Appendix:Elamite Swadesh list

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

Presentation edit

For further information, read the article: Swadesh list

The Swadesh word list, developed by the linguist w:Morris Swadesh, is used as a tool to study the evolution of languages. It contains a set of basic words which can be found in every language. Various versions have been created, in particular:

  • a complete 207 words version, in which some of the words are not found in every environment (it contains for instance snake and snow)
  • a reduced 100 words version.

This word list should not be considered as an elementary lexicon to communicate with speakers of a given language; for such a purpose, the numerous existing Wikivoyage lexicons are more useful. Its only objective is to give a rough idea of the language, by showing its lexical and, when possible, phonetics basis.

List edit

Editorial note: Because cuneiform permits both logographic and syllabic writings, some Elamite words are written only logographically using the logograms used in Sumerian cuneiform; these can be distinguished in the Swadesh list by being in all capitals as is the usual convention for cuneiform logograms.

No. English Elamite
1 I u, hu
2 you (singular) ni, nu
3 he, she, it e
4 we ni-ka
5 you (plural) nu-mi
6 they ap
7 this hu, hi
8 that ak-ka
9 here a-ha, i-ma
10 there ah
11 who ak-qa
12 what appa
13 where mur
14 when sap, an-ka
15 how anka
16 not in-na
17 all ku-ti-na, mar-be-ip
18 many ir-še-ik-ki
19 some aš-ki
20 few harikki
21 other daae
22 one ki-ir
23 two ma-ir
24 three zí-ti
25 four
26 five tu-ku
27 big ir-šá-na
28 long me-lu-uk
29 wide šadanika
30 thick
31 heavy ab-ba-ra,
32 small harikki
33 short
34 narrow
35 thin zik-ki
36 woman zana (lady)
37 man (adult male) ru-h, RUH.MEŠ
38 man (human being) ruh, LU.lg
39 child tur, hh. ma-ul-li
40 wife ir-ti
41 husband
42 mother am-ma
43 father at-ta, ad-da
44 animal kun, ku-un
45 fish
46 bird MUŠEN
47 dog UR.lg
48 louse
49 snake ši-in
50 worm *krmi-
51 tree NGIŠ.hu.sa
52 forest hu-sa
53 stick ngiš
54 fruit bu-ur
55 seed zišša
56 leaf
57 root
58 bark (of a tree)
59 flower mi-ik-ki
60 grass NGIŠ.IN.lg
61 rope šama
62 skin ha-tin, KUŠ.MEŠ
63 meat i-iš-ti
64 blood sa-an
65 bone
66 fat (noun) NGIŠ.Ì.lg, ap-pi
67 egg
68 horn qa-as-su
69 tail
70 feather putmaš, pu-ut-ma-áš
71 hair še-
72 head uk-ku
73 ear si-ri
74 eye el-ti
75 nose *šim-
76 mouth
77 tooth si-h-ha
78 tongue (organ) ti-ut
79 fingernail pu-ur
80 foot ba-at, pa-at
81 leg
82 knee
83 hand ŠU.MEŠ, kir-pi (hands)
84 wing
85 belly
86 guts
87 neck ti-pi
88 back
89 breast GABA.lg
90 heart bu-ni
91 liver ru-el-pa-mín
92 to drink si-kaš-da
93 to eat mak-, te-ri-qa
94 to bite
95 to suck
96 to spit
97 to vomit
98 to blow ba-ki-iš
99 to breathe zu-ür-zu-ür
100 to laugh
101 to see siya-
102 to hear hap
103 to know tur-
104 to think el-ma
105 to smell
106 to fear ip-ši
107 to sleep
108 to live ka-tu
109 to die *halb-
110 to kill halba-
111 to fight bet
112 to hunt
113 to hit ga-az-
114 to cut massi
115 to split
116 to stab
117 to scratch
118 to dig at-tu
119 to swim
120 to fly
121 to walk izza-
122 to come ši-in-nu
123 to lie (as in a bed)
124 to sit mur-
125 to stand
126 to turn (intransitive)
127 to fall
128 to give *tun-
129 to hold marri
130 to squeeze
131 to rub
132 to wash
133 to wipe
134 to pull sa-, sa-h
135 to push
136 to throw
137 to tie rabba
138 to sew
139 to count tiri
140 to say tu-ru, na-
141 to sing
142 to play
143 to float
144 to flow
145 to freeze
146 to swell
147 sun na-hu-te
148 moon itud
149 star MUL.lg
150 water zul, A.MEŠ
151 rain te-ip
152 river da, A.MEŠ
153 lake
154 sea KAM.MESH
155 salt anzi, an-zí
156 stone h.har.lg, HAR.MEŠ
157 sand
158 dust su-uk-ma
159 earth mu-ru-un
160 cloud
161 fog
162 sky ki-ik
163 wind IM.lg
164 snow
165 ice
166 smoke
167 fire li-im, li-mi-in
168 ash
169 to burn li-im-ma
170 road KASKAL.MEŠ
171 mountain el-pi
172 red
173 green hu-la-ap-na
174 yellow hh.šá-ir-nu-ya
175 white ši-mi-ut
176 black
177 night šu-ut-me
178 day na-an
179 year bel
180 warm
181 cold
182 full man-da-qa, pu-
183 new piš
184 old qa-ra, ru-ru
185 good ba-ha, ma-ri-ya
186 bad muš-nu-ik
187 rotten
188 dirty
189 straight iš-tur-rák-qa
190 round ir-pi
191 sharp (as a knife)
192 dull (as a knife)
193 smooth
194 wet
195 dry *zit, zí-ti-qa
196 correct išturraka
197 near kanna
198 far šá-da-ni-qa
199 right šutur
200 left
201 at hate, ŠÀ
202 in ma-
203 with hidaka
204 and ak-ka
205 if an-ka
206 because appa, ap-pa
207 name hi-iš

See also edit

Bibliography edit

  • Elamisches Woerterbuch, Walter Hinz and Heidemarie Koch, 1987

Further reading edit

  • Václav Blažek. 2015. Elamite dictionary. In: Key, Mary Ritchie & Comrie, Bernard (eds.) The Intercontinental Dictionary Series. Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.
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