Jump to content

Appendix:Tok Pisin Swadesh list

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

This is a Swadesh list of words in Tok Pisin, 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]
EnglishTok Pisin
tok pisin
edit (200)
1I (1sg)mi
2you (2sg)yu
3he, she, it (3sg)em
4we (1pl)yumi (inclusive), mipela (exclusive)
5you (2pl)yupela
6they (3pl)ol
7thisdispela
8thatdispela
9herehia
10therelong hap
11whohusat (interrogative), em (demonstrative)
12whatwanem
13wherewe, westap, wanem, ples
14whenwanem, taim
15howolsem, wanem
16notno
17allolgeta
18manyplanti
19somesampela
20fewliklik
21othernarapela, arapela
22onewan, wanpela
23twotu, tupela
24threetri, tripela
25fourfo, fopela
26fivefaiv, faipela
27bigbikpela
28longlongpela
29widebrait
30thickstrong
31heavyhevi
32smallliklik
33shortsotpela
34narrowno, brait
35thinbun nating
36womanmeri
37man (adult male)man
38man (human being)man, manmeri
39childpikinini
40wifemeri
41husbandman, maritman
42mothermama
43fatherpapa
44animalanimal, abus
45fishpis
46birdpisin
47dogdok
48louselaus
49snakesnek
50wormliklik, snek
51treediwai, dawai
52forestbus
53stickhan bilong diwai
54fruitpikinini bilong diwai, prut
55seed
56leaflip
57rootkil
58bark (of a tree)skin bilong diwai
59flowerplaua
60grassgras
61roperop, lain
62skinskin
63meatmit
64bloodblut
65bonebun
66fat (noun)gris
67eggkiau
68hornhon
69tailtel
70feathergras bilong pisin
71hairgras
72headhet
73earia, yau
74eyeai
75nosenus
76mouthmaut
77toothtit
78tongue (organ)tang
79fingernailkapa bilong pinga
80footput
81leglek
82kneeskru
83handhan
84winghan bilong pisin
85bellybel
86gutsol, samting, insait, long, bodi
87necknek
88backbak
89breastsusu
90heartpam
91liverliva
92to drinkdringim
93to eatkaikaim
94to bitekaikaim
95to sucksusu
96to spitspet
97to vomittraut
98to blowwinim
99to breathepulim win
100to laughlap
101to seelukim
102to hearharim
103to knowsave
104to thinktingting
105to smellsmelim
106to feari pret long
107to sleepslip
108to livei gat laip
109to diedai
110to killkilim
111to fightpait, paitim
112to huntranim
113to hitpaitim
114to cutkatim
115to splitkatim, long, hap
116to stab
117to scratch
118to digdigim
119to swimswim
120to flyflai
121to walkwokabaut
122to comekam
123to lie (as in a bed)slip
124to sitsindaun
125to standsanap
126to turn (intransitive)tanim
127to fallpundaun
128to givegivim, gipim
129to holdholim
130to squeezekrungutim
131to rubpilim
132to washwaswas, wasim
133to wipewaipim
134to pullpulim
135to pushsubim
136to throwtromoi
137to tienektait
138to sewsamapim
139to countkaunim
140to saytok
141to singsingsing
142to playpilai
143to floatplot
144to flow
145to freeze
146to swellsolap
147sunsan
148moonmun
149starsta
150waterwara
151rainren
152riverwara
153lakeraunwara
154seasolwara
155saltsol
156stoneston
157sanddas
158dustdas
159earthgraun
160cloudklaut
161fogsno
162skyskai
163windwin
164snowais
165iceais
166smokesmok
167firepaia
168ashsit bilong paia
169to burnpaia
170roadrot
171mountainmaunten
172redretpela
173greengrinpela
174yellowyelopela
175whitewaitpela
176blackblakpela
177nightnait
178dayde
179yearyia
180warmhotpela
181coldkolpela
182fullpulap
183newnupela
184oldolpela, lapun
185goodgutpela
186badnogut
187rottennogut
188dirtynogut, i gat das
189straightstretpela
190roundraunpela
191sharp (as a knife)sapela
192dull (as a knife)
193smoothstretpela
194wetwet
195drydrai
196correct
197nearklosap
198farlongwe
199rightraithan
200leftlephan, kais
201atlong
202inlong
203withwantaim
204andna
205ifsapos
206becauselong wanem, bikos
207namenem
Swadesh lists
Individual languages
Language families, family branches, and geographic groupings
Constructed languages
Reconstructed proto-languages
(edit this template)