Appendix:Maltese Swadesh list

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

Presentation

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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

[edit]
EnglishMaltese
Malti
edit (207)
1I (1sg)jien, jiena
2you (2sg)int, inti
3he, she, it (3sg)hu (masculine), huwa (masculine), hi (feminine), hija (feminine)
4we (1pl)aħna
5you (2pl)intom
6they (3pl)huma
7thisdan
8thatdak
9herehawn
10therehemm
11whomin
12whatx’inhu, għal xiex, x’
13wherefejn
14whenmeta
15howkif
16notmhux
17allkull
18manyħafna
19somexi
20fewftit
21otherieħor
22onewieħed
23twotnejn, żewġ
24threetlieta
25fourerbgħa
26fiveħamsa
27bigkbir
28longtwil
29widewiesa’
30thickoħxon
31heavytqil
32smallżgħir
33shortqasir
34narrowdejjaq
35thinirqiq
36womanmara
37man (adult male)raġel
38man (human being)bniedem, uman
39childtifel
40wifemara
41husbandraġel
42motheromm
43fathermissier
44animalannimal
45fishħut
46birdgħasfur
47dogkelb
48louseqamla
49snakeserp
50wormdudu
51treesiġra
52forestforesta
53stickbastun, ħatar, stikka
54fruitfrott
55seedżerriegħa
56leafwerqa
57rootgħerq
58bark (of a tree)qoxra
59flowerfjura, warda
60grassħaxix
61ropeħabel
62skinġilda
63meatlaħam
64blooddemm
65bonegħadma
66fat (noun)xaħam
67eggbajda
68hornqarn
69taildenb
70featherrixa
71hairxagħar
72headras
73earwidna
74eyegħajn
75nosemnieħer
76mouthħalq
77toothsinna
78tongue (organ)lsien
79fingernaildifer
80footsieq
81legriġel
82kneerkoppa
83handid
84wingġewnaħ
85bellyżaqq
86gutsmsaren
87neckgħonq
88backdahar
89breastsider, ħodon, żejża
90heartqalb
91liverfwied
92to drinkxorob
93to eatkiel
94to bitegidem
95to suckreda’
96to spitbeżaq
97to vomitqala’
98to blownefaħ
99to breatheħa nifs
100to laughdaħaq
101to seera
102to hearsema’
103to knowjaf
104to thinkħaseb
105to smellxamm
106to fearbeża’
107to sleepraqad
108to livegħex
109to diemiet
110to killqatel
111to fightġġieled, tqabad, tqatel
112to huntkkaċċja
113to hitlaqat
114to cutqata’
115to splitqasam
116to stabġerraħ
117to scratchbarax, giref, ħakk
118to digħaffer
119to swimgħam
120to flytar
121to walkmexa
122to comeġie
123to lie (as in a bed)mtedd
124to sitpoġġa
125to standwaqaf
126to turn (intransitive)dar
127to fallwaqa’
128to giveta
129to holdżamm
130to squeezegħafas
131to rubħakk, għorok
132to washħasel
133to wipemesaħ
134to pullġibed
135to pushdeffes
136to throwrema
137to tierabat
138to sewħiet
139to countgħadd
140to sayqal
141to singgħanna, kanta
142to playlagħab
143to floatżamm fil-wiċċ
144to flowġera
145to freezeinġazza, ffriża
146to swellżżembaħ
147sunxemx
148moonqamar
149starstilla, niġma, kewkba
150waterilma
151rainxita
152riverxmara
153lakegħadira
154seabaħar
155saltmelħ
156stoneġebla, ħaġra
157sandramel
158dusttrab
159earthħamrija, art
160cloudsħaba
161fogċpar
162skysema
163windriħ
164snowsilġ, borra
165icesilġ
166smokeduħħan
167firenar
168ashrmied
169to burnħaraq
170roadtriq
171mountainmuntanja
172redaħmar
173greenaħdar
174yellowisfar
175whiteabjad
176blackiswed
177nightlejl
178dayjum, nhar, ġurnata
179yearsena
180warmsħun
181coldkiesaħ
182fullmimli
183newġdid
184oldqadim, antik, xiħ
185goodtajjeb
186badħażin
187rottenmħassar
188dirtymaħmuġ
189straightdritt
190roundtond
191sharp (as a knife)qattiegħi
192dull (as a knife)
193smoothlixx
194wetmxarrab
195dryniexef, xott
196correcttajjeb, korrett
197nearħdejn
198farbogħod
199rightlemin
200leftxellug
201atgħand
202inf’
203withma’, b’
204andu
205ifjekk
206becausegħax
207nameisem
Swadesh lists
Individual languages
Language families, family branches, and geographic groupings
Constructed languages
Reconstructed proto-languages
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