Use this domain for general words referring to the physical universe. Some languages may not have a single word for the universe and may have to use a phrase such as 'rain, soil, and things of the sky' or 'sky, land, and water' or a descriptive phrase such as 'everything you can see' or 'everything that exists'.
Use this domain for words related to the sky.
Use this domain for words related to the sun. The sun does three basic things. It moves, it gives light, and it gives heat. These three actions are involved in the meanings of most of the words in this domain. Since the sun moves below the horizon, many words refer to it setting or rising. Since the sun is above the clouds, many words refer to it moving behind the clouds and the clouds blocking its light. The sun's light and heat also produce secondary effects. The sun causes plants to grow, and it causes damage to things.
Use this domain for words related to the moon. In your culture people may believe things about the moon. For instance in European culture people used to believe that the moon caused people to become crazy. So in English we have words like "moon-struck" and "lunatic." You should include such words in this domain.
Use this domain for words related to the stars and other heavenly bodies.
Use this domain for words related to planets (large objects that circle the sun, looking like bright wandering stars in the sky), comets (objects that circle the sun, looking like a star with a tail), meteors (small objects that come from space and burn up when they hit the earth's atmosphere, causing a streak of light across the sky), and asteroids (small objects that circle the sun), planetary moons (large objects that circle the planets). Some cultures do not study the stars and will have few or no words in this domain. Others cultures that study the stars will have many words. There are only five planets that people can see in the sky--Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. The others are only known from the scientific study of astronomy.
Use this domain for words related to the air around us, including the air we breathe and the atmosphere around the earth.
Use this domain for words related to causing air to move.
Use this domain for words related to the weather.
Use this domain for words related to the wind. Some words refer to when the wind begins and ends. The wind changes in speed, so some words refer to how fast the wind is moving. Try to rank these on a scale from very slow to very fast. These words may also be distinguished by what the wind does, since a fast wind does more things. These words may also be distinguished by how long the wind blows. Some words refer to the speed of the wind becoming faster or slower. Some words distinguish a steady wind from a wind in which the speed keeps changing. Some words refer to when the speed of the wind becomes faster for a short time. A steady wind moves in a particular direction, so there are words that include the direction of the wind. The direction of the wind may refer to the points of the compass, a neighboring geographical feature or area, or the direction in which the speaker is moving. Some words refer to a wind that moves in a small circle, making a pillar of dust or a funnel-shaped cloud. Some words refer to what the wind does, such as when it moves or damages something. People can feel the wind, so some words refer to how it feels. The wind makes noise, so there are words that refer to the sound of the wind. In some cultures there is a relation between the wind and spirits, so some words may refer to the activity of the spirits in the wind, or that the wind brings disease.
Use this domain for words related to the clouds.
Use this domain for words related to the rain.
Use this domain for words related to snow, ice, sleet, and hail.
Use this domain for words related to storms.
Use this domain for words related to lightning and thunder.
Use this domain for words related to floods.
Use this domain for words related to drought.
Use this domain for words referring to the planet we live on.
Use this domain for words referring to the ground we stand on, the earth versus the sky.
Use this domain for words related to mountains.
Use this domain for words related to volcanoes.
Use this domain for words referring to land that is flat.
Use this domain for words related to valleys.
Use this domain for words referring to the area under the ground, and to holes in the ground.
Use this domain for words referring to an area of land that has particular types of plants growing in it.
Use this domain for words related to earthquakes. In some languages earthquakes are thought of as moving somewhere. In Amele (PNG) they say "mim nen" which means 'the earthquake came down (from above)'. In Northern Embera an earthquake is a "house-shaking". They say "a house-shaking went."
Use this domain for general words referring to matter--what something is made out of, or a type of solid, liquid, or gas.
Use this domain for words referring to soil and dirt.
Use this domain for words referring to rock.
Use this domain for words referring to metal.
Use this domain for naturally occurring elements, compounds, and minerals--things you can find in the ground.
Use this domain for words referring to jewels and precious stones.
Use this domain for words describing the different states of matter (solid, liquid, and gas), and words for changing from one to another.
Use this domain for words referring to liquids.
Use this domain for words referring to oil.
Use this domain for words referring to gas.
Use this domain for general words referring to water.
Use this domain for general words referring to bodies of water.
Use this domain for words referring to bodies of standing water.
Use this domain for words referring to bodies of standing water with plants growing in them.
Use this domain for words referring to bodies of flowing water.
Use this domain for words referring to a place where water comes out of the ground.
Use this domain for words referring to land in contrast with the sea or river.
Use this domain for words referring to the way in which water and other liquids move.
Use this domain for words referring to the way water moves over a surface, such as in a river or along the ground.
Use this domain for words referring to water coming out of something (such as a container), or causing water to come out of something.
Use this domain for words referring to drops of water and what they do.
Use this domain for words related to waves and what they do.
Use this domain for words describing the surface of water.
Use this domain for words related to the tide.
Use this domain for words referring to when something has water on it or water has soaked into it.
Use this domain for words describing something that is dry.
Use this domain for words referring to being in water or putting something in water.
Use this domain for words referring to a mixture of water and a substance (such as salt or sugar) that dissolves in water.
Use this domain for words describing the quality or condition of water.
Use this domain for general words that relate to all living things.
Use this domain for words referring to dead things--things that were alive before, but aren't now.
Use this domain for words referring to the spirits of things.
Use this domain for general words for all plants. Use a book of pictures to identify plant names and the scientific name. Languages divide plants into various domains that are not always comparable from language to language. Criterial features may be characteristics (trees and bushes are distinguished by size and number of trunks) and use (grass and weeds are distinguished by their desirability). A common distinction is between trees and non-trees, with trees described as being big, woody, and having a life expectancy of several years, while non-trees are small, non-woody, and have a life expectancy of typically not more than one year (Heine, Bernd and Karsten Legere. 1995. Swahili plants. Rudiger Koppe Verlag: Koln.). Agricultural societies will divide plants into wild and cultivated. However most plants for which there are names have some use. Therefore it does not seem helpful to divide plant names into domains for useful and non-useful plants. Since only parts of plants are eaten, edible parts of plants are listed under the domain 'Food'. Some languages may have more domains than are used in this list, others may have fewer. The classification system used here does not agree entirely with the system used by botanists. For instance botanists do not classify all the tree species together. The palm trees belong to the class Monocotyledoneae and are classified with lilies, bananas, and orchids. Apple and cherry trees belong to the class Dicotyledoneae and are classified in the rose family along with roses and blackberries. The acacia tree also belongs to the class Dicotyledoneae and is classified in the pulse family along with lupines and beans. However most folk taxonomies bring all the trees together. The scientific classification system for plants and animals is taken from: Carruth, Gorton, ed. 1989. The Volume Library, Vols. 1 and 2. The Southwestern Company: Nashville.
Use this domain for trees--flowering plants with roots, stems, and leaves, which are large and have a wooden trunk (Phylum Spermatophyta, Subdivision Angiospermae). Also include the evergreen trees (Phylum Spermatophyta, Subdivision Gymnospermae). Evergreen trees do not have flowers, but have cone like fruits (pinecones) that contain seeds. Their leaves are shaped like needles and are retained for over a year.
Use this domain for bushes and shrubs--plants that are smaller than trees and have several wooden trunks (Phylum Spermatophyta, Subdivision Angiospermae).
Use this domain for small plants that have roots, stems, flowers, and seeds, but do not have a wooden trunk (Phylum Spermatophyta, Subdivision Angiospermae). Also include the seedless plants, such as ferns (phylum Pteridophyta, class Felicineae), horsetails (phylum Pteridophyta, class Equisetineae), and club mosses (phylum Pteridophyta, class Lycopodineae). Plants of the Pteridophyta phylum have no flowers or seeds. Ferns have large, divided, feather-like leaves, or fronds. Club mosses are small (rarely over one meter) evergreen plants with simple leaves resembling pine or hemlock needles. Sometimes they grow upright, but often trail on the ground, where they propagate by means of runners. Horsetails send up tall, vertical, jointed stalks with branches covered with scale like leaves.
Use this domain for mosses (phylum Bryophyta, class Musci), liverworts (phylum Bryophyta, class Hepaticae), fungi (phylum Thallophyta, subdivision Fungi), algae (phylum Thallophyta, subdivision Algae), and lichens. These plants do not have true roots, stems, or leaves. The mosses are small, green, flowerless plants that grow in moist environments and look like velvety or feathery growths carpeting the ground, tree trunks, and rocks. The liverworts are similar to the mosses with a flat and branching growth pattern. The algae possess green chlorophyll. They vary from one-celled organisms, which sometimes live in colonies such as pond scum, to complex organisms such as seaweed. The fungi do not possess chlorophyll and feed off of other organic material. Lichens consist of a fungus and an algae growing together. They commonly grow on trunks of trees and rocks. Some are flat and leafy, and some are moss like.
Use this domain for words that refer to parts of a plant. Start with general words that all plants have. Then think through each major type of plant. Finish by thinking of specific plants that are well known (usually cultivated crops) and that have words for specific parts (e.g. tassel on a corn/maize cob).
Use this domain for words related to the growth of plants.
Use this domain for words related to plant diseases.
Use this domain for general words referring to animals.
Use this domain for words describing types of animals. Use a book of pictures to identify each species and its scientific name. This section is organized according to the scientific, biological classification of animals. It may not correspond to the local classification of animals (folk taxonomy), which are often based on how people relate to animals (tame/wild, edible/work). Use this domain for words referring to large classes of animals that do not correspond to the scientific classification. For instance this would be the place for a word like 'flying animal', which includes birds, bats, and flying insects.
Use this domain for general words referring to mammals (phylum Chordata, class Mammalia).
Use this domain for primates (phylum Chordata, class Mammalia, order Primates).
Use this domain for carnivores--meat-eating animals (phylum Chordata, class Mammalia, order Carnivora).
Use this domain for even-toed hoofed animals (phylum Chordata, class Mammalia, order Artiodactyla), odd-toed hoofed animals (phylum Chordata, class Mammalia, order Perissodactyla), and elephants (phylum Chordata, class Mammalia, order Proboscidea).
Use this domain for rodents--gnawing animals (phylum Chordata, class Mammalia, order Rodentia), insect eating animals (phylum Chordata, class Mammalia, order Insectivora), rabbits (phylum Chordata, class Mammalia, order Lagomorpha), and hyraxes (phylum Chordata, class Mammalia, order Hyracoidea).
Use this domain for marsupials (phylum Chordata, class Mammalia, order Marsupialia). Marsupials carry their young in a pouch.
Use this domain for mammals with few or no teeth--anteaters (phylum Chordata, class Mammalia, order Edentata), pangolins (phylum Chordata, class Mammalia, order Pholidota), aardvarks (phylum Chordata, class Mammalia, order Tubulidentata), and platypus--mammals that lay eggs (phylum Chordata, class Mammalia, order Monotremata).
Use this domain for mammals that live in the sea--whales and dolphins (phylum Chordata, class Mammalia, order Cetacea), seals (phylum Chordata, class Mammalia, order Pinnipedia), and sea cows (phylum Chordata, class Mammalia, order Sirenia).
Use this domain for bats--flying mammals (phylum Chordata, class Mammalia, order Chiroptera).
Use this domain for birds (phylum Chordata, class Aves).
Use this domain for general words referring to reptiles (phylum Chordata, class Reptilia).
Use this domain for words related to snakes.
Use this domain for words related to lizards.
Use this domain for words related to turtles.
Use this domain for words referring to crocodiles.
Use this domain for amphibians (phylum Chordata, class Amphibia).
Use this domain for fish (phylum Chordata, class Osteichthyes).
Use this domain for sharks and rays--animals with cartilage instead of bones (phylum Chordata, class Chondrichthyes), and eels (phylum Chordata, class Cyclostomata).
Use this domain for the names of insect species (phylum Arthropoda, class Insecta). Note that insects have six legs and spiders have eight legs. However some languages may not distinguish insects from spiders and may use other characteristics to sub-divide the Arthropods.
Use this domain for spiders (phylum Arthropoda, class Arachnida). Note that insects have six legs and spiders have eight legs. However some languages may not distinguish insects from spiders and may use other characteristics to sub-divide the Arthropods.
Use this domain for the names of worms, animals with shells, and other animals that do not fit into any of the other categories.
Use this domain for the parts of animals, especially those of mammals.
Use this domain for the parts of a bird, but not general parts that belong to all animals.
Use this domain for the parts of a reptile.
Use this domain for the parts of a fish.
Use this domain for the parts of an insect.
Use this domain for the parts of small animals.
Use this domain for words related to the life cycle of an animal.
Use this domain for words related to eggs.
Use this domain for actions of animals.
Use this domain for ways in which animals move. Only include words specific for the movement of animals. For the movement of people use the domains under Movement. It is necessary to think through how each type of animal moves, especially the important ones.
Use this domain for words referring to animals eating. Because animals often eat in very different ways from people, many languages will have words that are specific to the way an animal eats.
Use this domain for the sounds animals make. It is necessary to think through the sounds each type of animal makes, especially the important ones.
Use this domain for animal homes. It is necessary to think through the homes of each type of animal, especially the important ones.
Use this domain for words referring to groups of animals.
Use this domain for words referring to male and female animals. Most languages have special words for the male and female of a species only for domesticated animals. Sometimes there will be a word for the male and not the female, and vice versa (male dog, bitch). Sometimes the word for one is also used generically
(cow for both female and generic).
Use this domain for words referring to nature and the environment--the world around us. Include words that refer to how people damage or protect nature.
Use this domain for words describing something that is natural--something in the world around us, as opposed to something that has been made or changed by people.