Аҧсуа бызшәа
Abkhaz
NW Caucasian (Abkhaz-Abaza)
Abkhaz (аҧсуа бызшәа aṗsua byzšwa) is a Northwest Caucasian language with ~190K speakers, the official language of the partially recognized Republic of Abkhazia (de facto independent, de jure part of Georgia). It is famous in linguistics for having only 2 phonemic vowels (a, ə) but over 50 consonants — including labialized, palatalized, ejective, pharyngealized, and uvular series — and uses an extended Cyrillic alphabet of 64 letters. Almost every noun begins with the article prefix "а-" (the cat = а-цгә, "the cat"). Polypersonal verb agreement marks subject, direct object, indirect object, and applicatives. Closely related to Abaza of the North Caucasus.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Abkhaz
Water
аӡы
/adzə/
Fire
амца
/amtsa/
Sun
амра
/amra/
Moon
амза
/amza/
Star
аеҵәа
/ajtsʷʼa/
Mother
ан
/an/
Father
аб
/ab/
I
сара
/saˈra/
You
уара
/waˈra/
Name
ахьӡ
/axʲdz/
Eye
абла
/abla/
Hand
анапы
/anapə/
Heart
агәы
/aɡʷə/
Love
абзиабара
/abziabara/
Tree
аҵла
/atsʼla/
House
аҩны
/aːɥnə/
Dog
ала
/aˈlːa/
Cat
ацгәы
/atsɡʷə/
Eat
афара
/afara/
Drink
ажәра
/aʒʷra/
One
акы
/akə/
Two
ҩба
/ɥba/
Hello
мшыбзиа
/mʃəbzia/
Thank you
иҭабуп
/itʰabup/
Good
абзиа
/abzia/
Cuckoo
акәыкәы
/akʷǝkʷǝ/
Computer
акомпиутер
/akompiˈuter/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related NW Caucasian (Abkhaz-Abaza) languages
| Meaning | Abkhaz | Abaza | Kabardian | Adyghe | Ubykh | Mandaic | Avestan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | аӡы /adzə/ | дзы /dzə/ | псы /psə/ | псы /psə/ | bzə /bzə/ | ࡌࡉࡀ /mia/ | 𐬁𐬞 /aːp/ |
| Fire | амца /amtsa/ | мца /mtsa/ | мафӏэ /mafʼa/ | машӏо /maʃʼo/ | mzʼə /mzʼə/ | ࡍࡅࡓࡀ /nura/ | 𐬁𐬙𐬀𐬭 /aːtar/ |
| Sun | амра /amra/ | амра /amra/ | дыгъэ /dəʁa/ | тыгъэ /təʁa/ | dəɣʷa /dəɣʷa/ | ࡔࡀࡌࡔࡀ /ʃamʃa/ | 𐬵𐬎𐬎𐬀𐬭𐬆 /huwarə/ |
| Moon | амза /amza/ | мыза /məza/ | мазэ /maza/ | мазэ /maza/ | mazə /mazə/ | ࡎࡉࡓࡀ /sira/ | 𐬨𐬁𐬵 /maːh/ |
| Star | аеҵәа /ajtsʷʼa/ | аяҵва /ajatsʷʼa/ | вагъуэ /waːʁʷa/ | жъуагъо /ʐʷaːʁʷa/ | tʃʷʼakʲ /tʃʷʼakʲʼ/ | ࡊࡅࡊࡁࡀ /ˈkukba/ | 𐬯𐬙𐬀𐬭 /star/ |
| Mother | ан /an/ | ан /an/ | анэ /ana/ | ны /nə/ | nan /nan/ | ࡀࡌࡀ /ama/ | 𐬨𐬁𐬙𐬀𐬭 /maːtar/ |
| Father | аб /ab/ | аба /aba/ | адэ /ada/ | ты /tə/ | tʷə /tʷə/ | ࡀࡁࡀ /aba/ | 𐬞𐬌𐬙𐬀𐬭 /pitar/ |
| I | сара /saˈra/ | сара /saˈra/ | сэ /sa/ | сэ /sa/ | sʁʷa /sʁʷa/ | ࡀࡍࡀ /ˈana/ | 𐬀𐬰𐬆𐬨 /azəm/ |
| You | уара /waˈra/ | уара /waˈra/ | уэ /wa/ | о /wə/ | wʁʷa /wʁʷa/ | ࡀࡍࡀࡕ /at/ | 𐬙𐬏𐬨 /tuːm/ |
| Name | ахьӡ /axʲdz/ | хьыз /xʲəz/ | цӀэ /tsʼə/ | цӀэ /tsʼə/ | pʼtsʼa /pʼtsʼa/ | ࡔࡅࡌࡀ /ˈʃuma/ | 𐬥𐬁𐬨𐬀𐬥 /naːman/ |
| Eye | абла /abla/ | ла /la/ | нэ /na/ | нэ /na/ | bla /bla/ | ࡏࡉࡍࡀ /ʔina/ | 𐬗𐬀𐬱𐬨𐬀𐬥 /tʃaʃman/ |
| Hand | анапы /anapə/ | напы /napə/ | ӏэ /ʔa/ | ӏэ /ʔa/ | ɂa /ʔa/ | ࡏࡃࡀ /ʔida/ | 𐬰𐬀𐬯𐬙𐬀 /zasta/ |
| Heart | агәы /aɡʷə/ | гвы /ɡʷə/ | гу /ɡʷə/ | гу /ɡʷə/ | gʷə /ɡʷə/ | ࡋࡉࡁࡀ /liba/ | 𐬰𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬛 /zərəd/ |
| Love | абзиабара /abziabara/ | бзиабара /bziabara/ | лъагъуныгъэ /ɬaʁʷənəʁa/ | шӏу лъэгъун /ʃʷʼə ɬaʁʷən/ | — /—/ | ࡓࡅࡄࡌࡀ /ɾuhma/ | 𐬟𐬭𐬌𐬌𐬀 /frija/ |
| Tree | аҵла /atsʼla/ | ҵла /tsʼla/ | жыг /ʒəɡ/ | чыгы /tʃəɡə/ | — /—/ | ࡏࡋࡀࡍࡀ /ilana/ | 𐬬𐬀𐬉𐬯𐬀 /waesa/ |
| House | аҩны /aːɥnə/ | айни /ajni/ | унэ /wəna/ | унэ /wəna/ | tʷəna /tʷəna/ | ࡁࡉࡕࡀ /bita/ | 𐬥𐬨𐬁𐬥𐬀 /nmaːna/ |
| Dog | ала /aˈlːa/ | ла /la/ | хьэ /ħa/ | хьэ /ħa/ | la /la/ | ࡊࡀࡋࡁࡀ /kalba/ | 𐬯𐬞𐬁 /spaː/ |
| Cat | ацгәы /atsɡʷə/ | цгва /tsɡwa/ | джэду /dʒadu/ | чэтыу /tʃatəw/ | — /—/ | ࡔࡅࡍࡀࡓࡀ /ʃunara/ | — /—/ |
| Eat | афара /afara/ | фара /fara/ | шхэн /ʃxan/ | шхэн /ʃxan/ | — /—/ | ࡀࡊࡀࡋ /akal/ | 𐬑𐬬𐬀𐬭 /xwar/ |
| Drink | ажәра /aʒʷra/ | жвара /ʒwara/ | ефэн /jafan/ | ефэн /jafan/ | — /—/ | ࡔࡕࡀ /ʃta/ | 𐬞𐬁 /paː/ |
| One | акы /akə/ | заку /zaku/ | зы /zə/ | зы /zə/ | za /za/ | ࡄࡀࡃ /had/ | 𐬀𐬉𐬬𐬀 /aewa/ |
| Two | ҩба /ɥba/ | ҩба /ɥba/ | тӀу /tʷʼə/ | тӀу /tʷʼə/ | tqʷʼa /tqʷʼa/ | ࡕࡓࡉࡍ /tren/ | 𐬛𐬬𐬀 /dva/ |
| Hello | мшыбзиа /mʃəbzia/ | мшыбзи /mʃəbzi/ | фӏэхъус /fʼaqʷəs/ | шӏуфес /ʃʼwafes/ | — /—/ | ࡔࡋࡀࡌࡀ /ʃlama/ | — /—/ |
| Thank you | иҭабуп /itʰabup/ | таабит /taːbit/ | фӏыщӏэ /fʼəʃʼa/ | тхьауегъэпсэу /tħawajaʁapsaw/ | — /—/ | ࡈࡀࡁࡅࡕࡀ /ʈabuta/ | — /—/ |
| Good | абзиа /abzia/ | бзи /bzi/ | фӏы /fʼə/ | дэгъу /daʁʷ/ | — /—/ | ࡈࡀࡁࡀ /tˤaba/ | 𐬬𐬊𐬵𐬎 /vohu/ |
| Cuckoo | акәыкәы /akʷǝkʷǝ/ | квыква /kʷǝkʷa/ | кӏыгуугу /tʃʼǝɡʷuːɡʷ/ | кукуу /kʷǝkʷǝw/ | kʷǝgʷ /kʷǝɡʷ/ | — | — |
| Computer | акомпиутер /akompiˈuter/ | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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