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]
Circassian | |
---|---|
Cherkess | |
Ethnicity | Circassians, Cherkesogai |
Geographic distribution | North Caucasus |
Linguistic classification | Northwest Caucasian
|
Proto-language | Proto-Circassian |
Subdivisions | |
Glottolog | circ1239 |
Circassian |
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]