Appendix:Icelandic Swadesh list

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

Presentation edit

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 edit

No. English Icelandic
íslenska
IPA
pronunciation
1 I ég /jɛɣ/
2 you (singular) þú, þér (formal) /θu/, /θjɛr/
3 he hann /hanː/
4 we við /vɪð/
5 you (plural) þið /θɪð/
6 they þeir /θeir/
7 this þessi, þetta /ˈθɛsːɪ/, /ˈθɛhta/
8 that hinn, hin, hitt, þetta /hɪnː/, /hɪn/, /hɪht/, /ˈθɛhta/
9 here hér /çɛr/
10 there þar, þarna /θar/, /ˈθartna/
11 who hver /kʰvɛr/
12 what hvað /kʰvað/
13 where hvar (no movement) /kʰvar/
14 when hvenær /ˈkʰvɛnair/
15 how hvernig /ˈkʰvɛrtnɪɣ/
16 not ekki /ˈɛhcɪ/
17 all allur /ˈatlʏr/
18 many margur /ˈmarkʏr/
19 some nokkuð /ˈnɔhkʏð/
20 few fár /fau:r/ replace : with ː, invalid IPA characters (:)
21 other annar /ˈanːar/
22 one einn /eitn/
23 two tveir /tʰveiːr/
24 three þrír /θriːr/
25 four fjórir /ˈfjouːrɪr/
26 five fimm /fɪmː/
27 big stór /stour/
28 long langur /ˈlauŋkʏr/
29 wide breiður /ˈpreiðʏr/
30 thick þykkur /ˈθɪhkʏr/
31 heavy þungur /ˈθuŋkʏr/
32 small lítill /ˈlitɪtl/
33 short stuttur /ˈstʏhtʏr/
34 narrow mjór /mjour/
35 thin þunnur /ˈθʏnːʏr/
36 woman kona /ˈkʰɔna/
37 man (male) karl /kʰartl/
38 man (human) maður /ˈmaðʏr/
39 child barn /partn/
40 wife eiginkona /ˈeijɪn.kʰɔna/
41 husband eiginmaður /ˈeijɪn.maðʏr/
42 mother móðir, mamma /ˈmouðɪr/, /ˈmamːa/
43 father faðir, pabbi /ˈfaðɪr/, /ˈpʰapːɪ/
44 animal dýr /tir/
45 fish fiskur /ˈfɪskʏr/
46 bird fugl /fʏkl/
47 dog hundur /ˈhʏntʏr/
48 louse lús /lus/
49 snake slanga, snákur /ˈstlauŋka/, /ˈsnaukʏr/
50 worm ormur /ˈɔrmʏr/
51 tree tré /trjɛ/
52 forest skógur /ˈskouʏr/
53 stick stafur, prik /ˈstavʏr/, /pʰrɪk/
54 fruit ávöxtur /ˈauvœxstʏr/
55 seed fræ /frai/
56 leaf laufblað /ˈløyf.plað/
57 root rót /rout/
58 bark (of a tree) börkur /ˈpœrkʏr/
59 flower blóm /ploum/
60 grass gras /kras/
61 rope reipi /ˈreipɪ/
62 skin húð /huð/
63 meat kjöt /cʰœt/
64 blood blóð /plouð/
65 bone bein /pein/
66 fat (noun) fita /ˈfɪta/
67 egg egg /ɛkː/
68 horn horn /hɔrtn/
69 tail hali, rófa, skott (of mammals); tagl (of horses); stél (of birds), sporður (of fish, seals, etc.) /ˈhalɪ/, /ˈrouva/, /skɔht/, /tʰakl/, /stjɛl/, /ˈspɔrðʏr/
70 feather fjöður /ˈfjœðʏr/
71 hair hár /haur/
72 head höfuð /ˈhœvʏð/
73 ear eyra /ˈeira/
74 eye auga /ˈøyɣa/
75 nose nef /nɛv/
76 mouth munnur /ˈmʏnːʏr/
77 tooth tönn /tʰœnː/
78 tongue tunga /ˈtʰuŋka/
79 fingernail nögl /nœkl/
80 foot fótur /ˈfoutʏr/
81 leg leggur, fótleggur /ˈlɛkːʏr/, /ˈfout.lɛkːʏr/
82 knee hné /hnjɛ/
83 hand hönd /hœnt/
84 wing vængur /ˈvaiŋkʏr/
85 belly magi /ˈmajɪ/
86 guts innyfli /ˈɪnːɪplɪ/
87 neck háls /hauls/
88 back bak /pak/
89 breast brjóst /prjoust/
90 heart hjarta /ˈhjarta/
91 liver lifur /ˈlɪvʏr/
92 to drink drekka /ˈtrɛhka/
93 to eat borða /ˈpɔrða/
94 to bite bíta /ˈpita/
95 to suck sjúga /ˈsjua/
96 to spit skyrpa /ˈscɪrpa/
97 to vomit æla, kasta upp, spúa, spýja /ˈaila/, /ˈkʰasta ˌʏhp/, /ˈspua/, /ˈspija/
98 to blow blása /ˈplausa/
99 to breathe anda /ˈanta/
100 to laugh hlæja /ˈhlaija/
101 to see sjá /sjau/
102 to hear heyra /ˈheira/
103 to know vita /ˈvɪta/
104 to think hugsa, þenkja /ˈhʏxsa/, /ˈθeinca/
105 to smell lykta, þefa /ˈlɪxta/, /ˈθɛva/
106 to fear óttast, ugga /ˈouhtast/, /ˈʏkːa/
107 to sleep sofa /ˈsɔva/
108 to live lifa /ˈlɪva/
109 to die deyja /ˈteija/
110 to kill drepa /ˈtrɛpa/
111 to fight rífast, slást, berjast /ˈrivast/, /slaust/, /ˈpɛrjast/
112 to hunt veiða /ˈveiða/
113 to hit berja, slá /ˈpɛrja/, /stlau/
114 to cut skera, rista /ˈscɛra/, /ˈrɪsta/
115 to split kljúfa (transitive); klofna (intransitive) /kʰlɔpna/, /ˈkʰljuva/
116 to stab stinga /ˈstiŋka/
117 to scratch klóra, rispa /ˈkʰloura/, /ˈrɪspa/
118 to dig grafa /ˈkrava/
119 to swim synda /ˈsɪnta/
120 to fly fljúga /ˈfljua/
121 to walk ganga /ˈkauŋka/
122 to come koma /ˈkʰɔma/
123 to lie (as in a bed) liggja /ˈlɪcːa/
124 to sit sitja /ˈsɪtja/
125 to stand standa /ˈstanta/
126 to turn (intransitive) snúa /ˈstnua/
127 to fall detta, hrapa /ˈtɛhta/, /ˈhrapa/
128 to give gefa /ˈcɛva/
129 to hold halda /ˈhalta/
130 to squeeze kreista, þrýsta /ˈkʰreista/, /ˈθrista/
131 to rub nudda, núa /ˈnʏtːa/, /ˈnua/
132 to wash þvo /θvɔ/
133 to wipe þurrka /ˈθʏrka/
134 to pull toga /ˈtʰɔɣa/
135 to push ýta /ˈita/
136 to throw kasta, henda /ˈkʰasta/, /ˈhɛnta/
137 to tie binda /ˈpɪnta/
138 to sew sauma /ˈsøyma/
139 to count telja /ˈtʰɛlja/
140 to say segja /ˈseija/
141 to sing syngja /ˈsinca/
142 to play leika /ˈleika/
143 to float fljóta /ˈfljouta/
144 to flow streyma /ˈstreima/
145 to freeze frjósa, frysta /ˈfrjousa/, /ˈfrɪsta/
146 to swell þrútna, bólgna, svella, ólga /ˈθruhtna/, /ˈpoulna/, /ˈsvɛtla/, /ˈoulka/
147 sun sól /soul/
148 moon tungl /tʰuŋl/
149 star stjarna /ˈstjartna/
150 water vatn /vahtn/
151 rain rigning /ˈrɪkniŋk/
152 river á, fljót /au/, /fljout/
153 lake vatn, stöðuvatn /vahtn/, /ˈstœðʏvahtn/
154 sea sjór, haf /sjour/, /hav/
155 salt salt /salt/
156 stone steinn /steitn/
157 sand sandur /ˈsantʏr/
158 dust ryk /rɪk/
159 earth jörð /jœrð/
160 cloud ský /sci/
161 fog þoka /ˈθɔka/
162 sky himinn /ˈhɪmɪnː/
163 wind vindur /ˈvɪntʏr/
164 snow snjór /snjour/
165 ice ís /is/
166 smoke reykur /ˈreikʏr/
167 fire eldur /ˈɛltʏr/
168 ash aska /ˈaska/
169 to burn brenna /ˈprɛnːa/
170 road gata, vegur /ˈkata/, /ˈvɛɣʏr/
171 mountain fjall /fjatl/
172 red rauður /ˈrøyðʏr/
173 green grænn /kraitn/
174 yellow gulur /ˈkʏlʏr/
175 white hvítur /ˈxʷitʏr/
176 black svartur /ˈsvartʏr/
177 night nótt /nouht/
178 day dagur /ˈtaɣʏr/
179 year ár /aur/
180 warm hlýr /hlir/
181 cold kaldur /ˈkʰaltʏr/
182 full fullur /ˈfʏtlʏr/
183 new nýr /nir/
184 old gamall /ˈkamatl/
185 good góður /ˈkouðʏr/
186 bad vondur, illur /ˈvɔntʏr/, /ˈɪtlʏr/
187 rotten fúinn, rotinn /ˈfuɪnː/, /ˈrɔtɪnː/
188 dirty skítugur, óhreinn, saurugur /ˈscitʏɣʏr/, /ˈou.hreitn/, /ˈsøyrʏɣʏr/
189 straight beinn /peitn/
190 round kringlóttur /ˈkʰriŋlouhtʏr/
191 sharp (as a knife) beittur, skarpur /ˈpeihtʏr/, /ˈskarpʏr/
192 dull (as a knife) bitlaus /ˈpɪt.løys/
193 smooth sleipur, mjúkur /ˈstleipʏr/, /ˈmjukʏr/
194 wet blautur, votur /ˈpløytʏr/, /ˈvɔtʏr/
195 dry þurr /θʏrː/
196 correct réttur /ˈrjɛhtʏr/
197 near nálægur /ˈnaulaiɣʏr/
198 far langt /lauŋt/
199 right hægri /ˈhaikrɪ/
200 left vinstri /ˈvɪnstrɪ/
201 at hjá /hjau/
202 in í /i/
203 with með /mɛð/
204 and og /ɔɣ/
205 if ef /ɛv/
206 because vegna /ˈvɛkna/
207 name nafn /ˈnapn/

See also edit

Bibliography edit

  • Les langages de l'humanité (Michel Malherbe), Robert Laffont, Paris 1995 - →ISBN

Further reading edit

Swadesh lists
Individual languages
Language families, family branches, and geographic groupings
Constructed languages
Reconstructed proto-languages
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