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.
No.
English
Fijian
1
I
au o yau
2
you (singular)
o o iko
3
he , she , it
e o koya
4
we
keirau dual, exclusive ) keitou paucal, exclusive ) keimami plural, exclusive ) daru kēdaru dual, inclusive ) tou kedatou paucal, inclusive ) da keda plural, inclusive )
5
you (plural)
(o)drau kemudrau dual ) dou kemudou paucal ) nī kemunī plural )
6
they
(e)rau rau dual ) ratou iratou paucal ) ra ira plural )
7
this
qō
8
that
qori near you ) yā over there )
9
here
kē qō
10
there
keri qori near you ) keā yā far from you )
11
who
cei
12
what
cava
13
where
vei
14
when
ni
15
how
vakacava
16
not
sega ni
17
all
kece taucoko
18
many
(e) levu na
19
some
(e) sō na
20
few
(e) lailai na
21
other
(e) dua tale another ) o koya dua tale other specific )
22
one
dua
23
two
rua
24
three
tolu
25
four
vā
26
five
lima
27
big
levu
28
long
balavu
29
wide
rāraba rabalevu
30
thick
vāvaku
31
heavy
bībī
32
small
lailai
33
short
lekaleka leka
34
narrow
rabalailai qīqō
35
thin
lila person ) māmare thing )
36
woman
yalewa marama
37
man (adult male)
tagane tūraga
38
man (human being)
tamata
39
child
gone
40
wife
wati-
41
husband
wati-
42
mother
tina- nā
43
father
tama- tā
44
animal
manumanu
45
fish
ika
46
bird
manumanu manumanuvuka
47
dog
kolī
48
louse
kutu
49
snake
gata
50
worm
baca ni qele
51
tree
kau vunikau
52
forest
veikau
53
stick
kau
54
fruit
vua- vuata fruit in general )
55
seed
sore-
56
leaf
drau-
57
root
waka-
58
bark (of a tree)
kuli-
59
flower
sē- seinikau
60
grass
cō
61
rope
wa
62
skin
kuli-
63
meat
lewe ni manumanu
64
blood
drā
65
bone
sui
66
fat (noun)
uro
67
egg
yaloka
68
horn
leu
69
tail
bui-
70
feather
vuti-
71
hair
drauniulu
72
head
ulu-
73
ear
daliga-
74
eye
mata-
75
nose
ucu-
76
mouth
gusu-
77
tooth
bati-
78
tongue (organ)
yame-
79
fingernail
taukuku
80
foot
yava-
81
leg
yava-
82
knee
duru-
83
hand
liga-
84
wing
taba-
85
belly
kete-
86
guts
kete-
87
neck
domo-
88
back
daku-
89
breast
sucu-
90
heart
uto-
91
liver
yate-
92
to drink
gunu-va
93
to eat
kana kania
94
to bite
kata katia
95
to suck
domi-ca
96
to spit
kasivi-ta
97
to vomit
lua-raka
98
to blow
uvu-ca
99
to breathe
cegu-va
100
to laugh
dredre-vaka
101
to see
rai-ca
102
to hear
rogo-ca
103
to know
kilā
104
to think
nanuma remember ) vākāsama-taka
105
to smell
boi-ca
106
to fear
rere-vaka
107
to sleep
moce
108
to live
bula-taka
109
to die
mate
110
to kill
vakamatea
111
to fight
veivala-taka
112
to hunt
vakasa
113
to hit
moku-ta
114
to cut
musu-ka
115
to split
kavoro-taka
116
to stab
coka-ta
117
to scratch
mila milā
118
to dig
keli-a
119
to swim
qalo-va
120
to fly
vuka
121
to walk
taubale
122
to come
lako mai
123
to lie (as in a bed)
davo
124
to sit
dabe
125
to stand
tū tūcake
126
to turn (intransitive)
gole
127
to fall
lutu-ma
128
to give
soli-a
129
to hold
taura
130
to squeeze
loba-ka
131
to rub
masi/masia tara-taka
132
to wash
sava-ta
133
to wipe
qusi quisa
134
to pull
drē dreta
135
to push
bili-ga
136
to throw
viri-taka
137
to tie
wiri-ca
138
to sew
culā
139
to count
wiliwili wilika
140
to say
kaya tukuna
141
to sing
laga-ta sere-taka
142
to play
qito-ra
143
to float
ciri-taka
144
to flow
drodro-laka
145
to freeze
ceva-ta
146
to swell
vuce-laka
147
sun
siga matanisiga
148
moon
vula
149
star
kalokalo
150
water
wai
151
rain
uca
152
river
uciwai
153
lake
drano
154
sea
waitui
155
salt
māsima
156
stone
vatu
157
sand
nuku
158
dust
kuvu
159
earth
qele
160
cloud
ō
161
fog
kabu
162
sky
lomalāgi
163
wind
cagi
164
snow
uca cevata
165
ice
aisi waicevata
166
smoke
kubou
167
fire
kama
168
ash
dravusa
169
to burn
kama vākamā
170
road
gaunisala
171
mountain
ulunivanua
172
red
damudamu
173
green
drokadroka
174
yellow
dromodromo
175
white
vulavula
176
black
loaloa
177
night
bogi
178
day
siga
179
year
yabaki
180
warm
katakata toka via katakata
181
cold
liliwa batabatā
182
full
sīnai
183
new
vou
184
old
qase person ) makawa thing )
185
good
vinaka mātai good at )
186
bad
cā
187
rotten
vuca
188
dirty
duka
189
straight
dodonu
190
round
moqimoqili
191
sharp (as a knife)
gata
192
dull (as a knife)
dreli
193
smooth
dravia
194
wet
suasua
195
dry
māmaca
196
correct
donu
197
near
vōleka
198
far
yawa
199
right
imatau
200
left
imawī
201
at
e i mai
202
in
e i mai
203
with
kei together with ) i using )
204
and
ia sentences ) kei nouns ) qai verbs )
205
if
kē kēvakā
206
because
baleta ni
207
name
yaca-
Gatty, R. (2009). Fijian-English dictionary: with notes on Fijian culture and natural history . Suva, Fiji: R. Gatty. →ISBN
Geraghty, P. (1994). Fijian phrasebook . Hawthorn, Vic., Australia Oakland, CA, USA: Lonely Planet. →ISBN
Swadesh lists
Individual languages
Language families, family branches, and geographic groupings
Constructed languages
Reconstructed proto-languages
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