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Appendix:Proto-Afroasiatic Swadesh list

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This is a Swadesh list of words in Proto-Afroasiatic, compared with definitions in English. The terms are from a list of Proto-Afroasiatic reconstructions by Ehret (1995).

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 Proto-Afroasiatic
1 I *ʔân-/*ʔîn-, *ân-/*în-, *i, *yi
2 you (singular) *ʔânt-/*ʔînt-, *ânt-/*înt-, *ki, *ku, *ka
3 he, she, it *si, *isi
4 we *ʔǎnn-/*ʔǐnn-, *ǎnn-/*ǐnn-
5 you (plural) *kuuna
6 they *su, *usu
7 this *kaa, *ha, *h-
8 that *ha, *h-
9 here *-d- (*ada ?), *-ts- (*ts-, *âts-)
10 there *-d- (*ada ?), *-ts- (*ts-, *âts-)
11 who *ma, *mi, *wa-/*wi-
12 what *ma, *mi, *wa-/*wi-
13 where
14 when
15 how
16 not *-kǎḥ-, *-gʷǎb-, *-ma-, *ba
17 all *-kal-/*-kul-
18 many *ɬâg-
19 some
20 few *-nikʷ-
21 other *hāl-/*hīl-
22 one
23 two *ɬâm-, *tsan-, *can-, *tsîr(n)-, *cîr(n)-
24 three *xaynz-
25 four *fâzw-
26 five
27 big *-gâd-/*-gûd-, *ʔǎw-
28 long *t’eer-, *ʔǎw-, *tl’-̌z-
29 wide *-p’oh-
30 thick *-ʕatl’-
31 heavy *-ʕis-
32 small *-gʷîts-, *jûl-, *xiš-
33 short *xiš- (low)
34 narrow *šuuk’-, *šuukʷ’-
35 thin *-kʷ’-, *kʷ’an-
36 woman *xʷ-
37 man (adult male)
38 man (human being) *ʔîns-, *ʕid-, *nim-, *nam-
39 child *jiʔ-, *dziʔ-
40 wife
41 husband
42 mother
43 father
44 animal *ɬǒʔ- (cattle)
45 fish
46 bird
47 dog
48 louse
49 snake
50 worm
51 tree *ɣǎ
52 forest *gâr-
53 stick
54 fruit *tsim-/*tsam-
55 seed *b-j(r)-, *tsim-/*tsam-
56 leaf
57 root *sǎr-/*sǐr-
58 bark (of a tree)
59 flower
60 grass *ɬaʔ-, *ɬaaʔ-
61 rope
62 skin *k’ōoŋ-, *ɣah-, *biš-, *bǔɬ-
63 meat *ʔâayš-
64 blood *dîm-/*dâm-
65 bone *k’os-
66 fat (noun)
67 egg *kʷ’ânḥ-
68 horn
69 tail
70 feather
71 hair *ɬ-ʔr-, *ɬ-rʔ-, *dab(n)-, *tsuun-, *cuun-, *t’îḥ-
72 head
73 ear *-ʔânxʷ-
74 eye *ʔǐl-
75 nose
76 mouth *âf-
77 tooth
78 tongue (organ)
79 fingernail *c’irf-, *c’ifr-
80 foot *rǐiz-
81 leg *-ʔaš-
82 knee
83 hand
84 wing *kanf-/*kinf-
85 belly *cîl-
86 guts
87 neck *ʔâl-
88 back *sâr-
89 breast *wiz-, *bôf-, *bôp-
90 heart *līb-
91 liver *tǐr-
92 to drink *-s’aʔ-, *-kitḥ-
93 to eat *-mǎaʕ-, *-iit-
94 to bite *-ɬikʷ-
95 to suck *-nuuk’-
96 to spit *-tuf-
97 to vomit
98 to blow *-tl’iiʕ-, *-ʔûuf-
99 to breathe *-xʷin-, *-xʷan-, *-xʷiŋ-, *-xʷaŋ-
100 to laugh
101 to see *-ʔîl-/*-ʔal-, *-ʕaaf-
102 to hear
103 to know *-ʔâr-
104 to think
105 to smell *-tsoon-, *-coon-, *-fîʔ/*-fâʔ-
106 to fear *-ɲer-, *-dzac-
107 to sleep *-wis-
108 to live *-ɬâf-
109 to die *-yaʕ-, *-maaw-
110 to kill *-guʕ-, *-guuʕ-, *-jaʕ-, *-dzaʕ-
111 to fight
112 to hunt
113 to hit *-tl’ip-/*-tl’up-, *-boɣ-, *-muɣʷ-, *-xaf-, *-ɣan-/*-ɣun-, *-ɣaŋ-/*-ɣuŋ-
114 to cut *-wâḥ-, *-ŋiɬ-, *-k’ât’-, *-sar-
115 to split *-p’ak’-/*-p’ik’-, *-ɣʷǎp-, *-ɣʷâap-, *-tl’aw-/*-tray-
116 to stab
117 to scratch *-ḥetl’-/*-ḥotl’-, *-šul-/*-šuul-, *-naʔ-/*-naaʔ-
118 to dig *-ḥôz-, *-c’aḥ-
119 to swim
120 to fly *-pîr-
121 to walk *-r-d-, *-dzaʔ-, *-daw-, *-sǎk-/*-sǔk-
122 to come *-yâʔ-, *-im-
123 to lie (as in a bed) *-ɣʷîn-, *-dĕeḥ-/*-dǒoḥ-, *-zîn-
124 to sit *-lîb-, *-lîib-, *-baʕ-, *-gǐr-
125 to stand *-wīitl’
126 to turn (intransitive) *-zâkʷ-, *-gʷar-, *-kʷatl’-, *-kʷaatl’-, *-xʷâar-, *-wir-
127 to fall *-hu-, *-huu-
128 to give
129 to hold *-ḥâb-/*-ḥûb-, , *-bêr-, *-kam-, *-ʔaz-
130 to squeeze *-dleek’-
131 to rub *-tl’ook‘-, *-hip’-, *-ɲuuk’-, *-xâj-, *-s’uuɣ-, *-s’uuɣʷ’
132 to wash
133 to wipe
134 to pull *-jool-, *-sîl-
135 to push *-dlôkʷ’-
136 to throw *-dzik’-/*-dzak’-
137 to tie *-c’uf-/*-c’if-
138 to sew *-rip-
139 to count
140 to say *-yo-
141 to sing *-hes’-
142 to play
143 to float *-xas-
144 to flow *-wadl-, *-s’aw-, *-dac-
145 to freeze
146 to swell *-yǔf-, *-dlaḥ-, *-box-
147 sun
148 moon *-ɬêeh-
149 star
150 water *âm-, *akʷ’-
151 rain
152 river
153 lake
154 sea
155 salt *dzixʷ-
156 stone
157 sand *haas’-
158 dust
159 earth *tĕr-/*tǒr-, *šâp-
160 cloud *ʕarf-, *dumn-
161 fog
162 sky *-ʕir-
163 wind
164 snow
165 ice
166 smoke
167 fire *-ʔâakʷ-, *-ŋîiwr-
168 ash
169 to burn *-s’âʕ-/*-s’îʕ-, *-lib-/*-lab-, *-âaɬ-
170 road *-ɣʷaax- (path)
171 mountain
172 red
173 green
174 yellow *k’âɲ-
175 white
176 black *c’ilm-/*c’alm-
177 night
178 day
179 year
180 warm *-tâ-, *-ɣʷây-/*-ɣʷîy-
181 cold *k’âb-
182 full
183 new
184 old *-gêrʕ-
185 good *-šeŋ-
186 bad *-ʕadz-
187 rotten
188 dirty *-t’ur-
189 straight
190 round
191 sharp (as a knife)
192 dull (as a knife)
193 smooth
194 wet *-māʔ-/*-mīʔ-, *-m- (*-mǎ- ?), *-kʷ’-, *-t’ôɣ-, *-t’ôɣʷ-
195 dry *-ɣâl-/*-ɣûl-
196 correct *lǒ
197 near
198 far
199 right
200 left
201 at *la
202 in *ar-
203 with *nê(e)/*nê/*nêe
204 and
205 if
206 because
207 name *sǔm-/*sǐm-

See also

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References

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  • Ehret, Christopher. 1995. Reconstructing Proto-Afroasiatic (Proto-Afrasian): vowels, tone, consonants, and vocabulary. University of California Press. →ISBN.


Swadesh lists
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Language families, family branches, and geographic groupings
Constructed languages
Reconstructed proto-languages
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