Circassian | |
---|---|
Cherkess | |
Ethnicity | Circassians, Cherkesogai |
Geographic distribution | North Caucasus |
Linguistic classification |
Northwest Caucasian
|
Proto-language | Proto-Circassian |
Subdivisions | |
Glottolog | circ1239 |
Circassian |
Circassian ( /sɜːrˈkæʃən/ sur-KASH-ən), also known as Cherkess ( /tʃɜːrˈkɛs/ chur-KESS), is a subdivision of the Northwest Caucasian language family, spoken by the Circassian people. There are two Circassian languages, defined by their literary standards, Adyghe (кӀахыбзэ; also known as West Circassian), with half a million speakers, and Kabardian (къэбэрдейбзэ; also known as East Circassian), with a million. 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 languages are in the Arabic script, recorded by the Turkish traveller Evliya Çelebi in the 17th century, [1] although the Greek and Georgian alphabets were adapted for them in ancient and medieval times. [2]
There is consensus among the linguistic community about the fact that Adyghe and Kabardian are typologically distinct languages. [3] [4] [5] However, the local terms for these languages refer to them as dialects. The Circassian people call themselves адыгэ (adyge; English: Adyghe) in their native language. In the southwestern part of European Russia, there is also a Federal Subject called Adygea ( Russian: Адыгея, Adygeya), 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 адыгские (adygskie, meaning the Adyghe languages), whereas the Adyghe language is called адыгейский (adygeyskiy, 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.
A Circassian dialects family tree. |
А а [ aː] |
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] or [ ʐʷ] |
Жь жь [ ʑ] |
З з [ z] |
И и [jə/əj] |
Й й [ j] |
К к [ k] |
Ку ку [ kʷ] |
Къ къ [ q] |
Къу къу [ qʷ] |
Кӏ кӏ [ t͡ʃʼ/kʼ] |
Кӏу кӏу [ kʷʼ] |
Л л [ ɮ] or [ l] |
Лъ лъ [ ɬ] |
Лӏ лӏ [ ɬʼ] |
М м [ m] |
Н н [ n] |
О о [aw/wa] |
П п [ p] |
Пӏ пӏ [ pʼ] |
Пӏу пӏу [ pʷʼ] |
Р р [ r] |
С с [ s] |
Т т [ t] |
Тӏ тӏ [ tʼ] |
Тӏу тӏу [ tʷʼ] |
У у [ w/əw] |
Ф ф [ f] |
Х х [ x] |
Ху ху [ xʷ] |
Хъ хъ [ χ] |
Хъу хъу [ χʷ] |
Хь хь [ ħ] |
Ц ц [ t͡s] |
Цу цу [ t͡sʷ] |
Цӏ цӏ [ t͡sʼ] |
Ч ч [ t͡ʃ] |
Чӏ чӏ [ t͡ʂʼ] |
Чъ чъ [ t͡ʂ] |
Ш ш [ ʃ] |
Шъ шъ [ ʂ] |
Шъу шъу [ ʃʷ] or [ ʂʷ] |
Шӏ шӏ [ ʃʼ] |
Шӏу шӏу [ ʃʷʼ] |
Щ щ [ ɕ] |
Ъ ъ [ ˠ] |
Ы ы [ ə] |
Ь ь [ ʲ] |
Э э [ a] |
Ю ю [ju] |
Я я [jaː] |
ӏ [ ʔ] |
ӏу [ ʔʷ] |
А а [ aː] |
Э э [ a] |
Б б [ b] |
В в [ v] |
Г г [ ɣ] |
Гу гу [ ɡʷ] |
Гъ гъ [ ʁ] |
Гъу гъу [ ʁʷ] |
Д д [ d] |
Дж дж [ d͡ʒ] or [ ɡʲ] |
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 [ kʷ] |
Къ къ [ q] |
Къу къу [ qʷ] |
Кхъ кхъ [ q͡χ] |
Кхъу кхъу [ q͡χʷ] |
Кӏ кӏ [ t͡ʃʼ] or [ kʲʼ] |
Кӏу кӏу [ kʷʼ] |
Л л [ ɮ] or [ l] |
Лъ лъ [ ɬ] |
Лӏ лӏ [ ɬʼ] |
М м [ m] |
Н н [ n] |
О о [aw/wa] |
П п [ p] |
Пӏ пӏ [ pʼ] |
Р р [ r] |
С с [ s] |
Т т [ t] |
Тӏ тӏ [ tʼ] |
У у [ w/əw] |
Ф ф [ f] |
Фӏ фӏ [ fʼ] |
Х х [ x] |
Ху ху [ xʷ] |
Хъ хъ [ χ] |
Хъу хъу [ χʷ] |
Хь хь [ ħ] |
Ц ц [ t͡s] |
Цӏ цӏ [ t͡sʼ] |
Ч ч [ t͡ʃ] |
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] |
Гь гь [ ɡʲ] |
Кь кь [ kʲ] |
Кӏь кӏь [ kʲʼ] |
Сӏ сӏ [ sʼ] |
Чу чу [ t͡ʃʷ] |
ӏь [ ʔʲ] |
Sound changes between Adyghe (Temirgoy) and Kabardian: [6]
Circassian languages contain "many loan-words from Arabic, Turkish, Persian (particularly in the area of religion) and Russian". [7]
Circassian | |
---|---|
Cherkess | |
Ethnicity | Circassians, Cherkesogai |
Geographic distribution | North Caucasus |
Linguistic classification |
Northwest Caucasian
|
Proto-language | Proto-Circassian |
Subdivisions | |
Glottolog | circ1239 |
Circassian |
Circassian ( /sɜːrˈkæʃən/ sur-KASH-ən), also known as Cherkess ( /tʃɜːrˈkɛs/ chur-KESS), is a subdivision of the Northwest Caucasian language family, spoken by the Circassian people. There are two Circassian languages, defined by their literary standards, Adyghe (кӀахыбзэ; also known as West Circassian), with half a million speakers, and Kabardian (къэбэрдейбзэ; also known as East Circassian), with a million. 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 languages are in the Arabic script, recorded by the Turkish traveller Evliya Çelebi in the 17th century, [1] although the Greek and Georgian alphabets were adapted for them in ancient and medieval times. [2]
There is consensus among the linguistic community about the fact that Adyghe and Kabardian are typologically distinct languages. [3] [4] [5] However, the local terms for these languages refer to them as dialects. The Circassian people call themselves адыгэ (adyge; English: Adyghe) in their native language. In the southwestern part of European Russia, there is also a Federal Subject called Adygea ( Russian: Адыгея, Adygeya), 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 адыгские (adygskie, meaning the Adyghe languages), whereas the Adyghe language is called адыгейский (adygeyskiy, 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.
A Circassian dialects family tree. |
А а [ aː] |
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] or [ ʐʷ] |
Жь жь [ ʑ] |
З з [ z] |
И и [jə/əj] |
Й й [ j] |
К к [ k] |
Ку ку [ kʷ] |
Къ къ [ q] |
Къу къу [ qʷ] |
Кӏ кӏ [ t͡ʃʼ/kʼ] |
Кӏу кӏу [ kʷʼ] |
Л л [ ɮ] or [ l] |
Лъ лъ [ ɬ] |
Лӏ лӏ [ ɬʼ] |
М м [ m] |
Н н [ n] |
О о [aw/wa] |
П п [ p] |
Пӏ пӏ [ pʼ] |
Пӏу пӏу [ pʷʼ] |
Р р [ r] |
С с [ s] |
Т т [ t] |
Тӏ тӏ [ tʼ] |
Тӏу тӏу [ tʷʼ] |
У у [ w/əw] |
Ф ф [ f] |
Х х [ x] |
Ху ху [ xʷ] |
Хъ хъ [ χ] |
Хъу хъу [ χʷ] |
Хь хь [ ħ] |
Ц ц [ t͡s] |
Цу цу [ t͡sʷ] |
Цӏ цӏ [ t͡sʼ] |
Ч ч [ t͡ʃ] |
Чӏ чӏ [ t͡ʂʼ] |
Чъ чъ [ t͡ʂ] |
Ш ш [ ʃ] |
Шъ шъ [ ʂ] |
Шъу шъу [ ʃʷ] or [ ʂʷ] |
Шӏ шӏ [ ʃʼ] |
Шӏу шӏу [ ʃʷʼ] |
Щ щ [ ɕ] |
Ъ ъ [ ˠ] |
Ы ы [ ə] |
Ь ь [ ʲ] |
Э э [ a] |
Ю ю [ju] |
Я я [jaː] |
ӏ [ ʔ] |
ӏу [ ʔʷ] |
А а [ aː] |
Э э [ a] |
Б б [ b] |
В в [ v] |
Г г [ ɣ] |
Гу гу [ ɡʷ] |
Гъ гъ [ ʁ] |
Гъу гъу [ ʁʷ] |
Д д [ d] |
Дж дж [ d͡ʒ] or [ ɡʲ] |
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 [ kʷ] |
Къ къ [ q] |
Къу къу [ qʷ] |
Кхъ кхъ [ q͡χ] |
Кхъу кхъу [ q͡χʷ] |
Кӏ кӏ [ t͡ʃʼ] or [ kʲʼ] |
Кӏу кӏу [ kʷʼ] |
Л л [ ɮ] or [ l] |
Лъ лъ [ ɬ] |
Лӏ лӏ [ ɬʼ] |
М м [ m] |
Н н [ n] |
О о [aw/wa] |
П п [ p] |
Пӏ пӏ [ pʼ] |
Р р [ r] |
С с [ s] |
Т т [ t] |
Тӏ тӏ [ tʼ] |
У у [ w/əw] |
Ф ф [ f] |
Фӏ фӏ [ fʼ] |
Х х [ x] |
Ху ху [ xʷ] |
Хъ хъ [ χ] |
Хъу хъу [ χʷ] |
Хь хь [ ħ] |
Ц ц [ t͡s] |
Цӏ цӏ [ t͡sʼ] |
Ч ч [ t͡ʃ] |
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] |
Гь гь [ ɡʲ] |
Кь кь [ kʲ] |
Кӏь кӏь [ kʲʼ] |
Сӏ сӏ [ sʼ] |
Чу чу [ t͡ʃʷ] |
ӏь [ ʔʲ] |
Sound changes between Adyghe (Temirgoy) and Kabardian: [6]
Circassian languages contain "many loan-words from Arabic, Turkish, Persian (particularly in the area of religion) and Russian". [7]