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Appendix:Lingala Swadesh list

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

This is a Swadesh list of words in Lingala, compared with definitions in English.

Presentation

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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.

List

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No. English Lingala
lingála
1 I ngáí, na-
2 you (singular) yɔ̌, o-
3 he, she, it , a- (person), e- (thing)
4 we bísó, to-
5 you (plural) bínó, bo-
6 they bangó, [1] ba- (persons), e-/i- (things)
7 this óyo
8 that wâná
9 here áwa
10 there kúná, wâná
11 who náni (interrogative)
12 what níni (interrogative)
13 where wápi (interrogative)
14 when ntángo (interrogative)
15 how bóní (interrogative)
16 not ... tɛ́
17 all nyɛ́, tû
18 many míngi
19 some bɔ̌kɔ́
20 few mɔkɛ́mɔkɛ́
21 other mosúsu, -súsu
22 one mɔ̌kɔ, -ɔ̌kɔ
23 two míbalé, -íbalé
24 three mísáto, -ísáto
25 four mínei, -ínei
26 five mítánɔ, -ítánɔ, mpáta
27 big monɛ́nɛ, -nɛ́nɛ
28 long monɛ́nɛ, -nɛ́nɛ, -laí
29 wide -laí
30 thick monɛ́nɛ, -nɛ́nɛ
31 heavy bozitó, kiló, molito
32 small mokɛ́, -kɛ́
33 short mokúsé, -kúsé
34 narrow mokɛ́, -kɛ́
35 thin mokɛ́, -kɛ́
36 woman mwǎsí
37 man (adult male) mobáli
38 man (human being) moto
39 child mwǎna
40 wife bolóngani, mwǎsí
41 husband bolóngani, mobáli
42 mother mamá
43 father tatá, papá
44 animal nyama
45 fish mbísi
46 bird ndɛkɛ
47 dog mbwá
48 louse lonsili
49 snake nyóka
50 worm mpambó, mósɔ́pi, limpiká
51 tree nzeté, mweté
52 forest zámba
53 stick nzeté
54 fruit mbuma
55 seed nyǎ, mbóto, bɔpɔ́
56 leaf nkásá
57 root ntína
58 bark (of a tree) lomposo
59 flower fulɛ́lɛ, lómbé
60 grass litíti
61 rope nsi nga, moniɔlɔ́lɔ, likósi
62 skin lomposo
63 meat monsuni
64 blood makilá
65 bone monkúwa
66 fat (noun) mafúta
67 egg likeí, líki
68 horn liséké, boséba
69 tail mokɔndɔ́, mokíla
70 feather lonsálá
71 hair nsúki
72 head motó
73 ear litói
74 eye líso
75 nose zólo
76 mouth mɔnɔkɔ
77 tooth líno
78 tongue (organ) lolému
79 fingernail linzáka
80 foot mopendé, lokolo
81 leg lokolo
82 knee libɔ́lɔ́ngɔ́, libɔ́ngɔ́
83 hand lobɔ́kɔ
84 wing lipapú
85 belly libumu
86 guts nsɔpɔ́
87 neck nkíngó
88 back mokɔngɔ
89 breast ntólo
90 heart motéma
91 liver libale
92 to drink -mɛlɛ
93 to eat -lía
94 to bite -swâ
95 to suck -nyúnya, -núnga
96 to spit -bwáka nsɔ́i
97 to vomit -sánza
98 to blow -pémela, -pɛpɛ
99 to breathe -péma
100 to laugh -sɛkɛ
101 to see -mɔ́nɔ, -móna
102 to hear -yóka
103 to know -yéba
104 to think -bánza, -kanisa
105 to smell -núsa
106 to fear -bánga
107 to sleep -lála
108 to live -vánda
109 to die -kúfa
110 to kill -boma
111 to fight -bɛ́tɛnɛ, -bunda
112 to hunt -bengana
113 to hit -bɛ́tɛ
114 to cut -kátakata, -káta
115 to split -pasola
116 to stab
117 to scratch -kóta, -nyaka, -kpaka, -kpala
118 to dig -tímola
119 to swim -nyanya, -túnga
120 to fly -pimbwa
121 to walk -támbola
122 to come -yâ, -yáa, -úta
123 to lie (as in a bed) -lálisana (action)
124 to sit -vánda, -kisa (action)
125 to stand -lamuka, -télema (action)
126 to turn (intransitive) -balula
127 to fall -kpâ
128 to give -pésa, -kaba
129 to hold -kamata
130 to squeeze -kangisa
131 to rub -bísa
132 to wash -sukola
133 to wipe -pangwisa
134 to pull -bénda
135 to push -tɔ
136 to throw -bwáka
137 to tie -kanga, -zínga, -línga
138 to sew -sɔnɔ
139 to count -tánga
140 to say -loba
141 to sing -yémba
142 to play -sakana, -sana
143 to float -tetwa, -tepa
144 to flow -támbola
145 to freeze
146 to swell -vímba
147 sun mói
148 moon sánzá
149 star monzɔ́tɔ
150 water mái
151 rain mbúla
152 river mái, ebale
153 lake etíma, nzálé
154 sea mbú
155 salt móngwa, mókpa
156 stone libángá
157 sand zɛ́lɔ
158 dust putulú
159 earth mabelé
160 cloud lipata
161 fog londendé
162 sky likoló
163 wind mompɛpɛ
164 snow
165 ice
166 smoke mólinga
167 fire mɔ́tɔ
168 ash putulú
169 to burn -pela, -zíka
170 road balabála, nzɛlá
171 mountain ngómbá
172 red -táné
173 green -bésu
174 yellow -táne
175 white mpɛ́mbɛ
176 black molílí, -índo
177 night butú
178 day mokɔlɔ, mói
179 year mbúla, mobú
180 warm -tɔkɔ (to warm up)
181 cold mpíɔ
182 full , mɛké
183 new sika
184 old kala
185 good kitɔ́kɔ, malámu
186 bad mabé
187 rotten -pɔlɔ (to go rotten)
188 dirty -bébisa (to make dirty)
189 straight alimá
190 round kílíkílí
191 sharp (as a knife) -pela
192 dull (as a knife) -túnú
193 smooth patátálú, sɛ́lisɛ́li
194 wet pɔlɔ
195 dry -kauka (to dry)
196 correct alimá, malongá, sémba, sɛló
197 near mpɛmbɛ́ni
198 far mosíká
199 right _a mobáli
200 left _a mwásí
201 at o, na
202 in káti, o ntéi, na
203 with na
204 and mpé
205 if sɔ́kɔ́, sɔ́kí
206 because zambí
207 name nkómbó

Orthography :

  • The words preceded by a hyphen (-) are radicals of a verb or an adjective; various prefixes may be used, as requested by the noun class system of the Lingala.

See also

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Bibliography

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  • Dictionnaire bangála - français - lingála (EDEMA Atibakwa Baboya), SÉPIA, Saint-Maur 1994 - →ISBN
  • Les langages de l'humanité (Michel Malherbe), Robert Laffont, Paris 1995 - →ISBN

Further reading

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References

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  1. ^ Maloba ma lokóta/dictionnaire LINGALA - by René Van Everbroeck, Editions l'Epiphanie p. 8
Swadesh lists
Individual languages
Language families, family branches, and geographic groupings
Constructed languages
Reconstructed proto-languages
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