Circassian language

Circassian
Cherkess
Ethnicity: Circassians
Geographic
distribution:
North Caucasus
Linguistic classification: Northwest Caucasian
Proto-language: Proto-Circassian
Subdivisions:
Glottolog: circ1239[1]

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  Circassian

Circassian /sərˈkæsiən/, also known as Cherkess /ərˈkɛs/, is a dialect continuum of the North Caucasus. There are two Circassian languages as defined by their literary standards, Adyghe (КӀахыбзэ, West Circassian), with half a million speakers, and Kabardian (Къэбэрдейбзэ, East Circassian), with a million. The spoken languages, however, merge, with geographically intermediate dialects intelligible to both standards. 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.[2]

The terms "Circassian" and "Cherkess" are sometimes also used as synonyms for the Northwest Caucasian languages in general.

Circassian dialects

Each Circassian tribes' territories in 1750.
The Circassian dialects family tree.

Alphabet

Adyghe Alphabet

А а
[]
Б б
[b]
В в
[v]
Г г
[ɣ] or [ɡ]
Гу гу
[ɡʷ]
Гъ гъ
[ʁ]
Гъу гъу
[ʁʷ]
Д д
[d]
Дж дж
[d͡ʒ]
Дз дз
[d͡z]
Дзу дзу
[d͡zʷ]
Е е
[ja/aj]
Ё ё
[jo]
Ж ж
[ʒ]
Жъ жъ
[ʐ]
Жъу жъу
[ʒʷ]
Жь жь
[ʑ]
З з
[z]
И и
[jə/əj]
Й й
[j]
К к
[k]
Ку ку
[]
Къ къ
[q]
Къу къу
[]
Кӏ кӏ
[t͡ʃʼ/kʼ]
Кӏу кӏу
[kʷʼ]
Л л
[ɮ] or [l]
Лъ лъ
[l]
Лӏ лӏ
[ɬʼ]
М м
[m]
Н н
[ɮ]
О о
[aw/wa]
П п
[p]
Пӏ пӏ
[]
Пӏу пӏу
[pʷʼ]
Р р
[r]
С с
[s]
Т т
[t]
Тӏ тӏ
[]
Тӏу тӏу
[tʷʼ]
У у
[w/əw]
Ф ф
[f]
Х х
[x]
Ху ху
[]
Хъ хъ
[χ]
Хъу хъу
[χʷ]
Хь хь
[ħ]
Ц ц
[t͡s]
Цу цу
[t͡sʷ]
Цӏ цӏ
[t͡sʼ]
Ч ч
[t͡ʃ]
ЧI чI
[t͡ʃʼ]
Чъ чъ
[t͡ʂ]
Ш ш
[ʃ]
Шъ шъ
[ʂ]
Шъу шъу
[ʃʷ]
Шӏ Шӏ
[ʃʼ]
Шӏу шӏу
[ʃʷʼ]
Щ щ
[ɕ]
Ъ ъ
[ˠ]
Ы ы
[ə]
Ь ь
[ʲ]
Э э
[ɡ]
Ю ю
[ju]
Я я
[jaː]
ӏ
[ʔ]
ӏу
[ʔʷ]

Kabardian Alphabet

А а
[]
Э э
[ɡ]
Б б
[b]
В в
[v]
Г г
[ɣ]
Гу гу
[ɡʷ]
Гъ гъ
[ʁ]
Гъу гъу
[ʁʷ]
Д д
[d]
Дж дж
[d͡ʒ]
Дз дз
[d͡z]
Е е
[ja/aj]
Ё ё
[jo]
Ж ж
[ʒ]
Жь жь
[ʑ]
З з
[z]
И и
[jə/əj]
Й й
[j]
К к
[k]
Ку ку
[]
Къ къ
[q]
Къу къу
[]
Кхъ кхъ
[q͡χ]
Кхъу кхъу
[q͡χʷ]
Кӏ кӏ
[t͡ʃʼ/kʼ]
Кӏу кӏу
[kʷʼ]
Л л
[ɮ] or [l]
Лъ лъ
[l]
Лӏ лӏ
[ɬʼ]
М м
[m]
Н н
[ɮ]
О о
[aw/wa]
П п
[p]
Пӏ пӏ
[]
Р р
[r]
С с
[s]
Т т
[t]
Тӏ тӏ
[]
У у
[w/əw]
Ф ф
[f]
Фӏ фӏ
[]
Х х
[x]
Ху ху
[]
Хъ хъ
[χ]
Хъу хъу
[χʷ]
Хь хь
[ħ]
Ц ц
[t͡s]
Цӏ цӏ
[t͡sʼ]
Ч ч
[t͡ʃ]
Чӏ чӏ
[t͡ʃʼ]
Ш ш
[ʃ]
Щ щ
[ɕ]
Щӏ Щӏ
[ɕʼ]
Ъ ъ
[ˠ]
Ы ы
[ə]
Ь ь
[ʲ]
Ю ю
[ju]
Я я
[jaː]
ӏ
[ʔ]
ӏу
[ʔʷ]

Dialectal letters

Гь гь
[ɡʲ]
Зу зу
[]
Кь кь
[]
Кӏь кӏь
[kʲʼ]
Су су
[]
Сӏ сӏ
[]
Сӏу сӏу
[sʷʼ]
Цӏу цӏу
[t͡sʷʼ]
Чъу чъу
[t͡ʃʷ]
ӏь
[ʔʲ]

Sound changes

The major differences in the Circassian dialects

Sound changes between West Circassian (Temirgoy) and East Circassian (Kabardian) :

See also

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Circassian phrasebook.

Footnotes

  1. Nordhoff, Sebastian; Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2013). "Circassian". Glottolog. Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.
  2. Papşu, Murat (2006). "Çerkes-Adığe yazısının tarihçesi". Nart, İki Aylık Düşün ve Kültür Dergisi, Sayı 51, Eylül-Ekim 2006. (Turkish)

Literature

  • Кумахов М. А. Адыгские языки // Языки мира. Кавказские языки. М., 1999. (in Russian)
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