Presentation
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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 Proto-Balto-Slavicedit (180) 1 I (1sg )*ēź- *ēˀźun 2 you (2sg )*tūˀ 3 he , she , it (3sg )*ís *anas 4 we (1pl )*mes 5 you (2pl )*jūˀs 6 they (3pl )*eis 7 this *śis 8 that *tas *anas 9 here *śei 10 there 11 who *kas 12 what *ki 13 where *ku 14 when *kadā́ˀ 15 how *kā́ˀkas 16 not *ne 17 all *wišas 18 many *managas 19 some *kelis 20 few 21 other *kitas 22 one *aiˀnas *eiˀnas 23 two *duwō 24 three *tríjes 25 four *ketúres 26 five *pénki 27 big 28 long *dílˀgas 29 wide *platús 30 thick *stā́ˀras 31 heavy *tingús 32 small *(s)malas 33 short *kartus 34 narrow *ánźus 35 thin *tenˀwas 36 woman *génāˀ 37 man (adult male)*wī́ˀras 38 man (human being)*źmō 39 child *dēˀtis *waikas 40 wife *génāˀ 41 husband *mangjás 42 mother *mā́ˀtē 43 father *áta 44 animal *źwēˀrís 45 fish *źū́ˀs 46 bird *putā́ˀ 47 dog *śwṓ 48 louse *(l)úšis 49 snake *ángis 50 worm *kírmis 51 tree *dérwa 52 forest *lḗˀsus *medjā́ˀ 53 stick *kaukas 54 fruit *awáktis 55 seed *sḗˀmen 56 leaf *lápas *léistas 57 root *kárō 58 bark (of a tree)*karā́ˀ 59 flower *kwaitas 60 grass *trāˀwā́ˀ 61 rope *wírwis 62 skin *ā́dāˀ 63 meat *mēnsāˀ *mḗns 64 blood *krauja *krū́ˀs 65 bone *káuˀlas 66 fat (noun)*tauˀkás 67 egg *ṓja 68 horn *rágas 69 tail 70 feather *plúnksnāˀ 71 hair *kasā́ˀ *válśas 72 head *galˀwā́ˀ 73 ear *áušis 74 eye *ak- 75 nose *nasús *nāˀs 76 mouth *áusta 77 tooth *dantís *źámbas 78 tongue (organ)*inźūˀ 79 fingernail *nagutis 80 foot *pēdā́ˀ 81 leg *nagā́ˀ 82 knee *kal- *kel- 83 hand *ránkāˀ 84 wing *spárnas 85 belly *wēˀdera 86 guts 87 neck *grī́ˀwāˀ 88 back 89 breast *pírˀśis 90 heart *śḗr *śirˀdís 91 liver *entrá *jaknāˀ 92 to drink 93 to eat *ḗˀstei 94 to bite *kánˀstei 95 to suck 96 to spit *(s)pjáutei 97 to vomit *rūˀgā́ˀtei *bljáuˀtei 98 to blow *dúmˀtei *wḗˀtei 99 to breathe *dūšā́ˀtei 100 to laugh *smijḗˀtei 101 to see *weiˀdēˀtei 102 to hear *klauˀšitei 103 to know *źnōˀtei 104 to think *minḗˀtei 105 to smell *ṓˀstei 106 to fear *bajā́ˀtei 107 to sleep 108 to live *gīˀwetei 109 to die *mertéi *mir- 110 to kill *maréitei 111 to fight *bárˀtei 112 to hunt *lavī́ˀtei 113 to hit *káuˀtei 114 to cut *gínˀtei *skerstei *tinˀtei 115 to split *skéltei *dail- 116 to stab *bádīˀtei *bestei *kálˀtei 117 to scratch *késtei 118 to dig *grebtei 119 to swim *plauˀtei 120 to fly 121 to walk *éitei 122 to come 123 to lie (as in a bed) *légtei 124 to sit *sēdḗˀtei 125 to stand *stā́ˀtei 126 to turn (intransitive) *wirtḗˀtei *wártīˀtei *suk- 127 to fall *pṓˀstei 128 to give *dṓˀtei 129 to hold 130 to squeeze *gémtei 131 to rub *térˀtei *tírˀtei 132 to wash 133 to wipe 134 to pull *tíngtei *wílktei 135 to push *ráiˀtei 136 to throw *méstei *wérˀgtei 137 to tie 138 to sew *sjū́ˀtei 139 to count *(s)keistéi *(s)keitā́ˀtei 140 to say *sákīˀtei 141 to sing *gāˀi- *páitei 142 to play *igrā́ˀtei 143 to float *plū́ˀtei 144 to flow *téktei *bḗˀgtei 145 to freeze *mírźtei 146 to swell *brínktei 147 sun *súlˀnis *sáuˀlijāˀ 148 moon *láukšnāˀ *mḗˀn(e)s- *mḗˀnō 149 star *źwaisdā́ˀ 150 water *wandō 151 rain *dúsdjas 152 river *raikā́ˀ *ápāˀ 153 lake *éźera 154 sea *mári 155 salt *sal- *sāl- 156 stone *ákmō *kā́ˀmō 157 sand 158 dust *páršas *pírštis 159 earth *źemē 160 cloud *néba 161 fog *míglāˀ 162 sky 163 wind *wḗˀtrāˀ 164 snow *snáigas 165 ice *ledús 166 smoke *dū́ˀmas 167 fire *úngnis 168 ash *pel- 169 to burn *degtéi 170 road *pántis 171 mountain *garā́ˀ 172 red *raudas 173 green *źelˀ- 174 yellow *gílˀtas 175 white *balˀta 176 black *kiršnas 177 night *náktis 178 day *deinas *dinas 179 year 180 warm *téplas 181 cold 182 full *pílˀnas 183 new *náujas *náwas 184 old *sénas *wétušas 185 good 186 bad 187 rotten *gnéiˀlas 188 dirty 189 straight *prṓˀwas 190 round 191 sharp (as a knife)*aśrás 192 dull (as a knife)193 smooth *glā́ˀdus 194 wet *walg- 195 dry *saušás 196 correct 197 near *tuwas 198 far 199 right *déśinas 200 left *laiˀwás 201 at *prei 202 in *in 203 with *śun 204 and *ō 205 if *ar 206 because 207 name *inˀmen
References
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Derksen, Rick (2008 ) Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 4), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN →ISSN Derksen, Rick (2015 ) Etymological Dictionary of the Baltic Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 13 ), Leiden, Boston: Brill , →ISBN See also
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Swadesh lists
Individual languages
Language families, family branches, and geographic groupings
Constructed languages
Reconstructed proto-languages
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