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.
№
English
Mokilese
1
I
ngoah
2
thou (singular)
koah
3
he
ih
4
we (plural)
kisai (inclusive) , kamai (exclusive)
5
you (plural)
kamwai
6
they (plural)
arai , irai
7
this
-e
8
that
-en (medial), -o (distal)
9
here
me
10
there
men , o
11
who
inje
12
what
pwa da
13
where
ia
14
when
ngehd
15
how
doahr , imdoahr , mindoahr
16
not
audi , jaudi , joah
17
all
ohroj
18
many
dir
19
some
epwi , -pwi
20
few
japid , jipid
21
other
22
one
ew
23
two
riaw
24
three
jiluw
25
four
pahw
26
five
limoaw
27
big
koalik
28
long
roairoai
29
wide
sahlaplap
30
thick
mojul
31
heavy
soausoau
32
small
woasiksik
33
short
mwoskalai , mwosmwos
34
narrow
soahsiksik
35
thin
jau , minipnip , ringoaingoai
36
woman
li
37
man (adult male)
woal
38
man (human being)
armaj
39
child (a youth)
jeri
40
wife
dam
41
husband
pahioa
42
mother
nohno
43
father
mwahmwa , pahpa , jamah
44
animal
mahn
45
fish
mwumw
46
bird
mahnsang
47
dog
doahk
48
louse
ingkarak , ingkinik , dil
49
snake
sinek
50
worm
mwaj
51
tree
suhkoa
52
forest
woal
53
stick (of wood)
suhkoa
54
fruit
wah
55
seed
liporro
56
leaf
soa
57
root
koalo
58
bark (of tree)
kil
59
flower
rohs
60
grass
dipwdipw , mo
61
rope
joal
62
skin (of a person)
kil
63
meat (as in flesh)
uduk
64
blood
insa
65
bone
si
66
fat (noun)
moad
67
egg
adroau
68
horn
kod
69
tail
ik
70
feather (rather not down)
win
71
hair
pisen moang
72
head
moang
73
ear
si
74
eye
maj
75
nose
soapwoahd
76
mouth
au
77
tooth (rather not molar)
ngi
78
tongue
lau
79
fingernail
kikin poa
80
foot
pwalik
81
leg
e
82
knee
pwiki
83
hand
poa
84
wing
poa
85
belly
kapehd
86
guts
mwajahl (intestines_
87
neck
woar
88
back
likin jarkin
89
breast
dihdi
90
heart
meleisik
91
liver
oaj
92
to drink
nim
93
to eat
kang , mwinge
94
to bite
keikei , koa
95
to suck
mihk
96
to spit
andip
97
to vomit
umwwuj
98
to blow (as wind)
koal
99
to breathe
mohng
100
to laugh
uruhr
101
to see
kapang
102
to hear
koarongehda , rong
103
to know (a fact)
kidal
104
to think
leme , lemlem , lamlam
105
to smell (sense odor)
load
106
to fear
mijik
107
to sleep
moair
108
to live
koaujoan
109
to die
mehdi , dauluhlla
110
to kill
kojukdi
111
to fight
pei
112
to hunt (transitive)
kaloe
113
to hit
juk , pokihdi , wes
114
to cut
koskos
115
to split
pwalang , karara
116
to stab (or stick)
doakoahdi , dok
117
to scratch (an itch)
karipwid , karipwidoa
118
to dig
warwar
119
to swim
poap
120
to fly
sang
121
to walk
alu
122
to come
indoa
123
to lie (as on one's side)
okdekda , il
124
to sit
mwindi
125
to stand
jeu , u , uhda
126
to turn (change direction)
kahp , kapir , lok , pwur , pwuroj , wes
127
to fall (as in drop)
dolla , kup
128
to give
kihdoa
129
to hold (in one's hand)
padik
130
to squeeze
poadpoad
131
to rub
rujoruj , rujoa
132
to wash
amwumw , amwun
133
to wipe
amwumw , amwun , daulimw , pohk ‚ popohk
134
to pull
doapwdoapw , doapwoa , oappoap , oppop
135
to push
jinejin , jinoak , pwuhj
136
to throw
kaskas , kasoa , loajloaj , loapwoa
137
to tie
pirapir , piroa , sipsip
138
to sew
doa , doadoa
139
to count
wadek , wadwad
140
to say
pwa
141
to sing
koaul
142
to play
umwwoais
143
to float
pei
144
to flow
145
to freeze
146
to swell
likammas
147
sun
joau
148
moon
johnpwong , maram
149
star
uju
150
water
pil
151
to rain
wud
152
river
pil lap
153
lake
154
sea (as in ocean)
jihl
155
salt
jed
156
stone
pwukoar , sakai
157
sand
pik
158
dust
pwirejpar
159
earth (as in soil)
pwirej
160
cloud
koasoau
161
fog
162
sky
loang , mijen loangge
163
wind (as in breeze)
eng
164
snow
165
ice
ais
166
smoke
kalahs
167
fire
oai
168
ashes
moalkoahr
169
to burn (intransitive)
okoj
170
road
al
171
mountain
dol
172
red
wahssa
173
green
krihn
174
yellow
roangroang
175
white
korohro
176
black
soal
177
night
pwoang
178
day (daytime)
179
year
johnpar , par
180
warm (as in weather)
karkar , pwespwes
181
cold (as in weather)
mwolou
182
full
moad
183
new
kapw
184
old
koalik
185
good
mwehu1
186
bad
nauna
187
rotten (as a log)
mwoajoahngis
188
dirty
pwirejrej
189
straight
inen
190
round
pwuhsuhs
191
sharp (as a knife)
ingkoang
192
dull (as a knife)
pwud
193
smooth
poahjoahj
194
wet
lol , wijekjek
195
dry (adjective)
enggeng
196
right (correct)
pwung
197
near
koaroannoang , koaroan
198
far
doh
199
right (side)
moaun
200
left (side)
meing
201
at
in
202
in
in
203
with (accompanying)
-ki , ipah
204
and
a , apel , oh
205
if
ama
206
because
pwa
207
name
ad
Swadesh lists
Individual languages
Language families, family branches, and geographic groupings
Constructed languages
Reconstructed proto-languages
(edit this template )
