Circassian languages

CircassianTemplate:Efn (Template:Langx; Template:Langx), also known as Cherkess (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respelling), is a subdivision of the Northwest Caucasian language family, spoken by the Circassian people. There are two main variants of the Circassian language, defined by their literary standards, Adyghe (; also known as West Circassian) and Kabardian (; also known as East Circassian). The languages are highly mutually intelligible with one another, but differ to a degree where they would be considered clear-cut dialects. The earliest extant written records of the Circassian language are in the Arabic script, recorded by the Turkish traveller Evliya Çelebi in the 17th century, although the Greek and Georgian alphabets were adapted for them in ancient and medieval times.

There is consensus among the linguistic community about the fact that Adyghe and Kabardian are typologically distinct languages. However, the local terms for these languages refer to them as dialects. The Circassian people call themselves (; English: Adyghe) in their native language. In the southwestern part of European Russia, there is also a Federal Subject called Adygea (Template:Langx, ), 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 (, meaning the Adyghe languages), whereas the Adyghe language is called (, meaning the language of those in [the Republic of] Adygea). 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

File:WIKITONGUES- Yinal speaking Adyghe and Kabardian.webm

Yinal speaking Adyghe and Kabardian

• Circassian languages
  • Adyghe language
    • The Black Sea coast dialects
      • Zhaney dialect
      • Natukhai dialect (Template:Langx; )
      • Shapsug dialect (Template:Langx; )
        • North Shapsugs, Great Shapsugs, Kuban Shapsugs dialect (Template:Langx; )
          • Kfar Kama dialect (Template:Langx; ): Shapsug dialect spoken by the villagers of Kfar Kama in Israel.
        • Temirgoy-Shapsugs, Pseuşko accent (Template:Langx; )
        • South Shapsugs, Small Shapsugs, Coastal Shapsugs Black Sea Shapsugs (Template:Langx; ) dialect.
        • Hakuchi dialect (Template:Langx; )
    • The Kuban river dialects
      • Bzhedug dialect (Template:Langx; ) : Spoken by the Circassians in Republic of Adygea and Biga.
      • Temirgoy (Template:Langx; ) : Literary Adyghe. Also spoken by the Circassians in Republic of Adygea.
      • Abzakh dialect (Template:Langx; ) : 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 (Template:Langx; )

Alphabets

• Adyghe language (also known as West Circassian, Template:Langx; , Template:Langx) — 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.

Adyghe alphabet

А а Template:IPAblink	Б б Template:IPAblink	В в Template:IPAblink	Г г Template:IPAblink or Template:IPAblink	Гу гу Template:IPAblink	Гъ гъ Template:IPAblink	Гъу гъу Template:IPAblink	Д д Template:IPAblink
Дж дж Template:IPAblink	Дз дз Template:IPAblink	Дзу дзу Template:IPAblink	Е е [ja/aj]	Ё ё [jo]	Ж ж Template:IPAblink	Жъ жъ Template:IPAblink	Жъу жъу Template:IPAblink or Template:IPAblink
Жь жь Template:IPAblink	З з Template:IPAblink	И и [jə/əj]	Й й Template:IPAblink	К к Template:IPAblink	Ку ку Template:IPAblink	Къ къ Template:IPAblink	Къу къу Template:IPAblink
Кӏ кӏ Template:IPAblink	Кӏу кӏу Template:IPAblink	Л л Template:IPAblink or Template:IPAblink	Лъ лъ Template:IPAblink	Лӏ лӏ Template:IPAblink	М м Template:IPAblink	Н н Template:IPAblink	О о [aw/wa]
П п Template:IPAblink	Пӏ пӏ Template:IPAblink	Пӏу пӏу Template:IPAblink	Р р Template:IPAblink	С с Template:IPAblink	Т т Template:IPAblink	Тӏ тӏ Template:IPAblink	Тӏу тӏу Template:IPAblink
У у Template:IPAblink	Ф ф Template:IPAblink	Х х Template:IPAblink	Ху ху Template:IPAblink	Хъ хъ Template:IPAblink	Хъу хъу Template:IPAblink	Хь хь Template:IPAblink	Ц ц Template:IPAblink
Цу цу Template:IPAblink	Цӏ цӏ Template:IPAblink	Ч ч Template:IPAblink	Чӏ чӏ Template:IPAblink	Чъ чъ Template:IPAblink	Ш ш Template:IPAblink	Шъ шъ Template:IPAblink	Шъу шъу Template:IPAblink or Template:IPAblink
Шӏ шӏ Template:IPAblink	Шӏу шӏу Template:IPAblink	Щ щ Template:IPAblink	Ъ ъ Template:IPAblink	Ы ы Template:IPAblink	Ь ь Template:IPAblink	Э э Template:IPAblink	Ю ю [ju]
Я я [jaː]	ӏ Template:IPAblink	ӏу Template:IPAblink

• Kabardian language (also known as East Circassian, Template:Langx; , Template:Langx) — The language of the east Circassian tribes : Kabarday and Baslaney. The Alphabet is based on the Kabardian dialect.

Kabardian alphabet

А а Template:IPAblink	Э э Template:IPAblink	Б б Template:IPAblink	В в Template:IPAblink	Г г Template:IPAblink	Гу гу Template:IPAblink	Гъ гъ Template:IPAblink	Гъу гъу Template:IPAblink
Д д Template:IPAblink	Дж дж Template:IPAblink or Template:IPAblink	Дз дз Template:IPAblink	Е е [ja/aj]	Ё ё [jo]	Ж ж Template:IPAblink	Жь жь Template:IPAblink	З з Template:IPAblink
И и [jə/əj]	Й й Template:IPAblink	К к Template:IPAblink	Ку ку Template:IPAblink	Къ къ Template:IPAblink	Къу къу Template:IPAblink	Кхъ кхъ Template:IPAblink	Кхъу кхъу Template:IPAblink
Кӏ кӏ Template:IPAblink or Template:IPAblink	Кӏу кӏу Template:IPAblink	Л л Template:IPAblink or Template:IPAblink	Лъ лъ Template:IPAblink	Лӏ лӏ Template:IPAblink	М м Template:IPAblink	Н н Template:IPAblink	О о [aw/wa]
П п Template:IPAblink	Пӏ пӏ Template:IPAblink	Р р Template:IPAblink	С с Template:IPAblink	Т т Template:IPAblink	Тӏ тӏ Template:IPAblink	У у Template:IPAblink	Ф ф Template:IPAblink
Фӏ фӏ Template:IPAblink	Х х Template:IPAblink	Ху ху Template:IPAblink	Хъ хъ Template:IPAblink	Хъу хъу Template:IPAblink	Хь хь Template:IPAblink	Ц ц Template:IPAblink	Цӏ цӏ Template:IPAblink
Ч ч Template:IPAblink	Ш ш Template:IPAblink	Щ щ Template:IPAblink	Щӏ щӏ Template:IPAblink	Ъ ъ Template:IPAblink	Ы ы Template:IPAblink	Ь ь Template:IPAblink	Ю ю [ju]
Я я [jaː]	ӏ Template:IPAblink	ӏу Template:IPAblink

Dialectal letters

Гь гь Template:IPAblink

Кь кь Template:IPAblink

Кӏь кӏь Template:IPAblink

Сӏ сӏ Template:IPAblink

Чу чу Template:IPAblink

ӏь Template:IPAblink

Sound changes

File:CircassianDialectsDifferencesEnglish3.jpg

The major differences in the Circassian dialects

Sound changes between Adyghe (Temirgoy) and Kabardian:

• Adyghe a ↔ э Kabardian: ↔ (Adyghe); ↔ (rich); ↔ (lion); ↔ (tiger); ↔ (world); ↔ (ear); ↔ (letter); ↔ (pigeon); ↔ (ugly); ↔ (worm); ↔ (no)
• Adyghe ы ↔ э Kabardian: ↔ (mother)
• Adyghe э ↔ ы Kabardian: ↔ (lilac)
• Adyghe а ↔ ы Kabardian: ↔ (cloth)
• Adyghe и ↔ ы Kabardian: ↔ (angel)
• Adyghe ы ↔ и Kabardian: ↔ (child)
• Adyghe ы ↔ е Kabardian: ↔ (kidney); ↔ (hazelnut)
• Adyghe ц ↔ дз Kabardian: ↔ (tooth); ↔ (mouse); ↔ (fish); ↔ (grass)
• Adyghe цу ↔ в Kabardian: ↔ (ox); ↔ (shoe); ↔ (raven); ↔ (raven); ↔ (ploughshare)
• Adyghe ч ↔ ж Kabardian: ↔ (cow); ↔ (tree); ↔ (night); ↔ (village, settlement); ↔ (to count); ↔ (to run)
• Adyghe ч ↔ дж Kabardian: ↔ (cat); ↔ (chicken); ↔ (glass)
• Adyghe ч ↔ щ Kabardian: ↔ (king); ↔ (iron); ↔ (question); ↔ (button); ↔ (cold); ↔ (morning)
• Adyghe дз ↔ з Kabardian: ↔ (watermelon)
• Adyghe дж ↔ ж Kabardian: ↔ (fox); ↔ (arch, bridge); ↔ (death); ↔ (flour); ↔ (knee); ↔ (village)
• Adyghe жь ↔ з Kabardian: ↔ (him, itself)
• Adyghe жъ ↔ жь Kabardian: ↔ (old); ↔ (bowl, horn, slander); ↔ (to fry, to grill)
• Adyghe ж ↔ жь Kabardian: ↔ (autumn); ↔ (beard); ↔ (flea); ↔ (mouth)
• Adyghe жъу ↔ в Kabardian: ↔ (star); ↔ (narrow); ↔ (wide); ↔ (to boil)
• Adyghe ш ↔ щ Kabardian: ↔ (melon)
• Adyghe щ ↔ ш Kabardian: ↔ (milk); ↔ (tea); ↔ (salt); ↔ (fund, money); ↔ (arrow); ↔ (donkey); ↔ (fear); ↔ (black pepper); ↔ (noon)
• Adyghe шъ ↔ щ Kabardian: ↔ ; ↔ (head); ↔ (lamp); ↔ (gold); ↔ (girl); ↔ (bear); ↔ (animal); ↔ (100)
• Adyghe шӀ ↔ щӀ Kabardian: ↔ (to do); ↔ (to know); ↔ (life); ↔ (ten)
• Adyghe кӀ ↔ щӀ Kabardian: ↔ (new); ↔ (young-man); ↔ (to launder, to wash); ↔ (to go off on); ↔ (above); ↔ (few); ↔ (guest); ↔ (key)
• Adyghe шъу ↔ ф Kabardian: ↔ (honey); ↔ (wife); ↔ (to drink); ↔ (sky); ↔ (green); ↔ (dance); ↔ (color, skin, you (plural)); ↔ (color, skin, you (plural)); ↔ (blind)
• Adyghe шӀу ↔ фӀ Kabardian: ↔ (well, good); ↔ (fire); ↔ (black); ↔ (coal); ↔ (weather); ↔ (sweet); ↔ (sweet)
• Adyghe ф ↔ ху Kabardian: ↔ (white); ↔ (work, job); ↔ (day); ↔ (summer); ↔ (person); ↔ (hot); ↔ (want, need); ↔ (like); ↔ (light); ↔ (maize); ↔ (to forgive); ↔ (to forgive); ↔ (garlic); ↔ (woman)
• Adyghe хь ↔ хъ Kabardian: ↔ (more); ↔ (younger brother); ↔ (older brother)
• Adyghe къ ↔ кхъ Kabardian: ↔ (grave)
• Adyghe къу ↔ кхъу Kabardian: ↔ (cheese); ↔ (pear); ↔ (ship)
• Adyghe т ↔ д Kabardian: ↔ (we); ↔ (shoulder); ↔ (stamp, letter); ↔ (wolf); ↔ (yesterday); ↔ (father); ↔ (silver); ↔ (minute); ↔ (rooster, cock); ↔ (garden); ↔ (duck); ↔ (leader, boss)
• Adyghe п ↔ б Kabardian: ↔ (thorn); ↔ (hard); ↔ (goat); ↔ (enemy); ↔ (today); ↔ (to count)
• Adyghe м ↔ н Kabardian: ↔ (monkey)
• Adyghe н ↔ Ø Kabardian: ↔ (mirror)
• Adyghe -Ø ↔ -р Kabardian: ↔ ; ↔ ; ↔
• Adyghe -Ø ↔ -щ Kabardian: ↔
• Adyghe Ø- ↔ и- Kabardian: ↔ (yet)

Ergative–absolutive

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

Ergative language
Sentence:	ӏанэр мэкъутэ.			Лӏым ӏанэр екъутэ.
Word:	ӏанэ-р	мэкъутэ		Лӏы-м	ӏанэ-р	екъутэ
Gloss:	The table-ABS	breaks		The man-ERG	the table-ABS	breaks
Function:	S	VERBintrans		A	O	VERBtrans
Translation:	"The table breaks."			"The man breaks the table."

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".Template:Sfn

See also

• Circassia

Sources

• Template:Encyclopaedia Islamica

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)