Swadesh

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A set of common vocabulary words that reflect the basic concepts of a language
2. A collection of essential terms used to examine linguistic similarities and differences
3. A list identifying fundamental lexical items that can indicate patterns of language development and borrowing

Etymology: In Sanskrit, "svadeśa" literally meant "own country," built from "sva," meaning "own," and "deśa," meaning "country" or "region." Its sense was homeland, the land a person belongs to. Hindi "svadesh" and Bengali "shodesh" both carry that meaning of homeland, which is the sense that passed into the modern South Asian languages. English uses the term as a label for something quite different: a short list of basic vocabulary, such as words for body parts, common actions and simple qualities, that linguists compare across languages. The name's connection to "homeland" is a matter of borrowing a word for a native place and applying it to a set of universal basics.

Synonyms: Swadesh list, basic vocabulary list