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
20 core words in Adyghe
Water
псы
/psə/
Fire
машӏо
/maʃʼo/
Sun
тыгъэ
/təʁa/
Moon
мазэ
/maza/
Mother
ны
/nə/
Father
ты
/tə/
Eat
шхэн
/ʃxan/
Drink
ефэн
/jafan/
Love
шӏу шӏэгъу
/ʃʼʷə ʃʼaʁʷə/
Heart
гу
/ɡʷə/
Tree
чыгы
/tʃəɡə/
House
унэ
/wəna/
Dog
хьэ
/ħa/
Cat
чэтыу
/tʃatəw/
Hand
ӏэ
/ʔa/
Eye
нэ
/na/
Hello
шӏуфес
/ʃʼwafes/
Thank you
тхьауегъэпсэу
/tħawajaʁapsaw/
One
зы
/zə/
Good
дэгъу
/daʁʷ/
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 | Neapolitan | Yiddish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | псы /psə/ | псы /psə/ | bzə /bzə/ | дзы /d͡zə/ | аӡы /adzə/ | acqua /akkwə/ | וואַסער /vasər/ |
| Fire | машӏо /maʃʼo/ | мафӏэ /mafʼa/ | mzʼə /mzʼə/ | мца /mt͡sa/ | амца /amtsa/ | fuoco /fwɔkə/ | פֿײַער /fajər/ |
| Sun | тыгъэ /təʁa/ | дыгъэ /dəʁa/ | dəɣʷa /dəɣʷa/ | амра /amra/ | амра /amra/ | sole /solə/ | זון /zun/ |
| Moon | мазэ /maza/ | мазэ /maza/ | mazə /mazə/ | мыза /məza/ | амза /amza/ | luna /lunə/ | לבֿנה /ləvɔnə/ |
| Mother | ны /nə/ | анэ /ana/ | nan /nan/ | ан /an/ | ан /an/ | mamma /mammə/ | מאַמע /mamə/ |
| Father | ты /tə/ | адэ /ada/ | tʷə /tʷə/ | аб /ab/ | аб /ab/ | pate /patə/ | טאַטע /tatə/ |
| Eat | шхэн /ʃxan/ | шхэн /ʃxan/ | — /—/ | фара /fara/ | афара /afara/ | mangià /mandʒa/ | עסן /ɛsn/ |
| Drink | ефэн /jafan/ | ефэн /jafan/ | — /—/ | жвара /ʒwara/ | ажәра /aʒʷra/ | vevere /vevərə/ | טרינקען /trɪŋkən/ |
| Love | шӏу шӏэгъу /ʃʼʷə ʃʼaʁʷə/ | лъагъуныгъэ /ɬaʁʷənəʁa/ | — /—/ | бзиабара /bziabara/ | абзиабара /abziabara/ | ammore /ammorə/ | ליבע /libə/ |
| Heart | гу /ɡʷə/ | гу /ɡʷə/ | gʷə /ɡʷə/ | гвы /ɡʷə/ | агәы /aɡʷə/ | core /korə/ | האַרץ /harts/ |
| Tree | чыгы /tʃəɡə/ | жыг /ʒəɡ/ | — /—/ | ҵла /t͡sʼla/ | аҵла /atsʼla/ | àrvero /arvərə/ | בוים /bɔɪm/ |
| House | унэ /wəna/ | унэ /wəna/ | tʷəna /tʷəna/ | айни /ajni/ | аҩны /aːɥnə/ | casa /kasə/ | הויז /hɔɪz/ |
| Dog | хьэ /ħa/ | хьэ /ħa/ | la /la/ | ла /la/ | ала /aˈlːa/ | cane /kanə/ | הונט /hunt/ |
| Cat | чэтыу /tʃatəw/ | джэду /dʒadu/ | — /—/ | цгва /t͡sɡwa/ | ацгәы /atsɡʷə/ | jatto /jattə/ | קאַץ /kats/ |
| Hand | ӏэ /ʔa/ | ӏэ /ʔa/ | ɂa /ʔa/ | напы /napə/ | анапы /anapə/ | mano /manə/ | האַנט /hant/ |
| Eye | нэ /na/ | нэ /na/ | bla /bla/ | ла /la/ | абла /abla/ | uocchio /wɔkkjə/ | אויג /ɔɪɡ/ |
| Hello | шӏуфес /ʃʼwafes/ | фӏэхъус /fʼaqʷəs/ | — /—/ | мшыбзи /mʃəbzi/ | мшыбзиа /mʃəbzia/ | uè /wɛ/ | שלום־עליכם /ʃoləm aleɪxəm/ |
| Thank you | тхьауегъэпсэу /tħawajaʁapsaw/ | фӏыщӏэ /fʼəʃʼa/ | — /—/ | таабит /taːbit/ | иҭабуп /itʼabup/ | grazie /ɡratsjə/ | אַ דאַנק /a daŋk/ |
| One | зы /zə/ | зы /zə/ | za /za/ | заку /zaku/ | акы /akə/ | uno /unə/ | איינס /eɪns/ |
| Good | дэгъу /daʁʷ/ | фӏы /fʼə/ | — /—/ | бзи /bzi/ | абзиа /abzia/ | buono /bwɔnə/ | גוט /ɡut/ |
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