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, *njumʼə | |
| 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 | *njooš likely had an adjectival meaning of "containing a lot of fat". |
| 33 | egg | *tqaalx | The root *njujee, 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 | *ool meant "passive swimming" or "floating". |
| 64 | fly (v.) | *njool, *njil | Likely old imperfective and perfective roots respectively. |
| 65 | go | *wii, *haa | |
| 66 | come | *θoonʼə | |
| 67 | lie | *łiiʟʼee, *łooθa | *łooθa probably meant "to lie down", but its reflexes often mean "to lie" in the daughter languages. |
| 68 | sit | θliiqʷrə *θlaar | *θlaar was a perfective root and meant "to sit down". |
| 69 | stand | *ʟaa | The Southern languages don't show this root, instead their words for "to stand" are derived from *ɣaap. |
| 70 | give | – | No root can be reconstructed. |
| 71 | say | *qoołt | |
| 72 | sun | *cos | All Eastern languages derive their word for "sun" from the root *kiŋ "day". |
| 73 | moon | *lʼunčə | |
| 74 | star | *neejus | |
| 75 | water | *qʷʰee, *wʼeep | The root *qʷʰee could mean "any liquid in general", not specifically "drinking water". |
| 76 | rain | *ijʼu | Some Southern languages point toward *jooɣʷ, which is the word for "dew" in the Western languages. |
| 77 | stone | *njiɣee, *čikʷee | The root *čikʷee probably meant "large rock". |
| 78 | sand | *qʼoop, *iłxiθ | |
| 79 | land | *eemxə, *mʼee, *čakʰ | Roots *čakʰ and *eemxə likely meant "dirt". |
| 80 | cloud | *awʼaθa, *eensur | *eensur gave words for "sky" in various languages. Some also derive them from awʼiin, that likely contained the older root for "cloud *awʼ-. |
| 81 | smoke | *(a)wʼeečqee | It contains the old root *awʼ-, but the initial *a- was lost in most languages. |
| 82 | fire | *eeŋeeŋqʼʷə, *fleeŋqʼʷə | Both roots contain *-eeŋqʼʷə of an unknown meaning. |
| 83 | ashes | *kiflum, *pilaŋkʼee | |
| 84 | burn | *pooł, *qʷʰał | |
| 85 | path | *łəɣtə | |
| 86 | mountain | *mooθum | |
| 87 | red | *pʼač(-kə) | |
| 88 | green | *qʼoomi, *tqʼoom, *quuł | Both *qʼoomi and *quuł often give words for "blue". |
| 89 | yellow | *riiqu | |
| 90 | white | *eequ | |
| 91 | black | *quɣu | |
| 92 | night | *tʰax, *nääɣtə, *eetʰək | |
| 93 | warm | *pacʰee, *kʷääxi | *kʷääxi meant "hot", while *pacʰee meant "mildly warm". |
| 94 | cold | *kʼiiwŋə, *ljirqə | *kʼiiwŋə meant "mildly cool", while *ljirqə meant "freezing, cold". |
| 95 | full | *njuši | |
| 96 | new | *cʼiiwi, *setni | |
| 97 | good | *qarsi | |
| 98 | round | *wulun, *qʼʷeelxə, *duki | |
| 99 | dry | *qʼaarkə | |
| 100 | name | *qʰal | The Southern and Far Eastern langauges derive their words for "name" from *akł- "to call" with the addition of suffixes *-iin, *-tee, or *-kə. |