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 Proto-Celticedit (179) 1 I (1sg )*mī 2 you (2sg )*tū 3 he , she , it (3sg )*es 4 we (1pl )*snīs 5 you (2pl )*swīs *swīswīs 6 they (3pl )*eyes 7 this *se- *sindos *so-sin 8 that *emo- *sindo-de 9 here *sondo *uman 10 there *anda *kē 11 who *kʷei 12 what *kʷid 13 where *kʷuts 14 when *kʷan(o) 15 how 16 not *ne *nīs 17 all *olyos 18 many *ɸilu- 19 some *nekʷos 20 few *bikkano *nekʷos 21 other *alyos *aralyos 22 one *oinos *oynānos 23 two *dwau 24 three *trīs 25 four *kʷetwores 26 five *kʷenkʷe 27 big *brassos *māros 28 long *sīros 29 wide *ɸlitanos 30 thick *remros *tegus 31 heavy *trummos 32 small *bikkos 33 short *birros *gerros 34 narrow *angus 35 thin *tanauyos 36 woman *benā 37 man (adult male)*wiros 38 man (human being)*gdonyos 39 child *mustākos 40 wife 41 husband *wiros 42 mother *mātīr 43 father *ɸatīr 44 animal *mīlom 45 fish *ɸeiskos 46 bird *ɸatar *ɸetnos 47 dog *kū 48 louse *luwā 49 snake *natrixs 50 worm *kʷrimis 51 tree *kʷresnom 52 forest *kaito- 53 stick *lorgā 54 fruit *sutu- 55 seed *segeto- *sīlom 56 leaf *dolinyā 57 root *wridā 58 bark (of a tree)*ruskos 59 flower *blātus 60 grass *gʷeltā 61 rope *lomanā 62 skin *krokkenom *kroknom 63 meat *kīkos *mīros 64 blood *krowos 65 bone *astkornu *knāmis 66 fat (noun)*gʷered- 67 egg *āuyom 68 horn *kornu- 69 tail *lostā 70 feather 71 hair *woltos 72 head *kʷennom 73 ear *ausos *kloustā 74 eye *lukato- 75 nose *srognā 76 mouth *genus 77 tooth *dant 78 tongue (organ)*tangʷāss 79 fingernail *angʷīnā 80 foot *tregess 81 leg *koxsā 82 knee *glūnos 83 hand *ɸlāmā 84 wing *ɸatanī 85 belly *bolgos 86 guts 87 neck *monis 88 back 89 breast *brusū *kīkos 90 heart *kalonā *kridyom 91 liver *awV- 92 to drink *ɸibeti 93 to eat *essi *ɸiteti 94 to bite *knāyeti 95 to suck *dinati 96 to spit 97 to vomit *skeyeti 98 to blow *swizdeti 99 to breathe *anati 100 to laugh *swaryeti 101 to see *weleti 102 to hear *klinutor 103 to know *windeti 104 to think *ambirādīti 105 to smell 106 to fear *obneti 107 to sleep *kuxsketi 108 to live 109 to die *bayeti 110 to kill *gʷaneti 111 to fight *wiketi 112 to hunt *selgā 113 to hit *binati 114 to cut 115 to split *dlongeti 116 to stab 117 to scratch *razdeti 118 to dig *kladyeti 119 to swim *snāti 120 to fly *ɸeteti 121 to walk 122 to come 123 to lie (as in a bed) *legeti 124 to sit *sedeti 125 to stand *sistati 126 to turn (intransitive) *suweti 127 to fall *kiyeti 128 to give *dāti 129 to hold *delgeti 130 to squeeze 131 to rub 132 to wash *nigyeti 133 to wipe 134 to pull 135 to push 136 to throw *katyeti 137 to tie *rigeti 138 to sew 139 to count 140 to say 141 to sing *kaneti 142 to play 143 to float 144 to flow *liyeti 145 to freeze 146 to swell *sweideti 147 sun *sāwol 148 moon *ēskyom *lugrā 149 star *sterā 150 water *dubros *udenskyos 151 rain *glawā *wolko- 152 river *abū 153 lake *linnā 154 sea *mori 155 salt *salanos 156 stone *klukā *magino- 157 sand 158 dust 159 earth *talamū 160 cloud 161 fog *kiwo- 162 sky *nemos 163 wind *wintos 164 snow *snigʷyo- 165 ice *yegis 166 smoke *mukV 167 fire *teɸnets 168 ash *loutus 169 to burn *dauyeti 170 road *sentus 171 mountain *moniyo- 172 red *dergos *roudos 173 green *glastos 174 yellow *bodyos 175 white *bānos *gelos *windos 176 black *dubus 177 night *noxs 178 day *dīyos 179 year *bleidanī 180 warm *teɸsmi- 181 cold *ougros 182 full *ɸlānos 183 new *nouyos 184 old *senos 185 good *dagos *matis 186 bad *drukos *ulkos 187 rotten *bragnos 188 dirty *salākos 189 straight 190 round *krundis 191 sharp (as a knife)*kerbos 192 dull (as a knife)*mailos 193 smooth *slimonos 194 wet *wlikʷos 195 dry *siskʷos 196 correct *eɸinos 197 near *onkos 198 far *keinos *kʷeslos 199 right *dexswos 200 left *kliyos 201 at *onkos 202 in *en 203 with *kantā *kom 204 and *-kʷe *atkʷe *eti 205 if *smā 206 because 207 name *anman
Swadesh lists
Individual languages
Language families, family branches, and geographic groupings
Constructed languages
Reconstructed proto-languages
(edit this template )
