Appendix:Cypriot Arabic Swadesh list

This is a Swadesh list of words in Cypriot Arabic, compared with definitions in English.

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.

List

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EnglishCypriot Arabic
sanna
edit (175)
1I (1sg)ana
2you (2sg)int (masculine), inti (feminine)
3he, she, it (3sg)uo
4we (1pl)naxni
5you (2pl)intu
6they (3pl)innen
7thisaδa (masculine), aδi (feminine), alli (plural)
8thatáδak (masculine), áδik (feminine), állik (plural)
9hereawna
10thereawnke
11whomen
12whatayş,
13whereayn, ay
14whenmiten
15howaşşik
16notla-, má-, máy
17allkull
18manyxtir
19somexaytċ
20fewfitte, şfé
21otheraxar
22onevexen
23twoθnayn, xnayn
24threetlaxe
25fourárpǎca
26fivexampse
27bigxpir
28longtvil
29widefsici
30thickcapi
31heavyθkil
32smallzěcír
33shortxmin
34narrow
35thinmǎcaer, θkik
36womanmara
37man (adult male)intsán
38man (human being)intsán
39childvilt
40wifemara
41husbandjawz, intsán
42motherumm
43fatheryapát-
44animalxeván
45fish
46bird
47dogkilp
48lousekample
49snakecafa
50wormtut
51treeδentra
52forest
53stickcassa
54fruitfekkye (dried fruit)
55seedpizr
56leafvarka
57root
58bark (of a tree)
59flowervarte
60grassşxex
61ropexapl
62skin
63meatlaxm
64bloodtimm
65bone
66fat (noun)toxn
67eggpeδ
68horn
69tailtumpie
70feather
71hairşaxve (head), şacar (pubic)
72headmoxx
73eariδn
74eyecayn
75nosemaxúr
76mouthxank
77toothsinn
78tongue (organ)san
79fingernailδufr
80footijr
81legijr
82knee
83handit
84wing
85bellypatn
86gutspsarín
87neckraxpe
88backδaxr
89breastsuδr, pizz
90heartkalp
91liverkaspe
92to drinkşirep
93to eatkel
94to bitecaδδ
95to suckmass, δirce
96to spitpizek
97to vomitrajjce, staffce
98to blownafax
99to breathe
100to laughtaxak
101to seekişce
102to hearsimce
103to knowciref
104to thinkftaen-, paen-
105to smellşamm
106to fearfizce
107to sleepnam
108to livecaş
109to diemat
110to killmaet
111to fightstarrce, δarep
112to hunt
113to hittakk
114to cutkatca
115to splitşakk
116to stab
117to scratchxakk
118to digxiver
119to swimtăcassel
120to fly
121to walkmişi
122to comeja
123to lie (as in a bed)
124to sitkaca
125to standekef
126to turn (intransitive)tar
127to fallvakca
128to giveta
129to hold
130to squeezepalas, ciser
131to rubxaff, macak
132to washcassel
133to wipemassex
134to pulljarr
135to pushtafaş
136to throwrma
137to tierapat
138to sewşall
139to countcadd
140to saykal
141to singcanna
142to playlecep
143to float
144to flow
145to freeze
146to swellvirem
147sunşimps
148moonkamar
149starnajme
150watermoe
151rainşite
152riverpaθpun
153lakecayn-purke
154seapaxr
155saltmilx
156stonexajra
157sand
158dusttrap
159earthart
160cloudcayára
161fog
162skysama
163windxava
164snow
165ice
166smoketixxán
167fireokít
168ashrmat
169to burnxarak
170roadtarp, trik
171mountainjipel
172redaxmar
173greenxoδer
174yellowasfar
175whiteapkyaδ
176blackisfet
177nightlayl
178dayyawm
179yearsine
180warmxarr
181coldperet
182fullmplan
183newjtit
184oldcatik
185goodkaes, taep
186badveşex
187rottencefen
188dirtymăcaθθi
189straightişa
190round
191sharp (as a knife)
192dull (as a knife)
193smooth
194wetmaplúl
195dryyepes
196correct
197nearjump
198farpĕcit
199right
200left
201atcint
202infi
203withmac
204andu
205ifan, kan
206becauseta
207nameism

Bibliography

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  • Alexander Borg. A Comparative Glossary of Cypriot Maronite Arabic (Arabic-English). Brill 2004
Swadesh lists
Individual languages
Language families, family branches, and geographic groupings
Constructed languages
Reconstructed proto-languages
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