This is a Swadesh list of words in Proto-Austroasiatic, 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.
| No. | English | Proto-Austroasiatic |
IPA pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I | *ʔaɲ | ʔaɲ |
| 2 | you (singular) | *miːˀ, *meːˀ | *miːˀ, *meːˀ |
| 3 | he | *ʔan | *ʔan |
| 4 | we | *hiːˀ, *hɛːˀ | *hiːˀ, *hɛːˀ |
| 5 | you (plural) | *pɛːʔ | *pɛːʔ |
| 6 | they | *giːʔ | *giːʔ |
| 7 | this | *niːˀ; *nɔʔ; *nɔh | *niːˀ; *nɔʔ; *nɔh |
| 8 | that | *tiːʔ; *tɔʔ | *tiːʔ; *tɔʔ |
| 9 | here | *nɔ(ː)ʔ | *nɔ(ː)ʔ |
| 10 | there | ||
| 11 | who | *mVh | *mVh |
| 12 | what | *mɔh | *mɔh |
| 13 | where | ||
| 14 | when | ||
| 15 | how | ||
| 16 | not | ʔam | ʔam |
| 17 | all | ||
| 18 | many | ||
| 19 | some | ||
| 20 | few | ||
| 21 | other | ||
| 22 | one | *muəjˀ, *moːjˀ | *muəjˀ, *moːjˀ |
| 23 | two | *ɓaːr | *ɓaːr |
| 24 | three | *peːˀ | *peːˀ |
| 25 | four | *puənˀ | *puənˀ |
| 26 | five | ||
| 27 | big | ||
| 28 | long | *ɟlɨːŋ, *ɟlɨŋ | *ɟə.ˈlɨːŋ, *ɟə.ˈlɨŋ |
| 29 | wide | *waːŋ | *waːŋ |
| 30 | thick | *Cɓɨl | *Cə.ˈɓɨl |
| 31 | heavy | ||
| 32 | small | *kɗiətˀ | *kə.ˈɗiətˀ |
| 33 | short | ||
| 34 | narrow | ||
| 35 | thin | *staŋ | *sə.ˈtaŋ |
| 36 | woman | ||
| 37 | man (male) | ||
| 38 | man (human) | *m-raʔ | *ʔəm.ᵇraʔ |
| 39 | child | *koan | *koan |
| 40 | wife | ||
| 41 | husband | ||
| 42 | mother | *meʔ; *maʔ | *meʔ; *maʔ |
| 43 | father | *ɓa(ː)ʔ | *ɓa(ː)ʔ |
| 44 | animal | ||
| 45 | fish | *kaʔ | *kaʔ |
| 46 | bird | *ciːm | *ciːm |
| 47 | dog | *cɔʔ | *cɔʔ |
| 48 | louse | *ciʔ | *ciʔ |
| 49 | snake | *bsaɲ | *bə.ˈsaɲ |
| 50 | worm | *tɟuːˀ, *tɟoːˀ | *tə.ˈɟuːˀ, *tə.ˈɟoːˀ |
| 51 | tree | *ɟɕɨːˀ, *ɟɕeːˀ | *ɟə.ɕɨːˀ, *ɟə.ɕeːˀ |
| 52 | forest | *briːˀ | *bə.ˈriːˀ |
| 53 | stick | ||
| 54 | fruit | *pleʔ | *pə.ˈleʔ |
| 55 | seed | ||
| 56 | leaf | *slaʔ | *sə.ˈlaʔ |
| 57 | root | *ʔriəɕ | *ʔə.ˈriəɕ |
| 58 | bark (of a tree) | ||
| 59 | flower | *bka(ː)ʔ; *poh | *bə.ˈka(ː)ʔ; *poh |
| 60 | grass | *(kn)ɓatˀ | *(kən.ˈ)ɓatˀ |
| 61 | rope | *ksɛːʔ | *kə.ˈsɛːʔ |
| 62 | skin | *huːr; *saːkˀ | *huːr; *saːkˀ |
| 63 | meat | *sacˀ | *sacˀ |
| 64 | blood | *ɕaːm, *mɕaːm | *ɕaːm, *mə.ˈɕaːm |
| 65 | bone | *cʔaːŋ | *cə.ˈʔaːŋ |
| 66 | fat (noun) | *klaɲ, *kləɲ; *lʔɔːɕ | *kə.ˈlaɲ, *kə.ˈləɲ; *lə.ˈʔɔːɕ |
| 67 | egg | *ktam; *pnləːŋˀ | *kə.ˈtam; *pən.ˈləːŋˀ |
| 68 | horn | *krɨŋ | *kə.ˈrɨŋ |
| 69 | tail | *sntaʔ; *ɗɔːŋ | *sən.ˈtaʔ; *ɗɔːŋ |
| 70 | feather | ||
| 71 | hair | *sukˀ, *sɔkˀ | *sukˀ, *sɔkˀ |
| 72 | head | *ɓoːkˀ | *ɓoːkˀ |
| 73 | ear | *Ctoːr | *Cə.ˈtoːr |
| 74 | eye | *matˀ | *matˀ |
| 75 | nose | *muːh, *muːɕ | *muːh, *muːɕ |
| 76 | mouth | *miəŋˀ | *miəŋˀ |
| 77 | tooth | *muɲ, *məɲ | *muɲ, *məɲ |
| 78 | tongue | *lntaːkˀ | *lən.ˈtaːkˀ |
| 79 | fingernail | ||
| 80 | foot | *ʄɨːŋ | *ʄɨːŋ |
| 81 | leg | *bluːˀ | *bə.ˈluːˀ |
| 82 | knee | *Ckuːl | *Cə.ˈkuːl |
| 83 | hand | *tiːˀ | *tiːˀ |
| 84 | wing | *prəcˀ | *pə.ˈrəcˀ |
| 85 | belly | *poŋ, *poːŋ; *kɗɨlˀ | *poŋ, *poːŋ; *kə.ˈɗɨlˀ |
| 86 | guts | ||
| 87 | neck | *kɔːˀ | *kɔːˀ |
| 88 | back | ||
| 89 | breast | *tuːh, *tuːɕ | *tuːh, *tuːɕ |
| 90 | heart | *nuːɕ, nɔːɕ | *nuːɕ, *nɔːɕ |
| 91 | liver | *gre(ː)ɕ | *gə.ˈre(ː)ɕ |
| 92 | to drink | *ʔɔːkˀ; *huːtˀ | *ʔɔːkˀ; *huːtˀ |
| 93 | to eat | *ca(ː)ʔ; *hoːpˀ; *cuːm | *ca(ː)ʔ; *hoːpˀ; *cuːm |
| 94 | to bite | *kapˀ | *kapˀ |
| 95 | to suck | *ɓuːˀ; *ɲɔːkˀ; *sruːpˀ; *ɲuʔ | *ɓuːˀ; *ɲɔːkˀ; *sə.ˈruːpˀ; *ɲuʔ |
| 96 | to spit | *ɓəcˀ, *ɓɛːcˀ | *ɓəcˀ, *ɓɛːcˀ |
| 97 | to vomit | *ʔoːlˀ, *ʔuəlˀ | *ʔoːlˀ, *ʔuəlˀ |
| 98 | to blow | *puːtˀ, pəːtˀ | *puːtˀ, pəːtˀ |
| 99 | to breathe | *ɕəːmˀ, *ɕɨːmˀ | *ɕəːmˀ, *ɕɨːmˀ |
| 100 | to laugh | ||
| 101 | to see | ||
| 102 | to hear | *cmVŋ; *taŋ, *təŋ | *cə.ˈmVŋ; *taŋ, *təŋ |
| 103 | to know | ||
| 104 | to think | ||
| 105 | to smell | *hətˀ | *hətˀ |
| 106 | to fear | *tuːŋ, *tuəŋ | *tuːŋ, *tuəŋ |
| 107 | to sleep | ||
| 108 | to live | ||
| 109 | to die | ||
| 110 | to kill | ||
| 111 | to fight | ||
| 112 | to hunt | ||
| 113 | to hit | *trɔ(ː)ʔ; *pɔh; *dah | *tə.ˈrɔ(ː)ʔ; *pɔh; *dah |
| 114 | to cut | *katˀ; *Craːj; *gɨtˀ | *katˀ; *Cə.ˈraːj; *gɨtˀ |
| 115 | to split | *paːkˀ; *pakˀ | *paːkˀ; *pakˀ |
| 116 | to stab | *cakˀ (*ʦakˀ ?) | *cakˀ (*ʦakˀ ?) |
| 117 | to scratch | *kaːcˀ | *kaːcˀ |
| 118 | to dig | ||
| 119 | to swim | *loːjˀ, *lɔːjˀ | *loːjˀ, *lɔːjˀ |
| 120 | to fly | *par, *pər | *par, *pər |
| 121 | to walk | *Cwaːk | *Cə.ˈwaːk |
| 122 | to come | ||
| 123 | to lie (as in a bed) | *tiəkˀ | *tiəkˀ |
| 124 | to sit | *kɔ(ː)ʔ, *ku(ː)ʔ | *kɔ(ː)ʔ, *ku(ː)ʔ |
| 125 | to stand | *ʄɨŋ | *ʄɨŋ |
| 126 | to turn (intransitive) | *wal, *waːl; *wiəl; *wiːˀ | *wal, *waːl; *wiəl; *wiːˀ |
| 127 | to fall | *C-lih; *guːr; *ruŋˀ; *ɟɔːtˀ | *Cə.ˈlih; *guːr; *ruŋˀ; *ɟɔːtˀ |
| 128 | to give | *ʄuːn, *ʄoːn | *ʄuːn, *ʄoːn |
| 129 | to hold | ||
| 130 | to squeeze | ||
| 131 | to rub | *poːtˀ, *pɔːtˀ; *biːtˀ; *(g)suːtˀ | *poːtˀ, *pɔːtˀ; *biːtˀ; *(gə.ˈ)suːtˀ |
| 132 | to wash | ||
| 133 | to wipe | *ɟuːtˀ | *ɟuːtˀ |
| 134 | to pull | *tɨtˀ; *tɨkˀ | *tɨtˀ; *tɨkˀ |
| 135 | to push | *luːr | *luːr |
| 136 | to throw | *gwaːŋ | *gə.ˈwaːŋ |
| 137 | to tie | *bɨkˀ, *bokˀ | *bɨkˀ, *bokˀ |
| 138 | to sew | *taːɲ | *taːɲ |
| 139 | to count | ||
| 140 | to say | ||
| 141 | to sing | ||
| 142 | to play | ||
| 143 | to float | ||
| 144 | to flow | *Cliːŋ | *Cə.ˈliːŋ |
| 145 | to freeze | ||
| 146 | to swell | *ʔaɕ; *poŋ, *poːŋ | *ʔaɕ; *poŋ, *poːŋ |
| 147 | sun | ||
| 148 | moon | *khe(ː)ʔ | *kə.ˈhe(ː)ʔ |
| 149 | star | *smʔaɲ, *smʔɨɲ | *səmˈʔaɲ, *səmˈʔɨɲ |
| 150 | water | *ɗaːkˀ | *ɗaːkˀ |
| 151 | rain | *gmaːˀ | *gə.ˈmaːˀ |
| 152 | river | ||
| 153 | lake | ||
| 154 | sea | ||
| 155 | salt | ||
| 156 | stone | *tmɔʔ | *tə.ˈmɔʔ |
| 157 | sand | *skaːcˀ | *sə.ˈkaːcˀ |
| 158 | dust | *buːh | *buːh |
| 159 | earth | *teːˀ | *teːˀ |
| 160 | cloud | *rmɨl | *rə.ˈmɨl |
| 161 | fog | ||
| 162 | sky | *pleːŋ | *pə.ˈleːŋ |
| 163 | wind | *kjaːl; *kjɔʔ | *kə.ˈjaːl; *kə.ˈjɔʔ |
| 164 | snow | ||
| 165 | ice | ||
| 166 | smoke | ||
| 167 | fire | *ŋal; *ʔuːɕ | *ŋal; *ʔuːɕ |
| 168 | ash | ||
| 169 | to burn | *tuːtˀ; *guːcˀ; *cɔŋ | *tuːtˀ; *guːcˀ; *cɔŋ |
| 170 | road | *kraʔ; *glɔːŋ | *kə.ˈraʔ; *gə.ˈlɔːŋ |
| 171 | mountain | *bruʔ | *bə.ˈruʔ |
| 172 | red | *roːŋ | *roːŋ |
| 173 | green | ||
| 174 | yellow | ||
| 175 | white | ||
| 176 | black | *Cjoŋ | *Cə.ˈjoŋ |
| 177 | night | *jupˀ | *jupˀ |
| 178 | day | *tŋiːˀ | *tə.ˈŋiːˀ |
| 179 | year | *c<n>am, *c<n>ɨm | *cə.ˈnam, *cə.ˈnɨm |
| 180 | warm | *ʔuːr, *ʔoːr; *cʔɨmˀ | *ʔuːr, *ʔoːr; *cə.ˈʔɨmˀ |
| 181 | cold | *tkatˀ; *Cŋaːr, *ŋar | *tə.ˈkatˀ; *Cə.ˈŋaːr, *ŋar |
| 182 | full | *biŋ, *biːŋ; *bəɲ | *biŋ, *biːŋ; *bəɲ |
| 183 | new | *tmeːˀ | *tə.ˈmeːˀ |
| 184 | old | *Criːm | *Cə.ˈriːm |
| 185 | good | *liəm | *liəm |
| 186 | bad | ||
| 187 | rotten | ||
| 188 | dirty | *kmuːˀ | *kə.ˈmuːˀ |
| 189 | straight | ||
| 190 | round | *wiːl | *wiːl |
| 191 | sharp (as a knife) | ||
| 192 | dull (as a knife) | ||
| 193 | smooth | ||
| 194 | wet | ||
| 195 | dry | *rɔʔ | *rɔʔ |
| 196 | correct | ||
| 197 | near | ||
| 198 | far | *cŋaːjˀ | *cə.ˈŋaːjˀ |
| 199 | right | *tam | *tam |
| 200 | left | *weːˀ | *weːˀ |
| 201 | at | *ha | *ha |
| 202 | in | *kluːŋ, *kluəŋ | *kə.ˈluːŋ, *kə.ˈluəŋ |
| 203 | with | ||
| 204 | and | ||
| 205 | if | ||
| 206 | because | ||
| 207 | name | *ɟmuh, *ɟmɨh | *ɟə.ˈmuh, *ɟə.ˈmɨh |