Адыгабзэ
Adyghe
NW Caucasian (Circassian)
Adyghe (West Circassian, Адыгабзэ Adygabze) is a Northwest Caucasian Circassian language with ~600K speakers — co-official with Russian in the Russian Republic of Adygea (~120K), with the majority living as diaspora in Turkey (~300K), Jordan, Syria, Israel, and the USA. The diaspora descends from the 1864 Russian expulsion of Circassians (мухаджирство Muhajirstvo) following the Russo-Circassian War. The Western counterpart of Kabardian (East Circassian), Adyghe features one of the largest consonant inventories of any natural language — over 50 consonants including 4-way contrasts (plain/voiced/ejective/labialized) and rare lateral fricatives. Cyrillic script since 1938 (after Latin 1927-1938, Arabic-derived pre-1927). Ergative-absolutive with polysynthetic verb morphology.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Adyghe
Water
псы
/psə/
Fire
машӏо
/maʃʼo/
Sun
тыгъэ
/təʁa/
Moon
мазэ
/maza/
Star
жъуагъо
/ʐʷaːʁʷa/
Mother
ны
/nə/
Father
ты
/tə/
I
сэ
/sa/
You
о
/wə/
Name
цӀэ
/tsʼə/
Eye
нэ
/na/
Hand
ӏэ
/ʔa/
Heart
гу
/ɡʷə/
Love
шӏу лъэгъун
/ʃʷʼə ɬaʁʷən/
Tree
чыгы
/tʃəɡə/
House
унэ
/wəna/
Dog
хьэ
/ħa/
Cat
чэтыу
/tʃatəw/
Eat
шхэн
/ʃxan/
Drink
ефэн
/jafan/
One
зы
/zə/
Two
тӀу
/tʷʼə/
Hello
шӏуфес
/ʃʼwafes/
Thank you
тхьауегъэпсэу
/tħawajaʁapsaw/
Good
дэгъу
/daʁʷ/
Cuckoo
кукуу
/kʷǝkʷǝw/
Sources
- Smeets (1984) Studies in West Circassian Phonology and Morphology
- Kuipers (1960) Phoneme and Morpheme in Kabardian
- Ethnologue: ady
Words compared
Compared with related NW Caucasian (Circassian) languages
| Meaning | Adyghe | Kabardian | Ubykh | Abaza | Abkhaz | Lak | Kuy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | псы /psə/ | псы /psə/ | bzə /bzə/ | дзы /dzə/ | аӡы /adzə/ | щин /ʃin/ | ɗaːʔ /ɗaʔ/ |
| Fire | машӏо /maʃʼo/ | мафӏэ /mafʼa/ | mzʼə /mzʼə/ | мца /mtsa/ | амца /amtsa/ | цӏу /tsʼu/ | fəj /fəj/ |
| Sun | тыгъэ /təʁa/ | дыгъэ /dəʁa/ | dəɣʷa /dəɣʷa/ | амра /amra/ | амра /amra/ | бургъ /burʁ/ | tʰaj /tʰaj/ |
| Moon | мазэ /maza/ | мазэ /maza/ | mazə /mazə/ | мыза /məza/ | амза /amza/ | барз /barz/ | luəŋ /luəŋ/ |
| Star | жъуагъо /ʐʷaːʁʷa/ | вагъуэ /waːʁʷa/ | tʃʷʼakʲ /tʃʷʼakʲʼ/ | аяҵва /ajatsʷʼa/ | аеҵәа /ajtsʷʼa/ | цӀукӀу /tsʼukʼu/ | simʔaang /simʔaːŋ/ |
| Mother | ны /nə/ | анэ /ana/ | nan /nan/ | ан /an/ | ан /an/ | нину /ninu/ | mə /mə/ |
| Father | ты /tə/ | адэ /ada/ | tʷə /tʷə/ | аба /aba/ | аб /ab/ | ппу /pːu/ | pə /pə/ |
| I | сэ /sa/ | сэ /sa/ | sʁʷa /sʁʷa/ | сара /saˈra/ | сара /saˈra/ | на /na/ | aɲ /ʔaɲ/ |
| You | о /wə/ | уэ /wa/ | wʁʷa /wʁʷa/ | уара /waˈra/ | уара /waˈra/ | ина /ina/ | may /mɛː/ |
| Name | цӀэ /tsʼə/ | цӀэ /tsʼə/ | pʼtsʼa /pʼtsʼa/ | хьыз /xʲəz/ | ахьӡ /axʲdz/ | цӀа /tsʼa/ | ngaan /ŋaːn/ |
| Eye | нэ /na/ | нэ /na/ | bla /bla/ | ла /la/ | абла /abla/ | я /ja/ | mɜ̤t /mɜt/ |
| Hand | ӏэ /ʔa/ | ӏэ /ʔa/ | ɂa /ʔa/ | напы /napə/ | анапы /anapə/ | ка /ka/ | təy /təj/ |
| Heart | гу /ɡʷə/ | гу /ɡʷə/ | gʷə /ɡʷə/ | гвы /ɡʷə/ | агәы /aɡʷə/ | дакӏ /dakʼ/ | chlaj /tʂlaj/ |
| Love | шӏу лъэгъун /ʃʷʼə ɬaʁʷən/ | лъагъуныгъэ /ɬaʁʷənəʁa/ | — /—/ | бзиабара /bziabara/ | абзиабара /abziabara/ | ччан /tʃːan/ | phɯ /pʰɯ/ |
| Tree | чыгы /tʃəɡə/ | жыг /ʒəɡ/ | — /—/ | ҵла /tsʼla/ | аҵла /atsʼla/ | мурхь /muɾħ/ | ʔəŋ /ʔəŋ/ |
| House | унэ /wəna/ | унэ /wəna/ | tʷəna /tʷəna/ | айни /ajni/ | аҩны /aːɥnə/ | къатта /qatːa/ | pno /pno/ |
| Dog | хьэ /ħa/ | хьэ /ħa/ | la /la/ | ла /la/ | ала /aˈlːa/ | ккун /kːun/ | sŋaːʔ /ŋaʔ/ |
| Cat | чэтыу /tʃatəw/ | джэду /dʒadu/ | — /—/ | цгва /tsɡwa/ | ацгәы /atsɡʷə/ | ккац /kːats/ | chhlɔːk /tʂɔk/ |
| Eat | шхэн /ʃxan/ | шхэн /ʃxan/ | — /—/ | фара /fara/ | афара /afara/ | ккаву /kːavu/ | sap /sap/ |
| Drink | ефэн /jafan/ | ефэн /jafan/ | — /—/ | жвара /ʒwara/ | ажәра /aʒʷra/ | гьавхь /ʕavħ/ | suəm /suəm/ |
| One | зы /zə/ | зы /zə/ | za /za/ | заку /zaku/ | акы /akə/ | ца /tsa/ | mṳːy /muj/ |
| Two | тӀу /tʷʼə/ | тӀу /tʷʼə/ | tqʷʼa /tqʷʼa/ | ҩба /ɥba/ | ҩба /ɥba/ | кӀива /kʼiwa/ | bar /ɓaːr/ |
| Hello | шӏуфес /ʃʼwafes/ | фӏэхъус /fʼaqʷəs/ | — /—/ | мшыбзи /mʃəbzi/ | мшыбзиа /mʃəbzia/ | салам /salam/ | sabaaj /sabaːj/ |
| Thank you | тхьауегъэпсэу /tħawajaʁapsaw/ | фӏыщӏэ /fʼəʃʼa/ | — /—/ | таабит /taːbit/ | иҭабуп /itʰabup/ | барчаллагь /baɾtʃalːaʁ/ | khɔp /kʰɔp/ |
| Good | дэгъу /daʁʷ/ | фӏы /fʼə/ | — /—/ | бзи /bzi/ | абзиа /abzia/ | хъинсса /qinsːa/ | ɟɔ /dʑɔ/ |
| Cuckoo | кукуу /kʷǝkʷǝw/ | кӏыгуугу /tʃʼǝɡʷuːɡʷ/ | kʷǝgʷ /kʷǝɡʷ/ | квыква /kʷǝkʷa/ | акәыкәы /akʷǝkʷǝ/ | ччикку /tʃːikːu/ | — |
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