
| 83 | hand | ḏrt, ꜥ |
| 84 | wing | ḏnḥ, dmꜣt |
| 85 | belly | ẖt |
| 86 | guts | mẖtw, ꜣjs |
| 87 | neck | ḫḫ, nḥbt |
| 88 | back | sꜣ, psḏ, jꜣt |
| 89 | breast | mnḏ |
| 90 | heart | jb, ḥꜣtj |
| 91 | liver | mjzt |
| 92 | to drink | Old Egyptian: zwr Middle and Late Egyptian: zwj |
| 93 | to eat | wnm |
| 94 | to bite | pzḥ |
| 95 | to suck | snq |
| 96 | to spit | bšj, psg, tf |
| 97 | to vomit | qꜣꜥ, qjs |
| 98 | to blow | nfj |
| 99 | to breathe | ssn, tpr |
| 100 | to laugh | zbṯ |
| 101 | to see | mꜣꜣ |
| 102 | to hear | sḏm |
| 103 | to know | rḫ |
| 104 | to think | ḫmt |
| 105 | to smell | sn |
| 106 | to fear | snḏ |
| 107 | to sleep | qdd |
| 108 | to live | ꜥnḫ |
| 109 | to die | mwt |
| 110 | to kill | ẖdb |
| 111 | to fight | ꜥḥꜣ |
| 112 | to hunt | nw, bḥs |
| 113 | to hit | ḥwj, zḫj |
| 114 | to cut | šꜥd, šꜥ |
| 115 | to split | wpj |
| 116 | to stab | ḫmt, dm |
| 117 | to scratch | ꜣẖꜥ, nqꜥ |
| 118 | to dig | šꜣd |
| 119 | to swim | nbj, mḥj |
| 120 | to fly | pꜣj, ꜥpj |
| 121 | to walk | ḫpj |
| 122 | to come | jj, jwj |
| 123 | to lie (as in a bed) | sḏr |
| 124 | to sit | ḥmsj |
| 125 | to stand | ꜥḥꜥ |
| 126 | to turn (intransitive) | pẖr |
| 127 | to fall | ḫr |
| 128 | to give | rḏj |
| 129 | to hold | mḥ |
| 130 | to squeeze | jꜥf |
| 131 | to rub | zjn |
| 132 | to wash | jꜥj |
| 133 | to wipe | sk |
| 134 | to pull | sṯꜣ, jtḥ |
| 135 | to push | wdj |
| 136 | to throw | qmꜣ |
| 137 | to tie | ṯz |
| 138 | to sew | sṯꜣ, jtḥ |
| 139 | to count | ḥsb |
| 140 | to say | ḏd |
| 141 | to sing | ḥsj |
| 142 | to play | ḥꜥb |
| 143 | to float | |
| 144 | to flow | ḫdj, ꜥnq |
| 145 | to freeze | ḥs |
| 146 | to swell | šfw |
| 147 | sun | rꜥ |
| 148 | moon | jꜥḥ |
| 149 | star | sbꜣ |
| 150 | water | mw |
| 151 | rain | ḥwt |
| 152 | river | jtrw |
| 153 | lake | š, ḥnt |
| 154 | sea | wꜣḏ-wr |
| 155 | salt | ḥmꜣt |
| 156 | stone | jnr |
| 157 | sand | šꜥy |
| 158 | dust | ḫmw |
| 159 | earth | tꜣ |
| 160 | cloud | sṯzw, gp |
| 161 | fog | sjm |
| 162 | sky | pt |
| 163 | wind | ṯꜣw |
| 164 | snow | Old and Middle Egyptian: — Late Egyptian: sꜣrꜣqw |
| 165 | ice | — |
| 166 | smoke | ḥtj |
| 167 | fire | sḏt, ḫt |
| 168 | ash | ssf, later sfsf |
| 169 | to burn | ḏꜣf, rkḥ, mꜣẖ |
| 170 | road | wꜣt |
| 171 | mountain | ḏw |
| 172 | red | dšr (including pink, orange, brown) |
| 173 | green | wꜣḏ (including blue) |
| 174 | yellow | qnjt |
| 175 | white | ḥḏ |
| 176 | black | km |
| 177 | night | grḥ |
| 178 | day | hrw |
| 179 | year | rnpt |
| 180 | warm | šm |
| 181 | cold | qb |
| 182 | full | mḥ |
| 183 | new | mꜣw |
| 184 | old | jꜣw |
| 185 | good | nfr |
| 186 | bad | bjn |
| 187 | rotten | ḥwꜣ |
| 188 | dirty | ꜥb |
| 189 | straight | ꜥqꜣ |
| 190 | round | dbn, šn |
| 191 | sharp (as a knife) | spd |
| 192 | dull (as a knife) | nẖs |
| 193 | smooth | nꜥꜥ |
| 194 | wet | bꜣ |
| 195 | dry | šw |
| 196 | correct | ꜥqꜣ, mꜣꜥ, mtj |
| 197 | near | tkn |
| 198 | far | wꜣ, ḥr |
| 199 | right | wnmj, jmn |
| 200 | left | smḥj, jꜣbj |
| 201 | at | ḥr, m |
| 202 | in | m |
| 203 | with | ḥnꜥ, ḫr Late Egyptian: also jrm |
| 204 | and | — |
| 205 | if | jr |
| 206 | because | ḏr ntt, n ntt, ḥr ntt |
| 207 | name | rn |