Appendix:Malagasy Swadesh list

This is a Swadesh list of words in Malagasy, 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

EnglishMalagasy
malagasy
edit (207)
1I (1sg)aho
2you (2sg)ianao
3he, she, it (3sg)izy
4we (1pl)isika (inclusive), izahay (exclusive)
5you (2pl)ianareo
6they (3pl)izy, izy ireo, ry ireo
7thisity
8thatizany
9hereeto
10thereao
11whoiza
12whatinona
13whereaiza
14whenoviana (past), rahoviana (future)
15howahoana, manahoana
16nottsy
17allny ... rehetra
18manybetsaka
19somevitsivitsy
20fewkely
21otherhafa
22oneiray
23tworoa
24threetelo
25fourefatra
26fivedimy
27biglehibe
28longlava
29widemalalaka
30thickmatevina
31heavymavesatra
32smallkely
33shortfohy
34narrowtery
35thinmanify, mahia
36womanvehivavy
37man (adult male)lehilahy
38man (human being)olombelona
39childzaza
40wifevady
41husbandvady
42motherreny
43fatherray
44animalbiby
45fishtrondro, hazandrano
46birdvorona
47dogalika, amboa
48lousehao
49snakebibilava
50wormkankana
51treehazo
52forestala
53stickkibay, tehina
54fruitvoankazo
55seedvoa
56leafravina
57rootfaka, fototra
58bark (of a tree)hodi-kazo
59flowervoninkazo
60grassahitra, bozaka
61ropetady
62skinhoditra
63meathena
64bloodra
65bonetaolana
66fat (noun)taviny
67eggatody
68horntandroka
69tailrambo
70featherpenina, volom-borona
71hairbolo
72headloha
73earsofina
74eyemaso
75noseorona
76mouthvava
77toothnify
78tongue (organ)lela
79fingernailhoho
80foottongotra
81legranjo
82kneeluhalika
83handtanana
84wingelatra
85bellykibo
86gutstsinay
87neckvozona, tenda
88backlamosina
89breasttratra
90heartfo
91liveraty
92to drinkmisotro
93to eatmihinana
94to bitemanaikitra
95to suckmifiaka
96to spitmandrehoka
97to vomitmandoa
98to blowmitsoka
99to breathemiaina, misefo
100to laughhehy, tokelaka
101to seemahita
102to hearmaheno
103to knowmahafantatra
104to thinkmieritreritra
105to smellmanambolo
106to fearmatahotra, manahy
107to sleepmatory
108to livevelona
109to dienodimandry, maty
110to killmamono, mahafaty
111to fightmiady
112to huntmihaza
113to hitmikapoka
114to cutmandidy
115to splitmamaky
116to stabmanatsatoka antsy
117to scratchmikiky, mikaoka
118to digmihady, mandavaka
119to swimmilomano
120to flymanidina
121to walkmandeha
122to comeavy, tonga, tamy
123to lie (as in a bed)mivelatra
124to sitmipetraka
125to standmifoha, mitsangana
126to turn (intransitive)mihodina
127to fallmihajera
128to givemanome
129to holdmitantana
130to squeezemandray
131to rubmanakasoka
132to washmanasa
133to wipemamafa
134to pullmitifitra
135to pushmanosika
136to throwmanoraka
137to tiemamehy, manatotra
138to sewmanjaitra
139to countmanisa
140to saymilaza, miteny
141to singmihira, mikalo
142to playmilalao
143to floatmitsinkafona
144to flowmikoriana
145to freezemandry
146to swellmibontsina
147sunmasoandru
148moonvolana
149starkintana
150waterrano
151rainorana
152riverrenirano
153lakekamory, farihy
154searanomasina, riaka
155saltsira
156stonevato
157sandfasika
158dustvovoka
159earthtany
160cloudrahona
161fogzavona
162skylanitra
163windrivotra
164snowranomandry, lanezy
165icerano mandry
166smokesetroka
167fireavo
168ashlavenona
169to burnmay
170roadlanana
171mountaintondrombohitra
172redmena
173greenmaitso
174yellowmavo
175whitefotsy
176blackmainty
177nightalina
178dayandro
179yeartaona
180warmmafana
181coldmangatsiaka
182fullfeno
183newvaovao
184oldantitra, tonta
185goodtsara
186badratsy
187rottenbobongolo
188dirtymaloto
189straightmahitsy
190roundboribory
191sharp (as a knife)maranitra
192dull (as a knife)dombo
193smoothmalama
194wetmando
195drymaina
196correctmendrika
197nearakaiky
198farlavitra
199righthavanana
200lefthavia
201atizy (postposition)
202inanaty
203withamin'ny
204andsy, ary
205ifraha
206becausesatria
207nameanarana

Bibliography edit

  • Dictionnaire français-malgache (Narivelo Rajaonarimanana, Pierre Vérin), L'Asiathèque, Paris 2000 - →ISBN
  • Le malgache de poche, Assimil, Chennevières-sur-Marne 2004 - →ISBN
  • Les langages de l'humanité (Michel Malherbe), Robert Laffont, Paris 1995 - →ISBN

Further reading edit

 
English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia



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