Proto-Settameric/Swadesh list
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No. | English | PS | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1 | I | *n- | Appears as *-an (1st person transitive subject), *-kan (1st person intransitive subject). |
2 | you (sg.) | *ki- | Appears as *-akʷ (1st person transitive subject), *-kəxʷ (1st person intransitive subject). |
3 | we | *mi- | |
4 | this | *ɣi | Proximal marker, contransted with *jooθə - another proximate marker, the difference between them is not established. |
5 | that | *ət | Distal marker, far from both speaker and listener. Contrasts with *da as the medial-distance marker, far from speaker but close to listener. |
6 | who | *kʷarsə | Higher animate (used when talking about humans), contrasts with *tʰam, used with nouns of a lower animacy. |
7 | what | *wat | |
8 | not | *kää- | A prefix, used together with nominals. |
9 | all | *lčus, *nyumʼə | |
10 | many | *səłku-(t/s) | The Western and the Far Eastern languages show a final *-t, while other languages point towards *-s instead. |
11 | one | *njeem | |
12 | two | *meeja | |
13 | big | *ɣʷiin | |
14 | long | *kił | |
15 | small | *iłiiqʰi | |
16 | woman | *eełəŋ(kʼə) | *kʼ only shows in the Western languages and Šillai (a Southern language). |
17 | man | *jootuqʼee | Problematic, as most languages have different words, like *(i)nees, or *ajtax (this word probably originally meant "husband"). |
18 | person | *nipeekʰ | Derives from *ni- and *weekʰu "people". |
19 | fish | *čʰuu, *qəqoon | *qəqoon probably meant "salmon" and kept its original meaning in Western languages. |
20 | bird | – | All branches show different words for "bird", such as *peeleeš, *lčaŋkłəs, or *cʼisqʷə. |
21 | horse | *ilaar | Dogs do not exist on Liifam, a word for "horse" is listed instead. |
22 | louse | *θirxee | |
23 | tree | *čʰikʷee | |
24 | seed | *θalču(jŋə) | The Western languages point to *θalču, while the Eastern languages point towards *θalčiiŋ. |
25 | leaf | *pəlaŋqʼa | |
26 | root | *čʼəłəjip | |
27 | bark (n.) | *xeerɣʷa | |
28 | skin | *ʟuuqʼə, *θərə | |
29 | meat | *dääw, *diɣʷ | Both *dääw and *diɣʷ gave words for "meat", but *dääw likely meant "cheek". |
30 | blood | – | Reflexes of three different roots are found among different languages: *arə, *ałkʷə and *cʰooxi. |
31 | bone | *łəqʷ, *xoockʼee | |
32 | grease | *woolxə, *njooš | *nyooš likely had an adjectival meaning of "containing a lot of fat". |
33 | egg | *tqaalx | The root *nyujee, that evolved into words for "egg" in various languages, actually meant "caviar". |
34 | horn | *wiiʟ | |
35 | tail | *čʼaakʼee, *ncaak | The most common root that gave words for "tail" is *njaɣə (more precisely its doublet *ŋaɣə) "fish tail", while *čʼaakʼee "animal tail" is found only in the Southern branch. The root *ncaak probably meant "back". |
36 | feather | *miixee, *miiqʷee | The western languages point towards *miiqʷee, while the Southern show reflexes of *miixee. Various Eastern languages have reflexes of *iłoop-čə instead. |
37 | hair | *ʟʼeepe | |
38 | head | *tʼuqʷ | Various languages derive their words for "head" from *qams "face", *oori "forward", *čiiŋqə "forehead". |
39 | ear | *ʟʼaatə, *noo(tə)x | The root *noo(t)xə can not be easily reconstructed. It is only found among the Eastern languages and for some it can be reconstructed as *noox, while for others - *notxə. This is very likely a substrate word from an extinct lnguage. |
40 | eye | *qʰałee | |
41 | nose | *łəqʼaw | |
42 | mouth | *qʷeeθ, *ooł | The Far Eastern and the Southern langauges derive their word for "mouth" from *ʟʼeeqʷθə "throat". |
43 | tooth | – | Various languages show reflexes of different roots: *qiɣee, *xecas, *əlʼəwnux ("tip", "blade"). *xecas often has the meaning of "fangs", while *qiɣee gives words for "needle". |
44 | tongue | *qʰiił, *mqiił | The root *mqiił looks like an old derivation of *qʰiił and likely meant "chewing". The meaning of "speaking" probably appeared from the contamination of a similar root *mqal "language". |
45 | fingernail | – | Problematic, as various languages point to two roots *kʼwitʼə and *toonxə, both of which meant something related to animals, like"claws" or "scales". |
46 | foot | *θitʼeeł | |
47 | knee | *pʼiqee, *aqeet | Both roots could have meant "knee", based on the data from modern descendants. |
48 | hand | *diim | Most languages derive their words for "hand" from *-nulkʼ- ("carrying in hands"), or *-iq ("by" or "with"). |
49 | belly | *tʼaaka, *kʰis | The root *kʰis likely meant "body". The Western languages derive their words from *wulun "round" instead. |
50 | neck | *qʷaj | The Eastern languages point to *səkʷeen "the rotating one". |
51 | breast | *ipee | |
52 | heart | *tʼiŋqee, *łəmcas | The Southern languages evolve their words for heart from *łəmcas, which meant "middle". |
53 | liver | *(r,ł)aaqʷa, | The Western languages show initial *r-, while the Eastern ones show *ł. The Southern branch derives their words from *łiqʷ "meat", or *tʰištə "spleen". |
54 | drink | *mɣoor | |
55 | eat | *qʼancə | The Plain Eastern languages have *miis or *moos instead, the exact vowel can not be determined because of the sound change *oo>*ii in those languages. likely a substrate word. |
56 | bite | *łəθkoo | |
57 | see | *noonʼə, *njən | Likely old imperfective and perfective roots respectively. Most languages derive their words from both roots. |
58 | hear | *meeʟʼ, *mi | Likely old imperfective and perfective roots respectively. |
59 | know | *qʰoom | The Western languages derive their words from *fis "understand" instead. |
60 | sleep | *kʼʷooł, *iłkʼʷə | The root *iłkʼʷə is likely a later derivation of *kʼʷooł, and meant "to dream". |
61 | die | *njapʰee, *likumʼə | The root *njapʰee probably meant "dying of unnatural causes", while *likumʼə was likely "dying of old age". |
62 | kill | *əłxəmʼa | |
63 | swim | *moor, *ool | |
64 | fly (v.) | ||
65 | go | ||
66 | come | ||
67 | lie | ||
68 | sit | ||
69 | stand | ||
70 | give | ||
71 | |||
72 | |||
73 | moon | ||
74 | star | ||
75 | water | ||
76 | rain | ||
77 | stone | ||
78 | sand | ||
79 | land | ||
80 | cloud | ||
81 | smoke | ||
82 | fire | ||
83 | ashes | ||
84 | burn | ||
85 | path | ||
86 | mountain | ||
87 | red | ||
88 | green | ||
89 | yellow | ||
90 | white | ||
91 | black | ||
92 | night | ||
93 | warm | ||
94 | cold | ||
95 | full | ||
96 | new | ||
97 | good | ||
98 | round | ||
99 | dry | ||
100 | name |