Appendix:Sumerian Swadesh list
This is a Swadesh list of words in Sumerian, compared with definitions in English.
Presentation
[edit]- For further information, read the article: Swadesh list
The Swadesh word list, developed by the linguist w:Morris Swadesh, is used as a tool to study the evolution of languages. It contains a set of basic words which can be found in every language. Various versions have been created, in particular:
- a complete 207 words version, in which some of the words are not found in every environment (it contains for instance snake and snow)
- a reduced 100 words version.
This word list should not be considered as an elementary lexicon to communicate with speakers of a given language; for such a purpose, the numerous existing Wikivoyage lexicons are more useful. Its only objective is to give a rough idea of the language, by showing its lexical and, when possible, phonetics basis.
List
[edit]| No. | English | Sumerian 𒅴𒂠 (EME.ĜIR15) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | I | ĝae, ĝe |
| 2 | you (singular) | zae, ze |
| 3 | he, she, it | ane, ene |
| 4 | we | menden |
| 5 | you (plural) | menzen, zaemenzen, zaenzen |
| 6 | they | anene, enene |
| 7 | this | nen, ne |
| 8 | that | re |
| 9 | here | gu'e |
| 10 | there | gure |
| 11 | who | aba |
| 12 | what | ana, ta |
| 13 | where | mea, me, ma |
| 14 | when | menam |
| 15 | how | anagin, tagin |
| 16 | not | nu |
| 17 | all | du |
| 18 | many | i'iz |
| 19 | some | |
| 20 | few | |
| 21 | other | balare |
| 22 | one | aš, diš, did |
| 23 | two | min |
| 24 | three | eš, peš |
| 25 | four | limmu |
| 26 | five | ya |
| 27 | big | gal |
| 28 | long | sud4, gíd[BU] |
| 29 | wide | peš, dangal |
| 30 | thick | kul |
| 31 | heavy | dugud, kul |
| 32 | small | gi17, tur |
| 33 | short | gud8 |
| 34 | narrow | sig |
| 35 | thin | gi17 |
| 36 | woman | mu10, munus, géme |
| 37 | man (adult male) | na, lú |
| 38 | man (human being) | erim, lú |
| 39 | child | dumu, tur |
| 40 | wife | dam |
| 41 | husband | dam, ngitlam |
| 42 | mother | ama |
| 43 | father | ada, pab |
| 44 | animal | ning-úr-limmu (quadruped) |
| 45 | fish | ku6 |
| 46 | bird | mušen, hu |
| 47 | dog | ur |
| 48 | louse | uh3 |
| 49 | snake | muš, ušum |
| 50 | worm | mar |
| 51 | tree | ngiš |
| 52 | forest | tir |
| 53 | stick | ngiš |
| 54 | fruit | gurun |
| 55 | seed | a |
| 56 | leaf | (ngiš)pa |
| 57 | root | (ngiš) i-ri9-na |
| 58 | bark (of a tree) | |
| 59 | flower | ul, gi-rin |
| 60 | grass | ú |
| 61 | rope | éše |
| 62 | skin | su |
| 63 | meat | uzu, su |
| 64 | blood | úš, múd, ùri |
| 65 | bone | (ngiš)gag |
| 66 | fat (noun) | ìa |
| 67 | egg | nuz |
| 68 | horn | si |
| 69 | tail | kun |
| 70 | feather | (ngiš)pa |
| 71 | hair | siki |
| 72 | head | sang, ugu |
| 73 | ear | ngeštug |
| 74 | eye | igi |
| 75 | nose | kiri3,4 |
| 76 | mouth | ka |
| 77 | tooth | zu |
| 78 | tongue (organ) | eme |
| 79 | fingernail | umbin |
| 80 | foot | ngìri |
| 81 | leg | pah[LUL], úr |
| 82 | knee | (ngiš)gag |
| 83 | hand | buzur, šu |
| 84 | wing | (ngiš)pa |
| 85 | belly | |
| 86 | guts | šag4 |
| 87 | neck | gú |
| 88 | back | háš |
| 89 | breast | gaba |
| 90 | heart | ur5HAR, šà, lipiš |
| 91 | liver | bà, ur5HAR |
| 92 | to drink | nang |
| 93 | to eat | gu7 |
| 94 | to bite | zú-gub |
| 95 | to suck | sub |
| 96 | to spit | zug4 |
| 97 | to vomit | buru8 |
| 98 | to blow | ru |
| 99 | to breathe | zi |
| 100 | to laugh | išiš2,3 |
| 101 | to see | igi |
| 102 | to hear | ngeštug |
| 103 | to know | zu |
| 104 | to think | ngeštug |
| 105 | to smell | hab2, ir10 |
| 106 | to fear | ní |
| 107 | to sleep | ù |
| 108 | to live | sig7 |
| 109 | to die | ug4,5,7,8 |
| 110 | to kill | ug4,5,7,8 |
| 111 | to fight | du14 |
| 112 | to hunt | taka |
| 113 | to hit | ra |
| 114 | to cut | kud, tar, ša5 |
| 115 | to split | dar |
| 116 | to stab | ra |
| 117 | to scratch | hur |
| 118 | to dig | bal |
| 119 | to swim | |
| 120 | to fly | dal |
| 121 | to walk | du |
| 122 | to come | du |
| 123 | to lie (as in a bed) | ku, nud |
| 124 | to sit | suš |
| 125 | to stand | gub |
| 126 | to turn (intransitive) | gur |
| 127 | to fall | šub |
| 128 | to give | ba, ru |
| 129 | to hold | da |
| 130 | to squeeze | hir[KEŠDA] |
| 131 | to rub | sub |
| 132 | to wash | tu5,17 |
| 133 | to wipe | sub |
| 134 | to pull | rig |
| 135 | to push | taka |
| 136 | to throw | ri |
| 137 | to tie | dab2,4,5 |
| 138 | to sew | |
| 139 | to count | šita5 |
| 140 | to say | ég, bi |
| 141 | to sing | mud6, tuš |
| 142 | to play | ešemen2,3 |
| 143 | to float | dirig |
| 144 | to flow | zal |
| 145 | to freeze | halba2,3 |
| 146 | to swell | mah |
| 147 | sun | ud |
| 148 | moon | iti, itud |
| 149 | star | ul, mul |
| 150 | water | a |
| 151 | rain | im |
| 152 | river | id, ída |
| 153 | lake | ab, aba |
| 154 | sea | ab, aba, nab |
| 155 | salt | mun |
| 156 | stone | na4 |
| 157 | sand | sahar |
| 158 | dust | ukum |
| 159 | earth | ki |
| 160 | cloud | imi, muru9, dugud |
| 161 | fog | muru9 |
| 162 | sky | an |
| 163 | wind | líl |
| 164 | snow | šeg,8,9 |
| 165 | ice | šeg8,9 |
| 166 | smoke | i-bí |
| 167 | fire | izi |
| 168 | ash | dé |
| 169 | to burn | tab, bil |
| 170 | road | a-rá, sila3 |
| 171 | mountain | kur, iši |
| 172 | red | sa-sa |
| 173 | green | sig7 |
| 174 | yellow | sig7 |
| 175 | white | kug |
| 176 | black | gíg |
| 177 | night | ngi6 |
| 178 | day | u4 |
| 179 | year | mu |
| 180 | warm | kúm |
| 181 | cold | ten |
| 182 | full | éšša |
| 183 | new | gibil |
| 184 | old | ul, libir |
| 185 | good | dùg |
| 186 | bad | hul |
| 187 | rotten | hab2, sungin |
| 188 | dirty | pe-el-lá |
| 189 | straight | |
| 190 | round | ninda |
| 191 | sharp (as a knife) | |
| 192 | dull (as a knife) | |
| 193 | smooth | |
| 194 | wet | lah |
| 195 | dry | háda |
| 196 | correct | gi-na |
| 197 | near | da |
| 198 | far | ta, sud |
| 199 | right | zi-da |
| 200 | left | gùb-bu |
| 201 | at | da |
| 202 | in | a |
| 203 | with | |
| 204 | and | ga |
| 205 | if | |
| 206 | because | mu |
| 207 | name | mu |
See also
[edit]- Appendix:Sumerian basic vocabulary from Kassian (2014)
- Sumerian on Wikipedia
Bibliography
[edit]- Sumerian Lexicon by John A. O'Halloran