Introduction
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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.
No.
English
Maranao Mëranaw
1
I
ako
2
you (singular)
seka
3
he , she , it
sekaniyan
4
we
inclusive: kita exclusive: kami
5
you (plural)
kano sekano
6
they
siran
7
this
ini gini
8
that
anan giyanan
9
here
sii
10
there
san
11
who
antay
12
what
antona
13
where
anda
14
when
anda andai
15
how
andamanaya
16
not
di
17
all
bëlos langon
18
many
diyang anowan
19
some
20
few
mainot
21
other
sambida
22
one
isa
23
two
dowa
24
three
tëlo
25
four
pat
26
five
lima
27
big
ala batol besar dakola lekong londong mala miyakala
28
long
malaba malayat malendo marawa matas
29
wide
mabelang maolad maoyayang mariberang
30
thick
makapal tibool
31
heavy
betengan mapened mabelang
32
small
ketil kedeng maitek maroni metek maito
33
short
ampadampad ( of stature ) , mababa kempet makapmet
34
narrow
madadas
35
thin
lepit
36
woman
babai
37
man (adult male)
mama
38
man (human being)
manosiya
39
child
bata dariday wata ( offspring )
40
wife
kawing karoma
41
husband
kawing karoma
42
mother
ina abai ( used by children )
43
father
ama abo
44
animal
ayam binatang
45
fish
sëda
46
bird
papanok
47
dog
aso
48
louse
koto
49
snake
nipay
50
worm
olëd tagkay
51
tree
kayo
52
forest
kalasan kakayowan
53
stick
barontay mabelang
54
fruit
bonga
55
seed
liso
56
leaf
raon
57
root
bekaw
58
bark (of a tree)
opis
59
flower
ngiran
60
grass
lalama
61
rope
lobid tali
62
skin
opis kobil
63
meat
64
blood
dara
65
bone
bëkëg
66
fat (noun)
sibo
67
egg
biga
68
horn
panga
69
tail
ikog
70
feather
bonbol bolbol
71
hair
bok
72
head
kapala olo
73
ear
tangila
74
eye
mata
75
nose
ngirong
76
mouth
ngari
77
tooth
ngipën
78
tongue (organ)
dila
79
fingernail
kanoko
80
foot
ai
81
leg
lisen
82
knee
leb
83
hand
lima
84
wing
pakpak
85
belly
tiyan
86
guts
tinai
87
neck
lig lehër
88
back
likod
89
breast
soso
90
heart
poso
91
liver
atay
92
to drink
inom
93
to eat
kan kun
94
to bite
kambang
95
to suck
sosop
96
to spit
ota doda
97
to vomit
gowa
98
to blow
iyop
99
to breathe
ginawa
100
to laugh
singa kayad
101
to see
ilay
102
to hear
kaneg
103
to know
seb katawan ngatawi
104
to think
pikir
105
to smell
bango
106
to fear
alap antal
107
to sleep
torog
108
to live
oyag
109
to die
matay
110
to kill
bono
111
to fight
sareng
112
to hunt
anop
113
to hit
ambel
114
to cut
bool
115
to split
opak
116
to stab
anop
117
to scratch
kaket
118
to dig
kali kalot
119
to swim
langoy
120
to fly
lantap layog
121
to walk
baklay lakaw
122
to come
danon
123
to lie (as in a bed)
iga
124
to sit
ontod
125
to stand
bolod tindëg
126
to turn (intransitive)
tinger lengi ( turn one's face )
127
to fall
detong olog
128
to give
begay
129
to hold
kamolo kapët
130
to squeeze
pesok gomo ( squeeze with the hand )
131
to rub
koskos
132
to wash
onab
133
to wipe
panising
134
to pull
badok
135
to push
somog
136
to throw
lambeg labed
137
to tie
bangan katad
138
to sew
pamanai talo
139
to count
bilang
140
to say
taero
141
to sing
bayok sengal edayda
142
to play
gitagita kasogay
143
to float
letaw
144
to flow
ondas korintang
145
to freeze
146
to swell
abal lebug
147
sun
ndaw
148
moon
olan
149
star
bitoon
150
water
ig air
151
rain
oran
152
river
iyolog
153
lake
lanaw ranaw
154
sea
ragat
155
salt
asin timos
156
stone
wato ator
157
sand
peted
158
dust
bayanek lopapek tabenek
159
earth
botae
160
cloud
gabon
161
fog
lekep
162
sky
langit
163
wind
ndo
164
snow
ilo
165
ice
ilo
166
smoke
bel sigopan
167
fire
apoy
168
ash
ombi
169
to burn
tarorok totong
170
road
lalan karsada
171
mountain
bokelod
172
red
riga
173
green
daragadong
174
yellow
binaning
175
white
poti
176
black
itëm
177
night
gagawii
178
day
alongan
179
year
ragon tahon
180
warm
langga mayaw
181
cold
tenggaw matenggaw
182
full
borasa
183
new
bago
184
old
gaar lokes ( of people )
185
good
mapiya
186
bad
marata
187
rotten
gabok
188
dirty
resik
189
straight
badeng
190
round
tiboron
191
sharp (as a knife)
madawis matarëm
192
dull (as a knife)
depol
193
smooth
tilak matilak
194
wet
basa
195
dry
mara
196
correct
ontol
197
near
dopek marane
198
far
mawatan
199
right
kak kawanan
200
left
diwang
201
at
san sa
202
in
san sa
203
with
talawid
204
and
go ago
205
if
o asar oba
206
because
ati
207
name
ngaran
Swadesh lists
Individual languages
Language families, family branches, and geographic groupings
Constructed languages
Reconstructed proto-languages
(edit this template )
