This is a Swadesh list of words in Middle Persian English .
Presentation [ edit ] 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.
№ English Middle Persianedit (190) 1 I (1sg )an man 2 you (2sg )tō 3 he , she , it (3sg )ōy 4 we (1pl )amāh 5 you (2pl )ašmāh 6 they (3pl )awēšān 7 this ēn 8 that ān 9 here ēdar 10 there ānōh 11 who kē 12 what čē 13 where kū 14 when kay 15 how čiyōn 16 not nē 17 all wisp 18 many was 19 some čand 20 few kam 21 other abārīg 22 one ēk 23 two dō 24 three sē 25 four čahār 26 five panǰ 27 big wazurg 28 long drāz 29 wide frāx 30 thick 31 heavy garān 32 small kōdag xwurd kūč 33 short gisnag kūk 34 narrow tang 35 thin bārīg 36 woman zan 37 man (adult male)mard 38 man (human being)kas 39 child waččag 40 wife zan 41 husband gādār šōy 42 mother mād mādar oblique form 43 father pid pidar oblique form 44 animal gyānwar 45 fish māhīg 46 bird murw way 47 dog sag 48 louse spiš 49 snake mār garzag 50 worm kirm 51 tree dār draxt 52 forest razūr 53 stick čōb 54 fruit mēwag bar 55 seed čihr dān tōm 56 leaf walg warg 57 root rēšag 58 bark (of a tree)tōz pōst 59 flower škōfag gul 60 grass giyā 61 rope rasan wandag rištag arwēs 62 skin čarm pōst tōz 63 meat gōšt pid 64 blood xōn 65 bone ast 66 fat (noun)čarbišn 67 egg xāyag 68 horn srū 69 tail dumb 70 feather parr 71 hair mōy 72 head sar 73 ear gōš 74 eye čašm 75 nose wēnīg 76 mouth dahān 77 tooth dandān 78 tongue (organ)uzwān 79 fingernail nāxun 80 foot pāy 81 leg pāy 82 knee snūg 83 hand dast 84 wing parrag parr 85 belly aškomb 86 guts rōdīg 87 neck gardan 88 back pušt 89 breast sēn sēnag pestān war 90 heart dil 91 liver ǰagar 92 to drink xwārīdan 93 to eat xwardan 94 to bite gazīdan 95 to suck mēzīdan 96 to spit 97 to vomit wāmīdan 98 to blow daftan 99 to breathe daftan 100 to laugh xandīdan 101 to see dīdan 102 to hear ašnūdan 103 to know dānistan for abilities, etc. šnāxtan for recognizing people, etc. 104 to think handēsidan menīdan 105 to smell bōyīdan 106 to fear tarsīdan 107 to sleep xuftan 108 to live zīstan 109 to die murdan 110 to kill kuštan 111 to fight ēraxtan nibardīdan 112 to hunt 113 to hit zadan 114 to cut brīdan tāšīdan 115 to split darrīdan 116 to stab 117 to scratch randīdan 118 to dig kandan 119 to swim snāzīdan 120 to fly wāyīdan 121 to walk 122 to come āmadan 123 to lie (as in a bed) nibastan 124 to sit nišastan 125 to stand ēstadan awištādan 126 to turn (intransitive) waštan 127 to fall ōftādan kaftan 128 to give dādan 129 to hold dāštan griftan 130 to squeeze 131 to rub muštan sūdan 132 to wash šustan 133 to wipe awestardan 134 to pull kešīdan 135 to push rānēnīdan 136 to throw abgandan 137 to tie bastan 138 to sew dōxtan 139 to count ōšmurdan 140 to say guftan wāxtan 141 to sing srūdan 142 to play wāzīdan 143 to float 144 to flow rēxtan taxtan 145 to freeze afsārdan 146 to swell 147 sun xwaršēd 148 moon māh 149 star stārag 150 water āb 151 rain wārān 152 river rōd 153 lake war 154 sea zrēy drayā 155 salt namak 156 stone sang 157 sand rēg 158 dust gard 159 earth xāk 160 cloud abr 161 fog 162 sky āsmān 163 wind wād 164 snow wafr 165 ice 166 smoke dūd 167 fire ādur ātaxš 168 ash ādurestar 169 to burn waxšīdan intransitive sōxtan transitive tāftan transitive 170 road rāh 171 mountain kōf gar 172 red suxr karmīr 173 green sabz 174 yellow zard 175 white spēd arus 176 black syā 177 night šab 178 day rōz 179 year sāl 180 warm garm 181 cold sard 182 full purr 183 new nōg 184 old kahwan pīr 185 good weh hudāg xūb 186 bad wad 187 rotten pūdag 188 dirty rēman 189 straight rāst 190 round gird 191 sharp (as a knife)tēz 192 dull (as a knife)193 smooth 194 wet 195 dry hušk 196 correct 197 near 198 far 199 right 200 left hōy 201 at pad 202 in andar 203 with abāg 204 and ud 205 if agar 206 because rāy 207 name nām
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