Appendix:Old English Swadesh list
This is a Swadesh list of words in Old English, 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]| № | English | Old English Ænglisċ edit (207) | IPA (key) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I (1sg) | iċ | /it͡ʃ/ |
| 2 | you (2sg) | þū | /θuː/ |
| 3 | he, she, it (3sg) | hē | /heː/ |
| 4 | we (1pl) | wē | /weː/ |
| 5 | you (2pl) | ġē | /jeː/ |
| 6 | they (3pl) | hīe | /hiːy̯/ |
| 7 | this | þēs (m), þēos (f), þis (n) | /θeːs/, /θeːo̯s/, /θis/ |
| 8 | that | sē (m), sēo (f), þæt (n) | /seː/, /seːo̯/, /θæt/ |
| 9 | here | hēr | /heːr/ |
| 10 | there | þǣr | /θæːr/ |
| 11 | who | hwā | /ʍɑː/ |
| 12 | what | hwæt | /ʍæt/ |
| 13 | where | hwǣr | /ʍæːr/ |
| 14 | when | hwænne | /ˈʍæn.ne/ |
| 15 | how | hū | /huː/ |
| 16 | not | ne | /ne/ |
| 17 | all | eall | /æɑ̯ɫː/ |
| 18 | many | maniġ, fela | /ˈmɒ.nij/, /ˈfe.lɑ/ |
| 19 | some | sum | /sum/ |
| 20 | few | fēaw, lȳt | /fæːɑ̯w/, /lyːt/ |
| 21 | other | ōþer | /ˈoː.ðer/ |
| 22 | one | ān | /ɑːn/ |
| 23 | two | twēġen | /ˈtweː.jen/ |
| 24 | three | þrī | /θriː/ |
| 25 | four | fēower | /ˈfeːo̯.wer/ |
| 26 | five | fīf | /fiːf/ |
| 27 | big | miċel | /ˈmi.t͡ʃel/ |
| 28 | long | lang | /lɒŋɡ/ |
| 29 | wide | wīd, brād | /wiːd/, /brɑːd/ |
| 30 | thick | þicce | /ˈθik.ke/ |
| 31 | heavy | hefiġ | /ˈhe.vij/ |
| 32 | small | lȳtel | /ˈlyː.tel/ |
| 33 | short | sċort | /ʃorˠt/ |
| 34 | narrow | nearu | /ˈnæɑ̯.ru/ |
| 35 | thin | þynne | /ˈθyn.ne/ |
| 36 | woman | wīf (neuter) | /wiːf/ |
| 37 | man (adult male) | wer | /wer/ |
| 38 | man (human being) | mann | /mɒnː/ |
| 39 | child | ċild, bearn | /t͡ʃild/, /bæɑ̯rˠn/ |
| 40 | wife | wīf (feminine) | /wiːf/ |
| 41 | husband | wer, ċeorl | /wer/, /ˈt͡ʃeorˠl̩/ |
| 42 | mother | mōdor | /ˈmoːdor/ |
| 43 | father | fæder | /ˈfæder/ |
| 44 | animal | nīeten | /ˈniːy̯ten/ |
| 45 | fish | fisċ | /fiʃ/ |
| 46 | bird | fugol | /ˈfuɣol/ |
| 47 | dog | hund | /hund/ |
| 48 | louse | lūs | /luːs/ |
| 49 | snake | nǣdre | /ˈnæːdre/ |
| 50 | worm | wyrm | /wyrˠm/ |
| 51 | tree | trēow | /treːo̯w/ |
| 52 | forest | wudu | /ˈwudu/ |
| 53 | stick | sticca | /ˈstik.kɑ/ |
| 54 | fruit | wæstm | /ˈwæstm̩/ |
| 55 | seed | sǣd | /sæːd/ |
| 56 | leaf | lēaf | /læːɑ̯f/ |
| 57 | root | wyrttruma | /ˈwyrˠtˌtrumɑ/ |
| 58 | bark (of a tree) | rind | /rind/ |
| 59 | flower | blōstma | /ˈbloːstmɑ/ |
| 60 | grass | gærs | /ɣærˠs/ |
| 61 | rope | rāp | /rɑːp/ |
| 62 | skin | hȳd | /hyːd/ |
| 63 | meat | flǣsċ | /flæːʃ/ |
| 64 | blood | blōd | /bloːd/ |
| 65 | bone | bān | /bɑːn/ |
| 66 | fat (noun) | rysel | /ˈryzel/ |
| 67 | egg | ǣġ | /æːj/ |
| 68 | horn | horn | /horˠn/ |
| 69 | tail | tæġl, steort | /ˈtæjl̩/, /ˈsteo̯rˠt/ |
| 70 | feather | feþer | /ˈfeðer/ |
| 71 | hair | hǣr | /hæːr/ |
| 72 | head | hēafod | /ˈhæːɑ̯vod/ |
| 73 | ear | ēare | /æːɑ̯re/ |
| 74 | eye | ēage | /ˈæːɑ̯ɣe/ |
| 75 | nose | nosu | /nozu/ |
| 76 | mouth | mūþ | /muːθ/ |
| 77 | tooth | tōþ | /toːθ/ |
| 78 | tongue (organ) | tunge | /ˈtuŋɡe/ |
| 79 | fingernail | næġl | /næjl/ |
| 80 | foot | fōt | /foːt/ |
| 81 | leg | sċanca | /ˈʃɒŋkɑ/ |
| 82 | knee | cnēow | /kneːo̯w/ |
| 83 | hand | hand | /hɒnd/ |
| 84 | wing | fiþre | /ˈfiðre/ |
| 85 | belly | wamb | /wɒmb/ |
| 86 | guts | þearmas (plural) | /ˈθæɑ̯rˠmɑs/ |
| 87 | neck | swēora | /ˈsweːo̯rɑ/ |
| 88 | back | hryċġ | /hr̥ydd͡ʒ/ |
| 89 | breast | brēost | /breːo̯st/ |
| 90 | heart | heorte | /ˈheo̯rˠte/ |
| 91 | liver | lifer | /ˈliver/ |
| 92 | to drink | drincan | /ˈdriŋkɑn/ |
| 93 | to eat | etan | /ˈetɑn/ |
| 94 | to bite | bītan | /ˈbiːtɑn/ |
| 95 | to suck | sūcan | /ˈsuːkɑn/ |
| 96 | to spit | spǣtan | /ˈspæːtɑn/ |
| 97 | to vomit | spīwan | /ˈspiːwɑn/ |
| 98 | to blow | blāwan | /ˈblɑːwɑn/ |
| 99 | to breathe | ēþian | /ˈeːðiɑn/ |
| 100 | to laugh | hliehhan | /ˈhl̥iy̯ç.çɑn/ |
| 101 | to see | ġesēon | /jeˈseːo̯n/ |
| 102 | to hear | ġehīeran | /jeˈhiːy̯rɑn/ |
| 103 | to know | witan (be aware of), cunnan (be familiar with) | /ˈwitɑn/, /ˈkun.nɑn/ |
| 104 | to think | þenċan | /ˈθent͡ʃɑn/ |
| 105 | to smell | ġestincan (to sense with the nose), stincan (to give off a scent) | /jeˈstiŋkɑn/, /ˈstiŋkɑn/ |
| 106 | to fear | ondrǣdan | /ondˈræːdɑn/ |
| 107 | to sleep | slǣpan | /ˈslæːpɑn/ |
| 108 | to live | libban | /ˈlib.bɑn/ |
| 109 | to die | sweltan | /ˈsweltɑn/ |
| 110 | to kill | ofslēan | /ofˈslæːɑ̯n/ |
| 111 | to fight | feohtan | /ˈfeo̯xtɑn/ |
| 112 | to hunt | huntian | /ˈhuntiɑn/ |
| 113 | to hit | slēan | /slæːɑ̯n/ |
| 114 | to cut | snīþan | /ˈsniːðɑn/ |
| 115 | to split | tōclēofan | /toːˈkleːo̯vɑn/ |
| 116 | to stab | stingan, stician | /ˈstiŋɡɑn/, /ˈstikiɑn/ |
| 117 | to scratch | clawian | /ˈklɑwiɑn/ |
| 118 | to dig | delfan | /ˈdelvɑn/ |
| 119 | to swim | swimman | /ˈswim.mɑn/ |
| 120 | to fly | flēogan | /ˈfleːo̯ɣɑn/ |
| 121 | to walk | gān | /ɣɑːn/ |
| 122 | to come | cuman | /ˈkumɑn/ |
| 123 | to lie (as in a bed) | liċġan | /ˈlid.d͡ʒɑn/ |
| 124 | to sit | sittan | /ˈsit.tɑn/ |
| 125 | to stand | standan | /ˈstɒndɑn/ |
| 126 | to turn (intransitive) | wendan | /ˈwendɑn/ |
| 127 | to fall | feallan | /ˈfæɑ̯ɫ.ɫɑn/ |
| 128 | to give | sellan | /ˈsel.lɑn/ |
| 129 | to hold | healdan | /ˈhæɑ̯ɫdɑn/ |
| 130 | to squeeze | twenġan | /ˈtwend͡ʒɑn/ |
| 131 | to rub | gnīdan | /ˈɣniːdɑn/ |
| 132 | to wash | þwēan, wascan | /θwæːɑ̯n/, /ˈwɑskɑn/ |
| 133 | to wipe | wīpian | /ˈwiːpiɑn/ |
| 134 | to pull | tēon | /ˈteːo̯n/ |
| 135 | to push | sċūfan | /ˈʃuːvɑn/ |
| 136 | to throw | weorpan | /ˈweo̯rˠpɑn/ |
| 137 | to tie | tīeġan | /ˈtiːy̯jɑn/ |
| 138 | to sew | siwian | /ˈsiwiɑn/ |
| 139 | to count | tellan | /ˈtel.lɑn/ |
| 140 | to say | cweþan, seċġan | /ˈkweðɑn/, /ˈsed.d͡ʒɑn/ |
| 141 | to sing | singan | /ˈsiŋɡɑn/ |
| 142 | to play | plegian | /ˈpleɣiɑn/ |
| 143 | to float | flēotan | /ˈfleːo̯tɑn/ |
| 144 | to flow | flōwan | /ˈfloːwɑn/ |
| 145 | to freeze | frēosan | /ˈfreːo̯zɑn/ |
| 146 | to swell | swellan | /ˈswel.lɑn/ |
| 147 | sun | sunne | /ˈsun.ne/ |
| 148 | moon | mōna | /ˈmoːnɑ/ |
| 149 | star | steorra | /ˈsteo̯rˠ.rˠɑ/ |
| 150 | water | wæter | /ˈwæter/ |
| 151 | rain | reġn | /ˈrejn̩/ |
| 152 | river | ēa | /æːɑ̯/ |
| 153 | lake | mere | /ˈmere/ |
| 154 | sea | sǣ | /sæː/ |
| 155 | salt | sealt | /sæɑ̯ɫt/ |
| 156 | stone | stān | /stɑːn/ |
| 157 | sand | sand | /sɒnd/ |
| 158 | dust | dust | /dust/ |
| 159 | earth | eorþe | /eo̯rˠðe/ |
| 160 | cloud | wolcn | /ˈwoɫkn̩/ |
| 161 | fog | mist | /mist/ |
| 162 | sky | heofon | /ˈheo̯von/ |
| 163 | wind | wind | /wind/ |
| 164 | snow | snāw | /snɑːw/ |
| 165 | ice | īs | /iːs/ |
| 166 | smoke | smoca | /smo.ka/ |
| 167 | fire | fȳr | /fyːr/ |
| 168 | ash | æsċe | /ˈæʃ.ʃe/ |
| 169 | to burn | birnan (intransitive), bærnan (transitive) | /ˈbirˠ.nɑn/, /ˈbærˠ.nɑn/ |
| 170 | road | weġ, strǣt | /wej/, /stræːt/ |
| 171 | mountain | beorg, dūn, munt | /beo̯rˠɣ/, /duːn/, /munt/ |
| 172 | red | rēad | /ræːɑ̯d/ |
| 173 | green | grēne | /ˈɣreːne/ |
| 174 | yellow | ġeolu | /ˈjeo̯ɫu/ |
| 175 | white | hwīt | /ʍiːt/ |
| 176 | black | sweart | /swæɑ̯rˠt/ |
| 177 | night | niht | /niçt/ |
| 178 | day | dæġ | /dæj/ |
| 179 | year | ġēar | /jæːɑ̯r/ |
| 180 | warm | wearm | /wæɑ̯rˠm/ |
| 181 | cold | ċeald | /t͡ʃæɑ̯ɫd/ |
| 182 | full | full | /fuɫː/ |
| 183 | new | nīewe | /ˈniːy̯we/ |
| 184 | old | eald | /æɑ̯ɫd/ |
| 185 | good | gōd | /ɣoːd/ |
| 186 | bad | yfel | /ˈyvel/ |
| 187 | rotten | fūl, rotod (also ġerotod) | /fuːl/, /rotod/ |
| 188 | dirty | horiġ | /ˈhorij/ |
| 189 | straight | riht | /riçt/ |
| 190 | round | sinewealt | /ˈsinewæɑ̯ɫt/ |
| 191 | sharp (as a knife) | sċearp | /ʃæɑ̯rˠp/ |
| 192 | dull (as a knife) | stump | /stump/ |
| 193 | smooth | smēþe | /ˈsmeːðe/ |
| 194 | wet | wǣt | /wæːt/ |
| 195 | dry | drȳġe | /ˈdryːje/ |
| 196 | correct | riht | /riçt/ |
| 197 | near | nēah | /næːɑ̯x/ |
| 198 | far | feorr | /feo̯rˠː/ |
| 199 | right | swīþra | /ˈswiːðrɑ/ |
| 200 | left | winestra | /ˈwinestrɑ/ |
| 201 | at | æt | /æt/ |
| 202 | in | on | /on/ |
| 203 | with | mid | /mid/ |
| 204 | and | and | /ɒnd/ |
| 205 | if | ġif | /jif/ |
| 206 | because | for þon þe (because), for | /for θon θe/, /for/ |
| 207 | name | nama | /ˈnɒmɑ/ |