- 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.
| No.
|
English
|
Maltese
Malti
|
| 1
|
I
|
jien
jiena
|
| 2
|
you (singular)
|
int
inti
|
| 3
|
he
|
hu
huwa
|
| 4
|
we
|
aħna
|
| 5
|
you (plural)
|
intom
|
| 6
|
they
|
huma
|
| 7
|
this
|
dan
|
| 8
|
that
|
dak
|
| 9
|
here
|
hawn
|
| 10
|
there
|
hemm
|
| 11
|
who
|
min
|
| 12
|
what
|
x'inhu
għal xiex
x'
|
| 13
|
where
|
fejn
|
| 14
|
when
|
meta
|
| 15
|
how
|
kif
|
| 16
|
not
|
mhux
|
| 17
|
all
|
kull
|
| 18
|
many
|
ħafna
|
| 19
|
some
|
xi
|
| 20
|
few
|
ftit
|
| 21
|
other
|
ieħor
|
| 22
|
one
|
wieħed
|
| 23
|
two
|
tnejn
żewġ
|
| 24
|
three
|
tlieta
|
| 25
|
four
|
erbgħa
|
| 26
|
five
|
ħamsa
|
| 27
|
big
|
kbir
|
| 28
|
long
|
twil
|
| 29
|
wide
|
wiesa'
|
| 30
|
thick
|
oħxon
|
| 31
|
heavy
|
tqil
|
| 32
|
small
|
żgħir
|
| 33
|
short
|
qasir
|
| 34
|
narrow
|
dejjaq
|
| 35
|
thin
|
irqiq
|
| 36
|
woman
|
mara
|
| 37
|
man (adult male)
|
raġel
|
| 38
|
man (human being)
|
bniedem
uman
|
| 39
|
child
|
tifel
|
| 40
|
wife
|
mara
|
| 41
|
husband
|
raġel
|
| 42
|
mother
|
omm
|
| 43
|
father
|
missier
|
| 44
|
animal
|
annimal
|
| 45
|
fish
|
ħuta
|
| 46
|
bird
|
għasfur
|
| 47
|
dog
|
kelb
|
| 48
|
louse
|
qamla
|
| 49
|
snake
|
serp
|
| 50
|
worm
|
dudu
|
| 51
|
tree
|
siġra
|
| 52
|
forest
|
foresta
|
| 53
|
stick
|
bastun
ħatar
stikka
|
| 54
|
fruit
|
frott
|
| 55
|
seed
|
żerriegħa
|
| 56
|
leaf
|
werqa
|
| 57
|
root
|
għerq
|
| 58
|
bark (of a tree)
|
qoxra
|
| 59
|
flower
|
fjura
warda
|
| 60
|
grass
|
ħaxix
|
| 61
|
rope
|
ħabel
|
| 62
|
skin
|
ġilda
|
| 63
|
meat
|
laħam
|
| 64
|
blood
|
demm
|
| 65
|
bone
|
għadma
|
| 66
|
fat (noun)
|
xaħam
|
| 67
|
egg
|
bajda
|
| 68
|
horn
|
qarn
|
| 69
|
tail
|
denb
|
| 70
|
feather
|
rixa
|
| 71
|
hair
|
xagħar
|
| 72
|
head
|
ras
|
| 73
|
ear
|
widna
|
| 74
|
eye
|
għajn
|
| 75
|
nose
|
mnieħer
|
| 76
|
mouth
|
ħalq
|
| 77
|
tooth
|
sinna
|
| 78
|
tongue (organ)
|
ilsien
|
| 79
|
fingernail
|
difer
|
| 80
|
foot
|
sieq
|
| 81
|
leg
|
riġel
|
| 82
|
knee
|
irkoppa
|
| 83
|
hand
|
id
|
| 84
|
wing
|
ġewnaħ
|
| 85
|
belly
|
żaqq
|
| 86
|
guts
|
msaren
|
| 87
|
neck
|
għonq
|
| 88
|
back
|
dahar
|
| 89
|
breast
|
sider
ħodon
żejża
|
| 90
|
heart
|
qalb
|
| 91
|
liver
|
fwied
|
| 92
|
to drink
|
xorob, jixrob
|
| 93
|
to eat
|
kiel, jiekol
|
| 94
|
to bite
|
gidem, jigdem
|
| 95
|
to suck
|
reda', jerda'
|
| 96
|
to spit
|
beżaq, jobżoq
|
| 97
|
to vomit
|
irrimetta, jirremetti
qala', jaqla'
|
| 98
|
to blow
|
nefaħ, jonfoħ
|
| 99
|
to breathe
|
ħa nifs, jieħu nifs
|
| 100
|
to laugh
|
daħaq, jidħaq
|
| 101
|
to see
|
ra, jara
|
| 102
|
to hear
|
sema', jisma'
|
| 103
|
to know
|
għaf, jaf
|
| 104
|
to think
|
ħaseb, jaħseb
|
| 105
|
to smell
|
xamm, jxomm
|
| 106
|
to fear
|
beża', jibża'
|
| 107
|
to sleep
|
raqad, jorqod
|
| 108
|
to live
|
għex, jgħix
|
| 109
|
to die
|
miet, jmut
|
| 110
|
to kill
|
qatel, joqtol
|
| 111
|
to fight
|
iġġieled, jiġġieled
|
| 112
|
to hunt
|
ikkaċċja, jikkaċċja
|
| 113
|
to hit
|
laqat, jolqot
|
| 114
|
to cut
|
qata', jaqta'
|
| 115
|
to split
|
qassam, jqassam
|
| 116
|
to stab
|
daqq b'sikkina, jdoqq b'sikkina
|
| 117
|
to scratch
|
giref, jigref
|
| 118
|
to dig
|
ħaffer, jħaffer
|
| 119
|
to swim
|
għam, jgħum
|
| 120
|
to fly
|
tar, jtir
|
| 121
|
to walk
|
mexa, jimxi
|
| 122
|
to come
|
ġie, jiġi
|
| 123
|
to lie (as in a bed)
|
mtedd, jimtedd
|
| 124
|
to sit
|
poġġa, jpoġġi
|
| 125
|
to stand
|
waqaf, jieqaf
|
| 126
|
to turn (intransitive)
|
dar, jdur
|
| 127
|
to fall
|
waqa', jaqa'
|
| 128
|
to give
|
ta, jagħti
|
| 129
|
to hold
|
żamm, jżomm
|
| 130
|
to squeeze
|
għafas, jagħfas
|
| 131
|
to rub
|
ħakk, jħokk
|
| 132
|
to wash
|
ħasel, jaħsel
|
| 133
|
to wipe
|
mesaħ, jimsaħ
|
| 134
|
to pull
|
ġibed, jiġbed
|
| 135
|
to push
|
imbutta, jimbotta
|
| 136
|
to throw
|
rema, jarmi
|
| 137
|
to tie
|
rabat, jorbot
|
| 138
|
to sew
|
ħiet, jħit
|
| 139
|
to count
|
għadd, jgħodd
|
| 140
|
to say
|
qal, jgħid
|
| 141
|
to sing
|
għanna, jgħanni
kanta, jkanta
|
| 142
|
to play
|
lagħab, jilgħab
|
| 143
|
to float
|
żamm fil-wiċċ, jżomm fil-wiċċ
|
| 144
|
to flow
|
ġera, jiġri
|
| 145
|
to freeze
|
iffriża, jiffriża
|
| 146
|
to swell
|
ntefaħ, jintefaħ
|
| 147
|
sun
|
xemx
|
| 148
|
moon
|
qamar
|
| 149
|
star
|
stilla
niġma
kewkba
|
| 150
|
water
|
ilma
|
| 151
|
rain
|
xita
|
| 152
|
river
|
xmara
|
| 153
|
lake
|
għadira
|
| 154
|
sea
|
baħar
|
| 155
|
salt
|
melħ
|
| 156
|
stone
|
ġebla
ħaġra
|
| 157
|
sand
|
ramel
|
| 158
|
dust
|
trab
|
| 159
|
earth
|
ħamrija
art
|
| 160
|
cloud
|
sħaba
|
| 161
|
fog
|
ċpar
|
| 162
|
sky
|
sema
|
| 163
|
wind
|
riħ
|
| 164
|
snow
|
silġ
borra
|
| 165
|
ice
|
silġ
|
| 166
|
smoke
|
duħħan
|
| 167
|
fire
|
nar
|
| 168
|
ash
|
irmied
|
| 169
|
to burn
|
ħaraq, jaħraq
|
| 170
|
road
|
triq
|
| 171
|
mountain
|
muntanja
għolja
|
| 172
|
red
|
aħmar
|
| 173
|
green
|
aħdar
|
| 174
|
yellow
|
isfar
|
| 175
|
white
|
abjad
|
| 176
|
black
|
iswed
|
| 177
|
night
|
lejl
|
| 178
|
day
|
jum
nhar
ġurnata
|
| 179
|
year
|
sena
|
| 180
|
warm
|
sħun
|
| 181
|
cold
|
kiesaħ
|
| 182
|
full
|
mimli
|
| 183
|
new
|
ġdid
|
| 184
|
old
|
qadim
antik
xiħ
|
| 185
|
good
|
tajjeb
|
| 186
|
bad
|
ħażin
|
| 187
|
rotten
|
mermer
|
| 188
|
dirty
|
maħmuġ
|
| 189
|
straight
|
dritt
|
| 190
|
round
|
tond
|
| 191
|
sharp (as a knife)
|
taqta'
|
| 192
|
dull (as a knife)
|
ma taqtax
|
| 193
|
smooth
|
lixx
|
| 194
|
wet
|
mxarrab
|
| 195
|
dry
|
xott
|
| 196
|
correct
|
tajjeb
sewwa
sura
|
| 197
|
near
|
ħdejn
|
| 198
|
far
|
bogħod
|
| 199
|
right
|
lemin
|
| 200
|
left
|
xellug
|
| 201
|
at
|
sa/sal-
|
| 202
|
in
|
ġo/ġol-
|
| 203
|
with
|
ma'/mal-
|
| 204
|
and
|
u
|
| 205
|
if
|
jekk
|
| 206
|
because
|
għax
|
| 207
|
name
|
isem
|
