Swadesh, Morris. 1952. Lexicostatistic dating of prehistoric ethnic contacts. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society 96,152-63A short history of the development of such lists is given on pp.5-6 of
Hymes, Dell. 1960. Lexicostatistics so far. Current Anthropology 1.1.The 200-word list as used by Dyen for Austronesian and Indo-European, with observed replacements rates, was published as:
Kruskal, J. B., I. Dyen & P. Black. 1973. Some results from the vocabulary method of reconstructing language trees. Pages 30-55, in I. Dyen (Ed.), Lexicostatistics in genetic linguistics. The Hague: Mouton.The adaptation to Australia is argued in:
O'Grady, G.N. 1960. In 'More on lexicostatistics'. Current Anthropology 1.4(July),338-339.A general bibliography of published Swadesh lists has been compiled by Natalia Slaska. The Wiktionary has a 207-word version with data from dozens of languages.
No. Gloss
1. armpit (H11, B70)
2. ashes (H64, B109)
3. belly (H13, B47)
4. big (H85, B138)
5. bite (H44, B196)
6. black (H31, B135)
7. blood (H21, B78)
8. bone (H23)
9. breast (B43)
10. to burn (intr; H65, B108)
11. by-and-by (H80, B235)
12. chest (B42)
13. to climb (H38, B177)
14. to cry (H47, B191)
15. to cut (H45, B204)
16. dog (H69, B88)
17. down, below (H78, B231)
18. ear (H6, B30)
19. east (H73, B225)
20. to eat (H27, B197)
21. egg (H68, B86)
22. elbow (H15, B68)
23. excrement (B52)
24. eye (H4, B27)
25. to fall (H37, B178)
26. far (H87, B228)
27. fat, grease (H22, B79)
28. fingernail (B63)
29. fire (H62, B107)
30. fly (N; B98)
31. vegetable food (H72, B106)
32. foot (H20, B62)
33. forehead (H2, B26)
34. to get, pick up
35. to give (H42, B215)
36. to go (H35, B172)
37. ground (H55, B126)
38. hand (H16, B65)
39. head (H1, B24)
40. head hair (H25, B25)
41. hear (H30, B195)
42. heart (B44)
43. to hit (with hand; H43, B199)
44. hungry (H26, B161)
45. I (H96, B239)
46. knee (H18, B59)
47. leaf (H71, B101)
48. to leave it (H40, B216)
49. liver (H12, B49)
50. long (H89, B140)
51. to be lying down (B187)
52. many (H84, B133)
53. meat, animal (H66, B84)
54. moon (H57, B122)
55. mouth (H7, B32)
56. name (B16)
57. nape (H3, B38)
58. north (H75, B223)
59. nose (H5, B28)
60. now, today (B234)
61. old man (B4)
62. one (H81, B130)
63. person, Aborigine (H51, B1)
64. rib (B46)
65. rotten (B153)
66. to see (H29, B195)
67. short (H90, B141)
68. to sit (H34, B185)
69. skin (H24, B71)
70. sky (B119)
71. small (H86, B139)
72. to smell it (B195)
73. smoke (H63, B111)
74. snake (B96)
75. south (H76, B224)
76. to speak (H32, B189)
77. spear (N; B22)
78. spit (N; B35)
79. to be standing (H33, B186)
80. star (H58, B121)
81. stone (H54, B127)
82. sun (H56, B123)
83. tail (H67, B85)
84. thigh (H17, B58)
85. this (H92, B227)
86. throat (B39)
87. tongue (H9, B34)
88. tooth (H8, B33)
89. tree (H70, B100)
90. two (H82, B131)
91. up (H77, B230)
92. urine (B51)
93. water (H60, B112)
94. west (H74, B226)
95. what? (H93, B249)
96. where? (H95, B251)
97. who? (H94, B250)
98. wind (H59, B120)
99. woman (H52, B2)
100. you (sg.) (H97, B240)
101. shoulder (H10, B40)
102. upper arm (H14, B69)
103. shin (H19, B60)
104. to die (H28, B198)
105. to run (H36, B174)
106. to take (H39, B212)
107. to throw (H41, B217)
108. to spear (H46, B201)
109. to laugh (H48, B192)
110. good (H49, B169)
111. bad (H50, B170)
112. to dig (H53, B202)
113. creek (H61)
114. tomorrow (H79, B238)
115. three (H83, B132)
116. near (H88, B229)
117. hard (H91, B144)
118. he (H98, B241)
119. we two inclusive (H99, B242)
120. you two (H100, B243)
121. language (B17)
122. dream (N; B18)
123. boomerang (B19)
124. shield (B20)
125. spearthrower (B21)
126. axe (B23)
127. chin (B37)
128. hip (B57)
129. wing feather (B87)
130. possum (B90)
131. pelican (B93)
132. fish (B97)
133. mosquito (B99)
134. grass (B105)
135. mud (B114)
136. cloud (B119)
137. shade (B125)
138. sand (B128)
139. hole (B129)
140. heavy (B144)
141. light (B145)
142. soft (B145)
143. dry (N, Adj; B158)
144. sickness (B82)
145. rain (B112)
146. yamstick
147. string
148. yam
149. goanna
150. pandanus
151. mangrove (Avicennia sp.)
No. GlossAustralian languages page
1. armpit (H11, B70)
2. ashes (H64, B109)
126. axe (B23)
111. bad (H50, B170)
3. belly (H13, B47)
4. big (H85, B138)
5. bite (H44, B196)
6. black (H31, B135)
7. blood (H21, B78)
8. bone (H23)
123. boomerang (B19)
9. breast (B43)
11. by-and-by (H80, B235)
12. chest (B42)
127. chin (B37)
136. cloud (B119)
113. creek (H61)
16. dog (H69, B88)
17. down, below (H78, B231)
122. dream (N; B18)
143. dry (N, Adj; B158)
18. ear (H6, B30)
19. east (H73, B225)
21. egg (H68, B86)
22. elbow (H15, B68)
23. excrement (B52)
24. eye (H4, B27)
26. far (H87, B228)
27. fat, grease (H22, B79)
28. fingernail (B63)
29. fire (H62, B107)
132. fish (B97)
30. fly (N; B98)
32. foot (H20, B62)
33. forehead (H2, B26)
149. goanna
110. good (H49, B169)
134. grass (B105)
37. ground (H55, B126)
38. hand (H16, B65)
117. hard (H91, B144)
118. he (H98, B241)
39. head (H1, B24)
40. head hair (H25, B25)
41. hear (H30, B195)
42. heart (B44)
140. heavy (B144)
128. hip (B57)
139. hole (B129)
44. hungry (H26, B161)
45. I (H96, B239)
46. knee (H18, B59)
121. language (B17)
47. leaf (H71, B101)
141. light (B145)
49. liver (H12, B49)
50. long (H89, B140)
151. mangrove (Avicennia sp.)
52. many (H84, B133)
53. meat, animal (H66, B84)
54. moon (H57, B122)
133. mosquito (B99)
55. mouth (H7, B32)
135. mud (B114)
56. name (B16)
57. nape (H3, B38)
116. near (H88, B229)
58. north (H75, B223)
59. nose (H5, B28)
60. now, today (B234)
61. old man (B4)
62. one (H81, B130)
150. pandanus
131. pelican (B93)
63. person, Aborigine (H51, B1)
130. possum (B90)
145. rain (B112)
64. rib (B46)
65. rotten (B153)
138. sand (B128)
137. shade (B125)
124. shield (B20)
103. shin (H19, B60)
67. short (H90, B141)
101. shoulder (H10, B40)
144. sickness (B82)
69. skin (H24, B71)
70. sky (B119)
71. small (H86, B139)
73. smoke (H63, B111)
74. snake (B96)
142. soft (B145)
75. south (H76, B224)
77. spear (N; B22)
125. spearthrower (B21)
78. spit (N; B35)
80. star (H58, B121)
81. stone (H54, B127)
147. string
82. sun (H56, B123)
83. tail (H67, B85)
84. thigh (H17, B58)
85. this (H92, B227)
115. three (H83, B132)
86. throat (B39)
51. to be lying down (B187)
79. to be standing (H33, B186)
10. to burn (intr; H65, B108)
13. to climb (H38, B177)
14. to cry (H47, B191)
15. to cut (H45, B204)
104. to die (H28, B198)
112. to dig (H53, B202)
20. to eat (H27, B197)
25. to fall (H37, B178)
34. to get, pick up
35. to give (H42, B215)
36. to go (H35, B172)
43. to hit (with hand; H43, B199)
109. to laugh (H48, B192)
48. to leave it (H40, B216)
105. to run (H36, B174)
66. to see (H29, B195)
68. to sit (H34, B185)
72. to smell it (B195)
76. to speak (H32, B189)
108. to spear (H46, B201)
106. to take (H39, B212)
107. to throw (H41, B217)
114. tomorrow (H79, B238)
87. tongue (H9, B34)
88. tooth (H8, B33)
89. tree (H70, B100)
90. two (H82, B131)
91. up (H77, B230)
102. upper arm (H14, B69)
92. urine (B51)
31. vegetable food (H72, B106)
93. water (H60, B112)
119. we two inclusive (H99, B242)
94. west (H74, B226)
95. what? (H93, B249)
96. where? (H95, B251)
97. who? (H94, B250)
98. wind (H59, B120)
129. wing feather (B87)
99. woman (H52, B2)
148. yam
146. yamstick
100. you (sg.) (H97, B240)
120. you two (H100, B243)
URL: http://www.anu.edu.au/linguistics/nash/aust/wl.html