Circassian languages

Adyghe and Kabardian are generally considered typologically distinct languages. However, the local terms for these languages refer to them as dialects. The Circassian people call themselves адыгэ (Adyghe) in their native language. While the self-designation for both Adyghe and Kabardian language is Adyghe, in linguistic and administrative terms, "Adyghe" refers specifically to the language of the western tribes of Circassians, while "Kabardian" refers to the language of the two eastern tribes (Kabardians and Besleney).

In the southwestern part of European Russia, there is also a Federal Subject called Adygea (Russian: Адыгея, Adygeya), enclaved within Krasnodar Krai, which is named after the Circassian endonym. In the Russian language, the Circassian subdivision is treated as a group of languages and called адыгские (adygskie, meaning the Adyghe languages), whereas the Adyghe language is called адыгейский (adygeyskiy, "Adygean," meaning the language of those in the Republic of Adygea). The term адыгейский, meaning Adygean, has thus been mistranslated to English as "Adyghe language". The terms Circassian and Cherkess are sometimes used in several languages as synonyms for the Northwest Caucasian languages in general or the Adyghe language in particular.

Circassian languages
- Adyghe language
  - The Black Sea coast dialects
    - Zhaney dialect
    - Natukhai dialect (Adyghe: Нэтӏхъуаджэбзэ; Netʼx́uajebze)
    - Shapsug dialect (Adyghe: Шапсыгъабзэ; Shapsyǵabze)
      - North Shapsugs, Great Shapsugs, Kuban Shapsugs dialect (Adyghe: Шапсыгъэ шху; Shapsyǵ shyxu)
        Kfar Kama dialect (Adyghe: Кфар Камэм ишапсыгъэбзэ; Kfar Kamem ishapsyǵebze): Shapsug dialect spoken by the villagers of Kfar Kama in Israel.
      - Temirgoy-Shapsugs, Pseuşko accent (Adyghe: Кӏэмгуе-шапсыгъ; Chʼemgueý-shapsyǵ)
      - South Shapsugs, Small Shapsugs, Coastal Shapsugs Black Sea Shapsugs (Adyghe: Шапсыгъэ-цӏыкӏу; Shapsyǵe-tsʼykʼu) dialect.
      - Hakuchi dialect (Adyghe: ХьакӀуцубзэ, Къарацхаибзэ; Hakʼutsubze, Qaratsxaibze)
  - The Kuban river dialects
    - Bzhedug dialect (Adyghe: Бжъэдыгъубзэ; Bɀedyǵubze): Spoken by the Circassians in Republic of Adygea and Biga.
    - Temirgoy (Adyghe: КӀэмыгуябзэ, КӀэмгуибзэ; Chʼemıguıyabze, Chʼemguibze): Literary Adyghe. Also spoken by the Circassians in Republic of Adygea.
    - Abzakh dialect (Adyghe: Aбдзэхабзэ; Abźaxabze): Spoken by the Circassians in Rehaniya in Israel and the Circassians in Syria from Golan Heights.
    - Mamkhegh dialect
    - Yegeruqway dialect
    - Hatuqay dialect
    - Makhosh dialect
- Kabardian language
  - Kabardian
    - West Kabardian
      - Kuban
      - Kuban-Zelenchuk (Cherkess)
    - Central Kabardian
      - Baksan (Basis for the literary language)
      - Malka
    - Eastern Kabardian
      - Terek
      - Mozdok
    - North Kabardian
      - Mulka
      - Zabardiqa (1925 until 1991 Soviet Zaparika)
  - Baslaney dialect (Adyghe: Бэслъыныйбзэ; Besłınıýbze)

6 more chapters are free with a Lably account.

Alphabets

Adyghe Alphabet

Adyghe language (also known as West Circassian, Adyghe: КӀахыбзэ; Kʼaxıbzə, Russian: Адыгейский язык) — The language of the west Circassian tribes: Shapsug, Abzakh, Natukhai, Bzhedug, Temirgoy. The Alphabet is based on the Temirgoy dialect. The Circassian alphabet was created in 1918 by the Kabardian linguist Naguma Shora.

Lower-case palochka, ⟨ӏ⟩, is found in handwriting. Usually, palochka uppercase and lowercase forms consistent in print or upright, but only upper-case ⟨Ӏ⟩ is normally used in computers.

The Adyghe alphabet contains some inconsistencies between visual representation and pronunciation which can be a point of confusion for learners. It is tempting to read the Circassian alphabet letters phonologically, but this is not always accurate. For example:

While the letter КӀ appears to represent , it is actually pronounced as (ЧӀ).
ЧӀ is pronounced as the retroflex (ЧӀъ).
Цу is pronounced as (Чъу).
ШӀ is pronounced as (ШӀъ).
ШӀу is pronounced as (ШӀъу).
The letter Г represents the fricative rather than the stop .
The labialized Гу corresponds to the stop .

These letters are not part of the official alphabet, but they may appear in books that showcase the different dialects.

Kabardian Alphabet

Kabardian language (also known as East Circassian, Adyghe: Къэбэрдейбзэ; Qeberdeýbze, Russian: Кабардино-черкесский) — The language of the east Circassian tribes : Kabarday and Baslaney. The Alphabet is based on the Kabardian dialect.

Lower-case palochka, ⟨ӏ⟩, is found in handwriting. Usually, palochka uppercase and lowercase forms consistent in print or upright, but only upper-case ⟨Ӏ⟩ is normally used in computers.

In the Kabardian alphabet, certain letters have dual pronunciations. КӀ is pronounced either as or as (like ЧӀ), and Дж is pronounced either as (Гь) or as . This variation is due to a historical sound shift: in Proto-Kabardian, these letters were originally and , but they shifted to and in the majority of modern Kabardian dialects.

Grammar

Circassian, like all Northwest Caucasian languages, has a basic subject–object–verb typology and is characterised by the ergative construction of sentences.

Sound changes

Sound changes between Adyghe (Temirgoy) and Kabardian:

Ergative–absolutive

The following example shows an ergative–absolutive case marking system while using the same verb "break" in both intransitive and transitive forms:

Here, "table" has the absolutive case mark -р /-r/ while "man" has the ergative case mark -м /-m/. The verb "break" is in the intransitive form "мэкъутэ" and the transitive form "екъутэ". The example above specifically shows SOV order, but Circassian allows any order.

Loanwords

Circassian languages contain "many loan-words from Arabic, Turkish, Persian (particularly in the area of religion) and Russian".

Literature

A Dictionary of the Circassian Language, in Two Parts. By Dr. L. Loewe.
Кумахов М. А. Адыгские языки // Языки мира. Кавказские языки. М., 1999. (in Russian)