Introduction
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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.
No.
English
Hiligaynon Hiniligaynon , Ilonggo
1
I
ako
2
you (singular)
ikaw
3
he , she , it
siya
4
we
inclusive: kita exclusive: kami
5
you (plural)
kamo
6
they
sila
7
this
ini
8
that
ina
9
here
diri
10
there
dira
11
who
sin-o
12
what
ano nano
13
where
diin
14
when
san-o ( used with irrealis aspect verb ) , kasan-o ( used with realis aspect verb )
15
how
anhon
16
not
dili indi
17
all
tanan
18
many
damo
19
some
iban
20
few
diyutay
21
other
iban
22
one
isa
23
two
duha
24
three
tatlo
25
four
apat
26
five
lima
27
big
dako
28
long
lawid
29
wide
lapad
30
thick
madamol
31
heavy
bug-at
32
small
diyutay
33
short
nubo putot ( of people )
34
narrow
makitid
35
thin
nipis hayat
36
woman
babaye
37
man (adult male)
lalaki
38
man (human being)
tawo
39
child
anak bata
40
wife
asawa
41
husband
bana
42
mother
iloy
43
father
amay
44
animal
hayop
45
fish
isda
46
bird
pispis
47
dog
ido
48
louse
kuto
49
snake
halas
50
worm
ulod
51
tree
kahoy puno
52
forest
kagulangan
53
stick
lipak
54
fruit
bunga
55
seed
binhi
56
leaf
dahon
57
root
gamot
58
bark (of a tree)
panit sang kahoy
59
flower
bulak
60
grass
hilamon
61
rope
lubid higot
62
skin
panit
63
meat
unod karne
64
blood
dugo
65
bone
tulan
66
fat (noun)
tambok
67
egg
itlog
68
horn
sungay
69
tail
ikog
70
feather
balahibo
71
hair
buhok
72
head
ulo
73
ear
dalunggan
74
eye
mata
75
nose
ilong
76
mouth
baba
77
tooth
ngipon
78
tongue (organ)
dila
79
fingernail
kuko
80
foot
bitis
81
leg
tiil batiis
82
knee
tuhod
83
hand
kamot
84
wing
pakpak
85
belly
tiyan
86
guts
tinae
87
neck
liog
88
back
likod
89
breast
suso
90
heart
kasingkasing puso
91
liver
atay
92
to drink
inum
93
to eat
kaon
94
to bite
kagat
95
to suck
supsop
96
to spit
dupla
97
to vomit
suka
98
to blow
huyop
99
to breathe
ginhawa
100
to laugh
kadlaw
101
to see
kita
102
to hear
pamati
103
to know
hibalo
104
to think
dumdom
105
to smell
simhot
106
to fear
sin-o
107
to sleep
tulog
108
to live
buhi
109
to die
matay
110
to kill
patay
111
to fight
away bangig
112
to hunt
mangayam
113
to hit
lampus
114
to cut
putol
115
to split
bis-ak gisi
116
to stab
dugkal
117
to scratch
kalot karos
118
to dig
suk-ay
119
to swim
langoy
120
to fly
lupad
121
to walk
lakat
122
to come
abot
123
to lie (as in a bed)
higda
124
to sit
pungko
125
to stand
tindog
126
to turn (intransitive)
liko
127
to fall
hulog
128
to give
hatag
129
to hold
kupot
130
to squeeze
pisil
131
to rub
kuskos
132
to wash
hugas
133
to wipe
pahid
134
to pull
butong
135
to push
tulod
136
to throw
haboy labyog
137
to tie
higot
138
to sew
tahi
139
to count
isip
140
to say
siling
141
to sing
amba kanta
142
to play
hampang
143
to float
lutaw
144
to flow
ilig
145
to freeze
146
to swell
daludo
147
sun
adlaw
148
moon
bulan
149
star
bitoon
150
water
tubig
151
rain
ulan
152
river
suba
153
lake
danaw
154
sea
dagat
155
salt
asin
156
stone
bato
157
sand
balas
158
dust
yab-ok
159
earth
duta
160
cloud
panganod
161
fog
gamhon
162
sky
langit
163
wind
hangin
164
snow
niyebe
165
ice
yelo
166
smoke
aso
167
fire
kalayo
168
ash
abo
169
to burn
sunog
170
road
dalan
171
mountain
bukid
172
red
pula
173
green
berde
174
yellow
dalag
175
white
puti
176
black
itum
177
night
gab-i
178
day
adlaw
179
year
tuig
180
warm
mainit
181
cold
malamig
182
full
puno
183
new
bag-o
184
old
daan
185
good
maayo
186
bad
dautan
187
rotten
gabok
188
dirty
higko
189
straight
tadlong
190
round
bilog malingin
191
sharp (as a knife)
matalom
192
dull (as a knife)
habol
193
smooth
hinlo
194
wet
basa
195
dry
kigas mamala
196
correct
sibo
197
near
dapit
198
far
malayo
199
right
tuo
200
left
wala
201
at
sa
202
in
sa
203
with
204
and
kag
205
if
kon
206
because
tungod
207
name
ngalan
Swadesh lists
Individual languages
Language families, family branches, and geographic groupings
Constructed languages
Reconstructed proto-languages
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