This is a Swadesh list of words in Erzya, compared with definitions in English.
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 | Erzya эрзянь кель (erźań keľ) edit (207) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | I (1sg) | мон (mon) |
| 2 | you (2sg) | тон (ton) |
| 3 | he, she, it (3sg) | сон (son) |
| 4 | we (1pl) | минь (miń) |
| 5 | you (2pl) | тынь (tïń) |
| 6 | they (3pl) | сынь (sïń) |
| 7 | this | те (te) |
| 8 | that | се (se), тона (tona) |
| 9 | here | тесэ (tesë), тия (tija) (prolative case) |
| 10 | there | тосо (toso), сия (sija) (prolative case) |
| 11 | who | кие (kije), ки (ki) |
| 12 | what | мезе (meze), мее (meje) (colloquial) |
| 13 | where | косо (koso), мейсэ (mejsë) ('in what place') |
| 14 | when | зярдо (źardo), зяросто (źarosto) |
| 15 | how | кода (koda) |
| 16 | not | а (a), аволь (avoľ), эзь (eź) |
| 17 | all | весе (vese) |
| 18 | many | ламо (lamo) |
| 19 | some | зярыя (źarïja), конат-конат (konat-konat) |
| 20 | few | аламо (alamo) |
| 21 | other | лия (lija) |
| 22 | one | вейке (vejke) |
| 23 | two | кавто (kavto) |
| 24 | three | колмо (kolmo) |
| 25 | four | ниле (nile) |
| 26 | five | вете (vete) |
| 27 | big | покш (pokš), ине (ine) |
| 28 | long | кувака (kuvaka) |
| 29 | wide | келей (kelej) |
| 30 | thick | эчке (ečke) |
| 31 | heavy | стака (staka) |
| 32 | small | вишкине (viškine), вишка (viška) |
| 33 | short | нурькине (nuŕkine), нурька (nuŕka) |
| 34 | narrow | теине (tejine), тея (teja) |
| 35 | thin | човине (čovine), чова (čova) |
| 36 | woman | ава (ava), аваломань (avalomań) |
| 37 | man (adult male) | цёра (ćora), цёраломань (ćoralomań), аля (aľa) |
| 38 | man (human being) | ломань (lomań) |
| 39 | child | эйкакш (ejkakš), эйде (ejde) |
| 40 | wife | ни (ni) |
| 41 | husband | мирде (mirde) |
| 42 | mother | ава (ava) |
| 43 | father | тетя (teťa) |
| 44 | animal | ракша (rakša) |
| 45 | fish | кал (kal) |
| 46 | bird | нармунь (narmuń) |
| 47 | dog | киска (kiska), пине (pine) |
| 48 | louse | сий (sij) |
| 49 | snake | гуй (guj), ёзнэ (joznë) |
| 50 | worm | сукс (suks) |
| 51 | tree | чувто (čuvto) |
| 52 | forest | вирь (viŕ) |
| 53 | stick | мандо (mando) |
| 54 | fruit | фрукта (frukta), марь (maŕ) |
| 55 | seed | видьме (viďme) |
| 56 | leaf | лопа (lopa) |
| 57 | root | ундовкс (undovks), юр (jur) |
| 58 | bark (of a tree) | керь (keŕ), суд (sud) |
| 59 | flower | цеця (ceća), панжовкс (panžovks), панжке (panžke) (archaic) |
| 60 | grass | тикше (tikše) |
| 61 | rope | пикс (piks) |
| 62 | skin | кедь (keď), киське (kiśke) |
| 63 | meat | сывель (sïveľ) |
| 64 | blood | верь (veŕ) |
| 65 | bone | ловажа (lovaža), пакарь (pakaŕ) |
| 66 | fat (noun) | куя (kuja) |
| 67 | egg | ал (al) |
| 68 | horn | сюро (śuro) |
| 69 | tail | пуло (pulo) |
| 70 | feather | толга (tolga) |
| 71 | hair | черь (čeŕ), черть (čerť) |
| 72 | head | пря (pŕa) |
| 73 | ear | пиле (pile) |
| 74 | eye | сельме (seľme) |
| 75 | nose | судо (sudo) |
| 76 | mouth | курго (kurgo) |
| 77 | tooth | пей (pej) |
| 78 | tongue (organ) | кель (keľ) |
| 79 | fingernail | кенже (kenže) |
| 80 | foot | пильге (piľge) |
| 81 | leg | пильге (piľge) |
| 82 | knee | кумажа (kumaža), пуляза (puľaza) (archaic) |
| 83 | hand | кедь (keď) |
| 84 | wing | сёлмо (śolmo) |
| 85 | belly | пеке (peke) |
| 86 | guts | сюлот (śulot) |
| 87 | neck | кирьга (kiŕga) |
| 88 | back | копорь (kopoŕ), кутьмере (kuťmere) |
| 89 | breast | меште (mešte) |
| 90 | heart | седей (sedej) |
| 91 | liver | максо (makso) |
| 92 | to drink | симемс (simems) |
| 93 | to eat | ярсамс (jarsams), сэвемс (sëvems) |
| 94 | to bite | сускомс (suskoms), поремс (porems) |
| 95 | to suck | потямс (poťams) |
| 96 | to spit | сельгемс (seľgems) |
| 97 | to vomit | уксномс (uksnoms) |
| 98 | to blow | пувамс (puvams) |
| 99 | to breathe | лексемс (leksems) |
| 100 | to laugh | ракамс (rakams) |
| 101 | to see | неемс (nejems) |
| 102 | to hear | марямс (maŕams) |
| 103 | to know | содамс (sodams) |
| 104 | to think | арсемс (arsems) |
| 105 | to smell | марямс (maŕams), марямс судова (maŕams sudova) |
| 106 | to fear | пелемс (pelems) |
| 107 | to sleep | удомс (udoms) |
| 108 | to live | эрямс (eŕams) |
| 109 | to die | куломс (kuloms) |
| 110 | to kill | куловтомс (kulovtoms), чавомс (čavoms) |
| 111 | to fight | тюремс (ťurems) |
| 112 | to hunt | вирдемс (virdems) |
| 113 | to hit | эртемс (ertems), вачкодемс (vačkodems) |
| 114 | to cut | керямс (keŕams) |
| 115 | to split | лазомс (lazoms) |
| 116 | to stab | сялгомс (śalgoms) |
| 117 | to scratch | раздемс (razdems) |
| 118 | to dig | чувомс (čuvoms), карамс (karams) |
| 119 | to swim | уемс (ujems), экшелямс (ekšeľams) |
| 120 | to fly | ливтямс (livťams) |
| 121 | to walk | ютамс (jutams), ютамс ялго (jutams jalgo), яксемс (jaksems) |
| 122 | to come | самс (sams) |
| 123 | to lie (as in a bed) | мадезь аштемс (madeź aštems) |
| 124 | to sit | аштемс озадо (aštems ozado) |
| 125 | to stand | аштемс стядо (aštems sťado) |
| 126 | to turn (intransitive) | велявтомс (veľavtoms), пурдамс (purdams) |
| 127 | to fall | прамс (prams) |
| 128 | to give | максомс (maksoms) |
| 129 | to hold | кирдемс (kirdems) |
| 130 | to squeeze | лепштямс (lepšťams) |
| 131 | to rub | ёзамс (jozams) |
| 132 | to wash | шлямс (šľams), муськемс (muśkems), пезэмс (pezëms) |
| 133 | to wipe | нардамс (nardams) |
| 134 | to pull | ускомс (uskoms) |
| 135 | to push | тулкадемс (tulkadems) |
| 136 | to throw | ёртомс (jortoms) |
| 137 | to tie | содомс (sodoms), сюлмамс (śulmams) |
| 138 | to sew | стамс (stams) |
| 139 | to count | ловомс (lovoms) |
| 140 | to say | меремс (merems) |
| 141 | to sing | морамс (morams) |
| 142 | to play | налксемс (nalksems) |
| 143 | to float | уемс (ujems), уемс ведь ланга (ujems veď langa) |
| 144 | to flow | чудемс (čudems) |
| 145 | to freeze | кельмемс (keľmems), эензамс (ejenzams) |
| 146 | to swell | таргозевемс (targozevems) |
| 147 | sun | чи (či), чипай (čipaj) (rare or poetic) |
| 148 | moon | ков (kov) |
| 149 | star | теште (tešte) |
| 150 | water | ведь (veď) |
| 151 | rain | пиземе (pizeme) |
| 152 | river | лей (lej) |
| 153 | lake | эрьке (eŕke) |
| 154 | sea | иневедь (ineveď), моря (moŕa) |
| 155 | salt | сал (sal) |
| 156 | stone | кев (kev) |
| 157 | sand | чувар (čuvar) |
| 158 | dust | пуль (puľ) |
| 159 | earth | мода (moda), мастор (mastor) |
| 160 | cloud | пель (peľ) |
| 161 | fog | сув (suv) |
| 162 | sky | менель (meneľ) |
| 163 | wind | варма (varma) |
| 164 | snow | лов (lov) |
| 165 | ice | эй (ej) |
| 166 | smoke | качамо (kačamo) |
| 167 | fire | тол (tol) |
| 168 | ash | кулов (kulov) |
| 169 | to burn | паломс (paloms), пултамс (pultams) |
| 170 | road | ки (ki) |
| 171 | mountain | пандо (pando) |
| 172 | red | якстере (jakstere) |
| 173 | green | пиже (piže) |
| 174 | yellow | ожо (ožo) |
| 175 | white | ашо (ašo) |
| 176 | black | раужо (raužo) |
| 177 | night | ве (ve) |
| 178 | day | чи (či) |
| 179 | year | ие (ije) |
| 180 | warm | лембе (lembe) |
| 181 | cold | кельме (keľme) |
| 182 | full | пешксе (peškse) |
| 183 | new | од (od) |
| 184 | old | сыре (sïre), ташто (tašto) |
| 185 | good | вадря (vadŕa), паро (paro) |
| 186 | bad | берянь (beŕań), апаро (aparo) |
| 187 | rotten | наксадо (naksado) |
| 188 | dirty | рудазов (rudazov) |
| 189 | straight | виде (vide) |
| 190 | round | кеверь (keveŕ), кирксала (kirksala) |
| 191 | sharp (as a knife) | пшти (pšti) |
| 192 | dull (as a knife) | ношка (noška) |
| 193 | smooth | валаня (valańa) |
| 194 | wet | начко (načko) |
| 195 | dry | коське (kośke) |
| 196 | correct | виде (vide) |
| 197 | near | маласо (malaso) |
| 198 | far | васоло (vasolo) |
| 199 | right | вить (viť), вить кедь (viť keď) |
| 200 | left | керш (kerš), керш кедь (kerš keď) |
| 201 | at | кедьсэ (kedsë) (postposition), вакссо (vaksso) (postposition) |
| 202 | in | -со (-so), -сэ (-së), потсо (potso) (postposition) |
| 203 | with | марто (marto) (postposition) |
| 204 | and | ды (dï), да (da), и (i), марто (marto) (postposition), -как (-kak) |
| 205 | if | -ндерь- (-ndeŕ-) |
| 206 | because | секс (seks) ('that is why'), секскак (sekskak) ('that is why'), мекс (meks) |
| 207 | name | лем (lem) |