Appendix:Latvian Swadesh list

This is a Swadesh list of words in Latvian, 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

EnglishLatvian
edit (207)
1I (1sg)es
2you (2sg)tu
3he, she, it (3sg)viņš
4we (1pl)mēs
5you (2pl)jūs
6they (3pl)viņi
7thisšis
8thattas
9herešeit
10theretur
11whokurš
12whatkas
13wherekur
14whenkad
15how
16notne
17allviss
18manydaudz
19somedaži
20fewnedaudzi
21othercits
22oneviens
23twodivi
24threetrīs
25fourčetri
26fivepieci
27bigliels
28longgarš
29wideplats
30thickbiezs
31heavysmags
32smallmazs
33shortīss
34narrowšaurs
35thintievs
36womansieviete
37man (adult male)vīrietis
38man (human being)cilvēks
39childbērns
40wifesieva
41husbandvīrs
42mothermāte
43fathertēvs
44animaldzīvnieks, zvērs
45fishzivs
46birdputns
47dogsuns
48louseuts
49snakečūska
50wormtārps
51treekoks
52forestmežs
53stickžagars, miets, nūja
54fruitauglis
55seedsēkla
56leaflapa
57rootsakne
58bark (of a tree)miza
59flowerzieds, puķe
60grasszāle
61ropeaukla, virve, striķis
62skināda
63meatgaļa, miesa
64bloodasinis
65bonekauls
66fat (noun)tauki
67eggola
68hornrags
69tailaste
70featherspalva
71hairmats
72headgalva
73earauss
74eyeacs
75nosedeguns
76mouthmute
77toothzobs
78tongue (organ)mēle
79fingernailnags
80footpēda
81legkāja
82kneecelis
83handroka
84wingspārns
85bellyvēders
86gutszarnas, iekšas
87neckkakls
88backmugura
89breastkrūts
90heartsirds
91liveraknas
92to drinkdzert
93to eatēst
94to bitekost
95to sucksūkt
96to spitspļaut
97to vomitvemt
98to blowpūst
99to breatheelpot
100to laughsmieties
101to seeredzēt
102to heardzirdēt
103to knowzināt
104to thinkdomāt
105to smellost, saost, smaržot
106to fearbaidīties
107to sleepgulēt, dusēt, čučēt
108to livedzīvot
109to diemirt
110to killnogalināt
111to fightcīnīties, kauties
112to huntmedīt
113to hitsist
114to cutgriezt
115to splitsadalīt, sašķelt
116to stabdurt
117to scratchskrāpēt
118to digrakt
119to swimpeldēt
120to flylidot
121to walkiet
122to comenākt
123to lie (as in a bed)gulēt, gulties
124to sitsēdēt, sēsties
125to standstāvēt, stāties
126to turn (intransitive)griezties
127to fallkrist
128to givedot
129to holdturēt
130to squeezespiest, žmiegt
131to rubberzēt
132to washmazgāt
133to wipeslaucīt
134to pullvilkt
135to pushstumt, grūst
136to throwmest, sviest
137to tiesiet
138to sewšūt
139to countskaitīt
140to sayteikt, sacīt
141to singdziedāt
142to playspēlēt
143to floatpeldēt, pludināt
144to flowtecēt
145to freezesalt, stingt
146to swelluztūkt, piebriest
147sunsaule
148moonmēness
149starzvaigzne
150waterūdens
151rainlietus
152riverupe
153lakeezers
154seajūra
155saltsāls
156stoneakmens
157sandsmiltis
158dustputekļi
159earthzeme, augsne
160cloudmākonis
161fogmigla
162skydebess, debesis
163windvējš
164snowsniegs
165iceledus
166smokedūmi
167fireuguns
168ashpelni
169to burndegt
170roadceļš
171mountainkalns
172redsarkans, ruds
173greenzaļš
174yellowdzeltens
175whitebalts
176blackmelns
177nightnakts
178daydiena
179yeargads
180warmsilts
181coldauksts
182fullpilns
183newjauns
184oldvecs, sens
185goodlabs
186badslikts, ļauns
187rottensapuvis
188dirtynetīrs
189straighttaisns, tiešs
190roundapaļš
191sharp (as a knife)ass
192dull (as a knife)truls
193smoothgluds
194wetmitrs, slapjš
195drysauss
196correctpareizs
197neartuvs
198fartāls
199rightlabais, pa labi
200leftkreisais, pa kreisi
201atpie
202iniekš
203withar
204andun
205ifja
206becausetāpēc, jo
207namevārds, nosaukums
Swadesh lists
Individual languages
Language families, family branches, and geographic groupings
Constructed languages
Reconstructed proto-languages
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