Appendix:Proto-Japanese Swadesh list
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The following 100-item Swadesh list of Proto-Japanese is from Vovin (1994: 109–111).
The Yale Romanization is used.
List
[edit]No. | English gloss | Proto-Japanese | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1 | I | *bàn[u] | Problematic initial consonant, which should be *w. The *bà initial portion appears to be the same as standlone term |
2 | you (sg.) | *si/*so̱-; *na | Reconstruction of *si/*so̱- appears to have been a desire to link it to the other "Altaic" forms, but the attestations do not point to a pronominal meaning. Proto-Ryukyuan has *u, *o, or even *e, and *na appears to be a loan from Old Korean. |
3 | we | *bàn[u] | Problematic initial consonant, which should be *w. The *bà initial portion appears to be the same as standlone term |
4 | this | *kó̱- | |
5 | that | *ká- | |
6 | who | *tá- | |
7 | what | *nà[-]ní | Reconstruction of *[-]ní is based solely on Japanese evidence. Proto-Ryukyuan has *nau, sharing the same initial syllable. |
8 | not | *-an[a]- | The initial vowel may have been caused by a desire to link it with the Korean form, given that the root itself is attested in Old Japanese as n-. |
9 | all | *múCí-nà | Based primarily on Japanese evidence; the distribution of mina in Ryukyuan is limited. *mərə can also be reconstructed. |
10 | many | *mana-Ci | Based purely on Old Japanese evidence. The connection of the Old Japanese word to Proto-Ryukyuan *umage "huge" should be rejected. |
11 | one | *pito̱ | |
12 | two | *puta | |
13 | big | *ò̱pò̱- | |
14 | long | *nànkà- | |
15 | small | *tìpìsà- | Based purely on Japanese evidence. *koma- can also be reconstructed. |
16 | woman | *-mina/*míCá | The medial mi is listed in some sources as cognate with the root me ("female"). |
17 | man | *bò | Problematic initial consonant, which should be *w. Based purely on Japanese evidence. |
18 | person | *pítò̱ | |
19 | fish | *(d)íwó | Problematic initial consonant, which should be *y, and even then it is not reconstructed in this word. |
20 | bird | *tó̱rí | |
21 | dog | *ìnù | Proto-Ryukyuan *enu implies that the first vowel should be *e, not *ì. |
22 | louse | *sìrámí | May be a compound of sira ("white") + mi (possibly "body"?). Not attested before Early Middle Japanese. |
23 | tree | *kò̱- < *ko̱no̱r- | The suggested derivation is problematic. Generally reconstructed as *kəy. |
24 | seed | *tàná-Ci | |
25 | leaf | *pá | |
26 | root | *mò̱tò̱ | |
27 | bark (n.) | *kàpà | |
28 | skin | *kàpá | |
29 | meat | *sìsì | Proto-Japonic *muy can also be reconstructed. |
30 | blood | *tí | |
31 | bone | *pone | |
32 | grease | *à(n)pùrá | The nasal doubtlessly existed in Proto-Japonic, hence the later reconstruction *anpura. |
33 | egg | *tama(n)ko | Based purely on Japanese evidence. All Ryukyuan terms deriving from tamago are obviously loanwords. Only one form (*kapinko) can be reconstructed based on archaic Japanese and Yonaguni evidence, but it is possible that Yonaguni borrowed this word from Japanese. |
34 | horn | *tùnwò | |
35 | tail | *bò̱ | Problematic initial consonant, which should be *w. |
36 | feather | *рánÉ | Capital *É is reconstructed because of the lack of attested Old Japanese evidence that indicates the contrast. |
37 | hair | *ká-Ci | It is unclear whether |
38 | head | *tumu-; *kàsìrà | The *tumu root is sometimes described in other sources as an alternation of *tubu, itself a generic root form denoting something round. See |
39 | ear | *mìmì | The first vowel could be *e based on Southern Ryukyuan evidence. |
40 | eye | *mà-i | |
41 | nose | *páná | |
42 | mouth | *kútú-Ci | |
43 | tooth | *pà | |
44 | tongue | *sìtà | |
45 | nail | *túmá-Ci | |
46 | foot | *pànkì | |
47 | knee | *pínsá; Proto-Ryukyuan *tubusin | Reconstruction of a final nasal is based solely on Hateruma sï̥pusïŋ, otherwise reconstructed as *tubusi. |
48 | hand | *tà-Ci | |
49 | belly | *pàrà | Proto-Ryukyuan has *wata, with an innovative semantic shift "intestines" > "belly". |
50 | neck | *nòmitó | |
51 | breast | *ti/*titi | |
52 | heart | *kòkòró | |
53 | liver | *kímwò | |
54 | drink | *nò̱m- | |
55 | eat | *kup- | |
56 | bite | *kàm- | |
57 | see | *mì- | |
58 | hear | *kí[-]k- | Generally reconstructed as *kik- without the separator. |
59 | know | *sír- | |
60 | sleep | *ui- | Problematic. The reconstruction is based purely on Old Japanese i. *nainpuru can also be reconstructed. |
61 | die | *sín- | |
62 | kill | *kó̱ró̱s- | |
63 | swim | *ò̱yò̱- | Generally reconstructed as *əyənk-. |
64 | fly (v.) | *tó̱np- | |
65 | go | *káywóp-; *dik- | Problematic initial consonant, which should be *y, in the second reconstruction, and even then it is not reconstructed in this word. Also seen in Old Japanese as |
66 | come | *kò̱- | |
67 | lie | *ná- | |
68 | sit | *bí- | Problematic initial consonant, which should be *w. |
69 | stand | *tàt- | |
70 | give | *ata[-]pa-Ci | The reconstruction is based purely on Japanese |
71 | say | *(d)i[-]p- | Problematic initial consonant, which should be *y, and even then it is not reconstructed in this word. There is no evidence to segment into i-p-. |
72 | sun | *pí | *pu can also be reconstructed as the second part of the word meaning "today" and "yesterday". |
73 | moon | *tùkú- | Generally reconstructed as *tukuy or even *tukoy, with the latter based on Ryukyuan evidence. |
74 | star | *pósí | It is not clear whether the first vowel is type A or type B. |
75 | water | *mí | Generally reconstructed as *mentu. It is possible that the two are related. Some linguists also connect it to Korean. |
76 | rain/sky | *àmâ-Ci | |
77 | stone | *(d)ísò | Problematic initial consonant, which should be *y, and even then it is not reconstructed in this word. In modern linguistics, it is generally reconstructed as *esoi. |
78 | sand | *súná | *su can also be reconstructed based on Japanese evidence. It is possible that the two are related. |
79 | land | *tùtì | Problematic. The reconstruction is based purely on Old Japanese evidence, with a single cognate in Ishigaki pointing likely to a borrowing from Japanese, which in turn borrowed it from Old Korean. Proto-Japonic *mita can be reconstructed based on Old Japanese (with irregular n), Hachijō, and Ryukyuan evidence. |
80 | cloud | *kùmù[C]à | Generally reconstructed as *kumo, also supported by Eastern Old Japanese evidence. |
81 | smoke | *kái[-]npúrí | Proto-Ryukyuan *kebusi. |
82 | fire | *pò-Ci | It is clear by Proto-Ryukyuan *pi that the word can be reconstructed as Proto-Japonic *poi. |
83 | ashes | *pápÍ | |
84 | burn | *dák- | Problematic initial consonant, which should be *y. Proto-Japonic *tak- 'to light a fire' can also be reconstructed. |
85 | path | *mítí | Listed in Japanese dictionaries as deriving from a compound of honorific prefix mi- + noun ti "road, path, way". See |
86 | mountain | *dàmà | Problematic initial consonant, which should be *y. |
87 | red | *áká- | |
88 | green | *àwò; *míntórì | The latter reconstruction is based purely on Japanese evidence, originally referring specifically to the color of new sprouts. The *mín- portion probably also appears in *míntu ("fresh, young, vibrant"). |
89 | yellow | *kú-Ci | Generally reconstructed as *koy. Compare Early Middle Japanese |
90 | white | *sírà-Cu | The reconstruction of *-Cu is based on the -a/-o alternation in Japanese. |
91 | black | *kùrwò | |
92 | night | *dùCà | Problematic initial consonant, which should be *y. Generally reconstructed as *yo, also supported by Eastern Old Japanese evidence. |
93 | warm | *àta-taka- | The reconstruction appears to be based on Japanese |
94 | cold | *sàmù- | The root, exclusive to Japanese, is likely *sàm-, with the -ù- portion likely an inflectionary ending. See also modern verb |
95 | full | *mìt- | |
96 | new | *àrà-ta- | Problematic. Listed in Japanese sources as deriving from a compound of ara- ("newly appearing", from |
97 | good | *dò̱- | Problematic initial consonant, which should be *y. Proto-Ryukyuan also has *ye, indicating a possible reconstruction of *yəy. |
98 | round | *márú/*máró̱ | It is not clear what the true reconstruction is, as EOJ and MdJ has maru-. |
99 | dry | *káw(V)rá-k- | This reconstruction is based on the alternating stems *karak- and *kawak-. |
100 | name | *ná |
See also
[edit]- Appendix:Japanese Swadesh list
- Wiktionary:Japanese Swadesh list
- Appendix:1000 Japanese basic words
- Appendix:Proto-Ainu reconstructions
- Appendix:Proto-Altaic reconstructions
References
[edit]- Vovin, Alexander. 1994. "Long-distance Relationships, Reconstruction Methodology, and the Origins of Japanese". Diachronica 11(1): 95–114.
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