Appendix:Middle Persian Swadesh list

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This is a Swadesh list of words in Middle Persian, compared with definitions in English.

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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EnglishMiddle Persian
edit (190)
1I (1sg)an, man
2you (2sg)
3he, she, it (3sg)ōy
4we (1pl)amāh
5you (2pl)ašmāh
6they (3pl)awēšān
7thisēn
8thatān
9hereēdar
10thereānōh
11who
12whatčē
13where
14whenkay
15howčiyōn
16not
17allwisp
18manywas
19somečand
20fewkam
21otherabārīg
22oneēk
23two
24three
25fourčahār
26fivepanǰ
27bigwazurg
28longdrāz
29widefrāx
30thick
31heavygarān
32smallkōdag, xwurd, kūč
33shortgisnag, kūk
34narrowtang
35thinbārīg
36womanzan
37man (adult male)mard
38man (human being)kas
39childwaččag
40wifezan
41husbandgādār, šōy
42mothermād, mādar (oblique form)
43fatherpid, pidar (oblique form)
44animalgyānwar
45fishmāhīg
46birdmurw, way
47dogsag
48lousespiš
49snakemār, garzag
50wormkirm
51treedār, draxt
52forestrazūr
53stickčōb
54fruitmēwag, bar
55seedčihr, dān, tōm
56leafwalg, warg
57rootrēšag
58bark (of a tree)tōz, pōst
59flowerškōfag, gul
60grassgiyā
61roperasan, wandag, rištag, arwēs
62skinčarm, pōst, tōz
63meatgōšt, pid
64bloodxōn
65boneast
66fat (noun)čarbišn
67eggxāyag
68hornsrū
69taildumb
70featherparr
71hairmōy
72headsar
73eargōš
74eyečašm
75nosewēnīg
76mouthdahān
77toothdandān
78tongue (organ)uzwān
79fingernailnāxun
80footpāy
81legpāy
82kneesnūg
83handdast
84wingparrag, parr
85bellyaškomb
86gutsrōdīg
87neckgardan
88backpušt
89breastsēn, sēnag, pestān, war
90heartdil
91liverǰagar
92to drinkxwārīdan
93to eatxwardan
94to bitegazīdan
95to suckmēzīdan
96to spit
97to vomitwāmīdan
98to blowdaftan
99to breathedaftan
100to laughxandīdan
101to seedīdan
102to hearašnūdan
103to knowdānistan (for abilities, etc.), šnāxtan (for recognizing people, etc.)
104to thinkhandēsidan, menīdan
105to smellbōyīdan
106to feartarsīdan
107to sleepxuftan
108to livezīstan
109to diemurdan
110to killkuštan
111to fightēraxtan, nibardīdan
112to hunt
113to hitzadan
114to cutbrīdan, tāšīdan
115to splitdarrīdan
116to stab
117to scratchrandīdan
118to digkandan
119to swimsnāzīdan
120to flywāyīdan
121to walk
122to comeāmadan
123to lie (as in a bed)nibastan
124to sitnišastan
125to standēstadan, awištādan
126to turn (intransitive)waštan
127to fallōftādan, kaftan
128to givedādan
129to holddāštan, griftan
130to squeeze
131to rubmuštan, sūdan
132to washšustan
133to wipeawestardan
134to pullkešīdan
135to pushrānēnīdan
136to throwabgandan
137to tiebastan
138to sewdōxtan
139to countōšmurdan
140to sayguftan, wāxtan
141to singsrūdan
142to playwāzīdan
143to float
144to flowrēxtan, taxtan
145to freezeafsārdan
146to swell
147sunxwaršēd
148moonmāh
149starstārag
150waterāb
151rainwārān
152riverrōd
153lakewar
154seazrēy, drayā
155saltnamak
156stonesang
157sandrēg
158dustgard
159earthxāk
160cloudabr
161fog
162skyāsmān
163windwād
164snowwafr
165ice
166smokedūd
167fireādur, ātaxš
168ashādurestar
169to burnwaxšīdan (intransitive), sōxtan (transitive), tāftan (transitive)
170roadrāh
171mountainkōf, gar
172redsuxr, karmīr
173greensabz
174yellowzard
175whitespēd, arus
176blacksyā
177nightšab
178dayrōz
179yearsāl
180warmgarm
181coldsard
182fullpurr
183newnōg
184oldkahwan, pīr
185goodweh, hudāg, xūb
186badwad
187rottenpūdag
188dirtyrēman
189straightrāst
190roundgird
191sharp (as a knife)tēz
192dull (as a knife)
193smooth
194wet
195dryhušk
196correct
197near
198far
199right
200lefthōy
201atpad
202inandar
203withabāg
204andud
205ifagar
206becauserāy
207namenām
Swadesh lists
Individual languages
Language families, family branches, and geographic groupings
Constructed languages
Reconstructed proto-languages
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