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.
№ English Proto-Turkicedit (197) 1 I (1sg )*ben 2 you (2sg )*sen 3 he , she , it (3sg )*ol 4 we (1pl )*biŕ 5 you (2pl )*siŕ 6 they (3pl )7 this *bu(-n) 8 that *ol 9 here 10 there 11 who *kem 12 what *nē- 13 where *kanta *kanï 14 when *kačan 15 how *nēče 16 not *ermeŕ 17 all *bütün *kamug 18 many *ȫküĺ 19 some 20 few *āŕ 21 other 22 one *bīr 23 two *ẹk(k)i 24 three *üč 25 four *tȫrt 26 five *bẹ̄ĺ(k) 27 big *bedük 28 long *uŕak 29 wide *gēŋ 30 thick *kalïŋ 31 heavy *iagïr 32 small *kičüg 33 short *kïsga 34 narrow *tïgïŕ 35 thin *yiŋčge 36 woman *xātun *kï̄ŕ 37 man (adult male)*ēr 38 man (human being)*kiši 39 child *bāla *urug 40 wife *xātun 41 husband 42 mother *apa 43 father *ata 44 animal *Ăŋ 45 fish *bālïk 46 bird *kuĺ 47 dog *köpek 48 louse *bït 49 snake *yï̄lan 50 worm *kūrt 51 tree *ïgač 52 forest *orman 53 stick *čï̄pč 54 fruit *yẹ̄miĺč 55 seed *urluk *urug 56 leaf *yapurgak *bür 57 root *kök 58 bark (of a tree)*kāpuk 59 flower *čeček 60 grass *ot 61 rope *yip *yïp 62 skin *tẹri 63 meat *et 64 blood *kiān 65 bone *kemük *siŋök 66 fat (noun)*semiŕ *yāg 67 egg *yumurtka 68 horn *burgu 69 tail *kudruk 70 feather *tǖk 71 hair *s(i)ač *kïl 72 head *baĺč 73 ear *kulkak 74 eye *köŕ 75 nose *burun 76 mouth *āgïŕ 77 tooth *tīĺ 78 tongue (organ)*til 79 fingernail *dïrŋak 80 foot *adak 81 leg *būt 82 knee *topïk 83 hand *elig 84 wing *kāynat 85 belly *kạrïn 86 guts *bagïrsuk 87 neck *bōyn 88 back *kerü *arka 89 breast *köküŕ 90 heart *yürek 91 liver *biagïr 92 to drink *ič- 93 to eat *yē- 94 to bite *ïsïr- 95 to suck *em- *simü- 96 to spit *tüpkür- 97 to vomit *kus- 98 to blow *ür- 99 to breathe *tï̄n 100 to laugh *kül- 101 to see *kör- 102 to hear *ẹĺit- 103 to know *bil- 104 to think *tüĺ-ün- 105 to smell 106 to fear *kork- 107 to sleep *ūdï- 108 to live *dīri- 109 to die *öl- 110 to kill *öltür- 111 to fight *saba- 112 to hunt *ābla- 113 to hit *ur- 114 to cut *kes- 115 to split *yār- 116 to stab *čok- 117 to scratch *kạĺčï- 118 to dig *kaŕ- 119 to swim *yüŕ- 120 to fly *uč- 121 to walk *yüri- 122 to come *kẹl- 123 to lie (as in a bed) *yat- 124 to sit *oltur- 125 to stand *dur- 126 to turn (intransitive) *ebir- 127 to fall *düĺ- 128 to give *bēr- 129 to hold *tut- 130 to squeeze *sïk- *kïs- 131 to rub *sür(-t)- 132 to wash *yu(b)- 133 to wipe *sīl- 134 to pull *tart- 135 to push *it- 136 to throw *ạt- 137 to tie *b(i)ā- 138 to sew *tik- 139 to count *sā(y)- 140 to say *āy- 141 to sing *tōj- *öt- *jaj- 142 to play *oy- 143 to float *yüŕ- 144 to flow *ak- 145 to freeze *toŋ- 146 to swell *sīĺč- 147 sun *küneĺ 148 moon *āń(k) 149 star *yulduŕ 150 water *sub 151 rain *yagmur 152 river *yïrmak *ögüŕ 153 lake *kȫl 154 sea *teŋiŕ 155 salt *dūŕ 156 stone *tiāĺ 157 sand *kum 158 dust *tōz *tōzan 159 earth *yẹr 160 cloud *bulït 161 fog *bus *būg 162 sky *teŋri 163 wind *yẹl 164 snow *kār 165 ice *būŕ 166 smoke *tuman 167 fire *ōt 168 ash *kül 169 to burn *tam- 170 road *yōl 171 mountain *tāg *k(i)aya 172 red *kïŕïl 173 green *yāĺïl 174 yellow *siarïg 175 white *ürüŋ *āk 176 black *kara *qara 177 night *kēče 178 day *kün 179 year *yāĺ *yïl 180 warm *yïlïg 181 cold *sogïk 182 full *tōl- 183 new *yaŋï 184 old *es-(kü) 185 good *edgü 186 bad *yaman 187 rotten *čẹr 188 dirty *kir 189 straight *tüŕ 190 round *yum *tom *deg *dög *dog 191 sharp (as a knife)*yiti 192 dull (as a knife)193 smooth *tekiŕ 194 wet *ȫl 195 dry *kūrïk 196 correct *kẹr-tü 197 near *yạguk 198 far *uŕak 199 right *oŋ 200 left *sōl 201 at 202 in *-de 203 with *bile 204 and 205 if *-sa 206 because *üčün *učun 207 name *āt
Swadesh lists
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Language families, family branches, and geographic groupings
Constructed languages
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