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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.
№ English Lower Sorbiandolnoserbšćina edit (207) 1 I (1sg )ja 2 you (2sg )ty 3 he , she , it (3sg )wón 4 we (1pl )my 5 you (2pl )wy 6 they (3pl )wóni 7 this ten ta to 8 that to 9 here how 10 there tam 11 who chto 12 what co 13 where źo 14 when gdy 15 how kak 16 not nje- 17 all wšyken 18 many wjele 19 some někotary 20 few mało 21 other drugi 22 one jaden 23 two dwa 24 three tśi 25 four styri 26 five pěś 27 big wjeliki 28 long dłujki 29 wide šyroki 30 thick tłusty 31 heavy śěžki 32 small mały 33 short krotki 34 narrow wuski 35 thin śańki 36 woman žeńska 37 man (adult male)muski 38 man (human being)luź 39 child źiśe góle 40 wife žeńska 41 husband cłowjek 42 mother maś 43 father nan 44 animal zwěrje 45 fish ryba 46 bird ptašk 47 dog pjas 48 louse weš 49 snake wuž 50 worm wužeńc cerw 51 tree bom 52 forest góla lěs 53 stick kij 54 fruit płod 55 seed semje 56 leaf list 57 root kórjeń 58 bark (of a tree)škóra 59 flower kwětk 60 grass tšawa 61 rope powrjoz 62 skin kóža 63 meat měso 64 blood kšej 65 bone kósć 66 fat (noun)tucne 67 egg jajo 68 horn rog 69 tail wogon 70 feather pjero 71 hair włose 72 head głowa 73 ear wucho 74 eye woko 75 nose nos 76 mouth guba 77 tooth zub 78 tongue (organ)jězyk 79 fingernail nokś 80 foot noga 81 leg noga 82 knee kóleno 83 hand ruka 84 wing kśidło 85 belly brjuch 86 guts crjowo 87 neck šyja 88 back kśebjat 89 breast bok 90 heart wutšoba 91 liver jětša 92 to drink piś 93 to eat jěsć 94 to bite kusaś 95 to suck cycaś 96 to spit pluwaś 97 to vomit bluwaś 98 to blow duś 99 to breathe dychaś 100 to laugh smjaś 101 to see wiźeś 102 to hear słyšaś 103 to know wěźeś 104 to think mysliś 105 to smell cuś wucuś 106 to fear bójaś 107 to sleep spaś 108 to live žywy byś109 to die wumrěś 110 to kill wusmjerśiś kóńcowaś 111 to fight wójowaś 112 to hunt góńtwowaś 113 to hit biś deriś 114 to cut rězaś 115 to split kłojś 116 to stab štapaś 117 to scratch drapaś 118 to dig ryś 119 to swim plěś 120 to fly leśeś 121 to walk hyś 122 to come pśiś 123 to lie (as in a bed) lažaś 124 to sit sejźeś 125 to stand stojaś 126 to turn (intransitive) wobrośiś 127 to fall padaś 128 to give dawaś 129 to hold źaržaś 130 to squeeze tłocyś 131 to rub šurowaś 132 to wash myś 133 to wipe trěś 134 to pull śěgaś 135 to push tłocyś 136 to throw chytaś 137 to tie wězaś 138 to sew šyś 139 to count licyś 140 to say groniś powědaś 141 to sing spiwaś 142 to play graś 143 to float pławiś 144 to flow běžaś 145 to freeze marznuś 146 to swell wopuchnuś 147 sun słyńco 148 moon mjasec 149 star gwězda 150 water wóda 151 rain dešć 152 river rěka 153 lake jazoro 154 sea mórjo 155 salt sol 156 stone kamjeń 157 sand pěsk 158 dust proch 159 earth zemja 160 cloud mrok 161 fog kurjawa mła 162 sky njebjo 163 wind wětš 164 snow sněg 165 ice lod 166 smoke dym 167 fire wogeń 168 ash popjeł 169 to burn paliś se170 road droga 171 mountain góra 172 red cerwjeny 173 green zeleny 174 yellow žołty 175 white běły 176 black carny 177 night noc 178 day źeń 179 year lěto 180 warm śopły 181 cold zymny 182 full połny 183 new nowy 184 old stary 185 good dobry 186 bad zły 187 rotten zgnity 188 dirty njerěšny brudny 189 straight rowny 190 round kulaty 191 sharp (as a knife)wótšy 192 dull (as a knife)tupy 193 smooth gładki 194 wet mokšy 195 dry suchy 196 correct pšawy 197 near bliski 198 far daloki 199 right pšawy 200 left lěwy 201 at wu pśi 202 in w we 203 with z ze 204 and a 205 if joli gaž gaby 206 because dokulaž 207 name mě
Swadesh lists
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