TheEvolution of Human Languages (EHL) project is ahistorical-comparative linguistics research project hosted by theSanta Fe Institute.[1][2] It aims to provide a detailedgenealogical classification of the world's languages.[3]
The project was founded in 2001 by Nobel laureateMurray Gell-Mann when he partnered withSergei Starostin andMerritt Ruhlen to map out the evolutionary tree of human languages. Initial funding was provided by theSanta Fe Institute and theMacArthur Foundation.[4] It is currently led by Russian linguistGeorgiy Starostin, the son ofSergei Starostin.[5]
Many of the project's members belong to theMoscow School of Comparative Linguistics, includingGeorgiy Starostin andIlia Peiros.[6] Other project members includeVaclav Blazek,John D. Bengtson,Edward Vajda, and other linguists.
The Evolution of Human Languages (EHL) is an international project – of whichGeorgiy Starostin inherited his father's membership – on "the linguistic prehistory of humanity" coordinated by theSanta Fe Institute. The project distinguishes about 6,000 languages currently spoken around the world, and aims to provide a detailed classification similar to the acceptedclassification of biological species.
Their idea is that "all representatives of the speciesHomo sapiens presumably share a common origin, [so] it would be natural to suppose – although this is a goal yet to be achieved – that all human languages also go back to some common source. Most existing classifications, however, do not go beyond some 300-400 language families that are relatively easy to discern. This restriction has natural reasons: languages must have been spoken and constantly evolving for at least 40,000 years (and quite probably more), while any two languages separated from a common source inevitably lose almost all superficially common features after some 6,000-7,000 years".[7]
TheTower of Babel [ru] is an international etymological database project that is part of the Evolution of Human Languages project. It is coordinated by theCenter of Comparative Linguistics [ru] of theRussian State University for the Humanities.[8]
In 2011, theGlobal Lexicostatistical Database [ru] (GLD) was launched as part of the EHL project. The database uses the Unified Transcription System (UTS), designed specifically for the database.[9]
The Global Lexicostatistical Database includes basic word lists of 110 items each for many of the world's languages.[10] The 110-word list is a modified 100-itemSwadesh list consisting of the original 100 Swadesh list items, in addition to the following 10 additional words from theSwadesh–Yakhontov list:
The 110-word expandedSwadesh list by Kassian et al. (2010) is as follows.[11]
| no. | English | Russian |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | all | все |
| 2 | ashes | зола |
| 3 | bark | кора |
| 4 | belly | живот |
| 5 | big, large | большой |
| 6 | bird | птица |
| 7 | to bite | кусать |
| 8 | black | черный |
| 9 | blood | кровь |
| 10 | bone | кость |
| 11 | breast | грудь |
| 12 | to burn (trans.) | жечь, сжечь |
| 13 | cloud | облако |
| 14 | cold | холодный |
| 15 | to come | приходить |
| 16 | to die | умирать |
| 17 | dog | собака |
| 18 | to drink | пить |
| 19 | dry | сухой |
| 20 | ear | ухо |
| 21 | earth | земля |
| 22 | to eat | есть |
| 23 | egg | яйцо |
| 24 | eye | глаз |
| 25 | fat | жир |
| 26 | feather | перо |
| 27 | fire | огонь |
| 28 | fish | рыба |
| 29 | to fly | лететь, летать |
| 30 | foot | нога |
| 31 | full | полный |
| 32 | to give | давать |
| 33 | to go | идти |
| 34 | good | хороший |
| 35 | green | зеленый |
| 36 | hair | волосы |
| 37 | hand | рука |
| 38 | head | голова |
| 39 | to hear | слышать |
| 40 | heart | сердце |
| 41 | horn | рог |
| 42a | I | я |
| 42b | me | меня |
| 43 | to kill | убивать |
| 44 | knee | колено |
| 45 | to know | знать |
| 46 | leaf | лист |
| 47 | to lie | лежать |
| 48 | liver | печень |
| 49 | long | длинный |
| 50 | louse | вошь |
| 51 | man (male) | мужчина |
| 52 | man (person) | человек |
| 53 | many, a lot of | много |
| 54 | meat | мясо |
| 55 | moon | луна |
| 56 | mountain | гора |
| 57 | mouth | рот |
| 58 | nail | ноготь |
| 59 | name | имя |
| 61 | new | новый |
| 62 | night | ночь |
| 63 | nose | нос |
| 64 | not | не |
| 65 | one | один |
| 66 | rain | дождь |
| 67 | red | красный |
| 68 | road | дорога |
| 69 | root | корень |
| 70a | round (3D) | круглый |
| 70b | round (2D) | круглый |
| 71 | sand | песок |
| 72 | to say | сказать |
| 73 | to see | видеть |
| 74 | seed | семя |
| 75 | to sit | сидеть |
| 76 | skin | кожа |
| 77 | to sleep | спать |
| 78 | small, little | маленький |
| 79 | smoke | дым |
| 80 | to stand | стоять |
| 81 | star | звезда |
| 82 | stone | камень |
| 83 | sun | солнце |
| 84 | to swim | плыть, плавать |
| 85 | tail | хвост |
| 86 | that | тот |
| 87 | this | этот |
| 88 | tongue | язык |
| 89 | tooth | зуб |
| 90 | tree | дерево |
| 91 | two | два |
| 92 | warm | теплый |
| 93 | water | вода |
| 94a | we (incl.) | мы (incl.) |
| 94b | we (incl.) | мы (incl.) |
| 94c–d | we (excl.) | мы (excl.) |
| 95 | what | что |
| 96 | white | белый |
| 97 | who | кто |
| 98 | woman | женщина |
| 99 | yellow | желтый |
| 100a | you (thou) | ты |
| 100b | you (thou) | тебя |
| 101 | far | далеко |
| 102 | heavy | тяжелый |
| 103 | near | близко |
| 104 | salt | соль |
| 105 | short | короткий |
| 106 | snake | змея |
| 107a | thin (2D) | тонкий |
| 107b | thin (1D) | тонкий |
| 108 | wind | ветер |
| 109 | worm | червь |
| 110 | year | год |
A 50-word list of "ultra-stable" items forlexicostatiscal use with the database was also proposed in 2010. The 50-word list is an abridged version of the 110-word list.[12]
| no. | English | Russian |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | we | мы |
| 2 | two | два |
| 3 | I | я |
| 4 | eye | глаз |
| 5 | thou | ты |
| 6 | who | кто |
| 7 | fire | огонь |
| 8 | tongue | язык |
| 9 | stone | камень |
| 10 | name | имя |
| 11 | hand | рука |
| 12 | what | что |
| 13 | die | умирать |
| 14 | heart | сердце |
| 15 | drink | пить |
| 16 | dog | собака |
| 17 | louse (head) | вошь |
| 18 | moon | луна |
| 19 | fingernail | ноготь |
| 20 | blood | кровь |
| 21 | one | один |
| 22 | tooth | зуб |
| 23 | new | новый |
| 24 | dry (e.g. of clothes) | сухой |
| 25 | eat | есть |
| 26 | tail | хвост |
| 27 | hair (of head) | волосы |
| 28 | water | вода |
| 29 | nose | нос |
| 30 | not | не |
| 31 | mouth | рот |
| 32 | ear | ухо |
| 33 | bird | птица |
| 34 | bone | кость |
| 35 | sun | солнце |
| 36 | smoke | дым |
| 37 | tree | дерево |
| 38 | ashes | зола |
| 39 | rain | дождь |
| 40 | star | звезда |
| 41 | leaf | лист |
| 42 | kill | убивать |
| 43 | foot | нога |
| 44 | horn | рог |
| 45 | hear | слышать |
| 46 | meat (as food) | мясо |
| 47 | egg | яйцо |
| 48 | black | черный |
| 49 | head | голова |
| 50 | night | ночь |
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