Appendix:Tetum Swadesh list

This is a Swadesh list of words in Tetum, compared with definitions in English.

Introduction

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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.

List

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EnglishTetum
Tetun
edit (207)
1I (1sg)ha'u
2you (2sg)ó
3he, she, it (3sg)nia
4we (1pl)ita (inclusive), ami (exclusive)
5you (2pl)imi
6they (3pl)sira
7thisida ne'e
8thatida ne'ebá
9hereiha ne'e
10thereiha ne'ebá
11who
12whatsaida
13whereiha ne'ebé
14whenbainhira
15howoinsá
16notla'ós
17allhotu
18manybarak
19somebalu
20fewuitoan de'it
21otherseluk
22oneida
23tworua
24threetolu
25fourhaat
26fivelima
27bigboot
28longnaruk
29wideluan
30thickmahar
31heavytodan
32smallki'ik
33shortbadak
34narrowklo'ot
35thinmihis
36womanfeto
37man (adult male)mane
38man (human being)ema
39childlabarik
40wifela'en
41husbandfe'en
42motherinan
43fatheraman
44animalanimál
45fishikan
46birdmanu-rade
47dogasu
48louselafaek
49snakesamea
50wormlombriga
51treeai
52forestai-laran
53stickpatpat
54fruitai-fuan
55seedfini
56leafai-tahan
57rootabut
58bark (of a tree)kulit
59flowerai-funan
60grassdu'ut
61ropetali
62skinkulit
63meatisin
64bloodra'an
65boneru'in
66fat (noun)bokur
67eggmanu-tolun
68horndikur
69tailikun
70featherfulun
71hairfu'uk
72headulun
73eartilun
74eyematan
75noseinus
76mouthibun
77toothnehan
78tongue (organ)nanal
79fingernailkukun
80footain
81legain
82kneeain-tu'ur
83handliman
84wingliras
85bellykabun
86gutslaran-manas
87neckkakorok
88backkotuk
89breastsusu
90heartfuan
91liveraten
92to drinkhemu
93to eathan
94to bitetata
95to suckho
96to spittafui
97to vomitmuta
98to blowhuu
99to breathedada iis
100to laughhamnasa
101to seehare'e
102to hearrona
103to knowhatene
104to thinkhanoin
105to smellsente
106to fearta'uk
107to sleeptoba
108to livemoris
109to diemate
110to killatu
111to fightfunu
112to hunt[[#Tetum|]]
113to hit[[#Tetum|]]
114to cut[[#Tetum|]]
115to split[[#Tetum|]]
116to stab[[#Tetum|]]
117to scratch[[#Tetum|]]
118to digke'e
119to swimnani
120to flysemo
121to walkla'o
122to comemai
123to lie (as in a bed)toba
124to sittu'ur
125to standhamri'ik
126to turn (intransitive)fila
127to fallmonu
128to give
129to holdka'er
130to squeeze[[#Tetum|]]
131to rub[[#Tetum|]]
132to washfase
133to wipehamo'os
134to pulldada
135to pushdudu
136to throwso'e
137to tiekesi
138to sewkose
139to countsura
140to saydehan
141to singkanta
142to playjoga
143to floatnamlele
144to flowsuli
145to freezetoos
146to swellbo'ok
147sunloron
148moonfulan
149starfitun
150waterbe'e
151rainudan
152rivermota
153lakelagoa
154seatasi
155saltmasin
156stonefatuk
157sandrai-henek
158dustrai-rahun
159earthdai
160cloudkalohan
161fog[[#Tetum|]]
162skylalehan
163windanin
164snowneve
165icejelu
166smokesuar
167fireahi
168ashahu
169to burnsunu
170roaddalan
171mountainfoho
172redme'an
173greenverde
174yellowkinur
175whitemutin
176blackmetan
177nightkalan
178dayloron
179yeartinan
180warmmanas
181coldmalirin
182fullnakonu
183newfoun
184oldtuan (inanimate), katuas (animate)
185gooddiat
186bada'at
187rottendodok
188dirtyfo'er
189straightlo'os
190round[[#Tetum|]]
191sharp (as a knife)tasak
192dull (as a knife)mamuk
193smoothmos
194wetbokon
195drymaran
196correctlo'os
197nearbesik
198fardo'ok
199rightlo'os
200leftkaruk
201atiha
202iniha
203withho
204andno
205ifse
206becausetanba
207namenaran
Swadesh lists
Individual languages
Language families, family branches, and geographic groupings
Constructed languages
Reconstructed proto-languages
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