Proto-Circassian
Encyclopedia
Proto-Circassian is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Adyghean
and Kabardian
languages.
In other words, Adyghe retains the distinction between *a and *ǝ in the 2nd syllable, if it was originally stressed; the 2nd syllable vowel is dropped in originally unstressed syllables. Kabardian retains the distinction uniformly, by dropping *ǝ but not *a. Both groups retain the quality distinction in the first syllable, and additionally display a long vowel in roots of the original shape *CaCa (regardless of stress).
contrast in stops
and affricates
, and a two-way contrast in fricatives
.
The most noticeable changes are:
Adyghe language
Adyghe language , also known as West Circassian , is one of the two official languages of the Republic of Adygea in the Russian Federation, the other being Russian. It is spoken by various tribes of the Adyghe people: Abzekh, Adamey, Bzhedugh; Hatukuay, Kemirgoy, Makhosh; Natekuay, Shapsigh; Zhane,...
and Kabardian
Kabardian language
The Kabardian language, also known as East Circassian , is a Northwest Caucasian language, closely related to the Adyghe language. It is spoken mainly in the Russian republics of Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia and in Turkey and the Middle East...
languages.
Vocalism and accent
In bisyllabic roots, two possible places of accent are reconstructed, with the following development of structures in descendant languages:| PAK | Adyghean | Kabardian |
|---|---|---|
| *ˈCa.Ca | CaːC | Caː.Ca |
| *ˈCa.Cǝ | CaC | CaC |
| *ˈCǝ.Ca | CǝC | Cǝ.Ca |
| *ˈCǝ.Cǝ | CǝC | CǝC |
| *Ca.ˈCa | Caː.Ca | Caː.Ca |
| *Ca.ˈCǝ | Ca.Cǝ | CaC |
| *Cǝ.ˈCa | Cǝ.Ca | Cǝ.Ca |
| *Cǝ.ˈCǝ | Cǝ.Cǝ | CǝC |
In other words, Adyghe retains the distinction between *a and *ǝ in the 2nd syllable, if it was originally stressed; the 2nd syllable vowel is dropped in originally unstressed syllables. Kabardian retains the distinction uniformly, by dropping *ǝ but not *a. Both groups retain the quality distinction in the first syllable, and additionally display a long vowel in roots of the original shape *CaCa (regardless of stress).
Consonants
The consonant system is reconstructed with a four-way phonationPhonation
Phonation has slightly different meanings depending on the subfield of phonetics. Among some phoneticians, phonation is the process by which the vocal folds produce certain sounds through quasi-periodic vibration. This is the definition used among those who study laryngeal anatomy and physiology...
contrast in stops
Stop consonant
In phonetics, a plosive, also known as an occlusive or an oral stop, is a stop consonant in which the vocal tract is blocked so that all airflow ceases. The occlusion may be done with the tongue , lips , and &...
and affricates
Affricate consonant
Affricates are consonants that begin as stops but release as a fricative rather than directly into the following vowel.- Samples :...
, and a two-way contrast in fricatives
Fricative consonant
Fricatives are consonants produced by forcing air through a narrow channel made by placing two articulators close together. These may be the lower lip against the upper teeth, in the case of ; the back of the tongue against the soft palate, in the case of German , the final consonant of Bach; or...
.
| PAK | Adyghean | Kabardian | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bzhedug Bzhedug In Russia, the Bzhedug are one of the twelve tribal divisions of the Adyghe. In the 19th century they were considered to be a distinct ethnic group. Many of them emigrated to Turkey in the 1860s, but there was still a community of Bzedug on the left bank of the Kuban River in the 1980s.... | Temirgoy | ||
| *p | p | p | |
| *pː | pː | p | b |
| *b | b | b | |
| *pʼ | pʼ | pʼ | |
| *w | w | w | |
| *m | m | m | |
| *t | t | t | |
| *tː | tː | t | d |
| *d | d | d | |
| *tʼ | tʼ | tʼ | |
| *r | r | r | |
| *n | n | n | |
| *ts | ts | ts | |
| *tsː | tsː | ts | dz |
| *dz | dz | dz | |
| *tsʼ | tsʼ | tsʼ | |
| *s | s | s | |
| *z | z | z | |
| *tsʷ | tsʲʷ | f | |
| *tsʷː | tsʲʷː | tsʲʷ | v |
| *dzʷ | zʲʷ | v | |
| *tsʼʷ | sʼʲʷ | fʼ | |
| *sʷ | sʲʷ | f | |
| *zʷ | zʲʷ | v | |
| *tsʲ | tʃʲ | sʲ | |
| *dzʲ | dʒʲ | zʲ | |
| *tsʼʲ | sʼʲ | sʼʲ | |
| *sʲ | sʲ | sʲ | |
| *zʲ | zʲ | zʲ | |
| *tʃ | ʃ | ʃ | |
| *tʃː | tʃː | tʃ | ʒ |
| *tʃʼ | tʃʼ | sʼʲ | |
| *ʃ | ʃ | sʲ | |
| *ʃː | ʃː | ʃ | sʲ |
| *ʒ | ʒ | zʲ | |
The most noticeable changes are:
- The reflexes of a series of obstruent consonants, described as "tense" or "geminate". In Kabardian, they become simple voiced consonants, while in Adyghe, the outcome depends on the dialect: in Bzhed, these remain as tense, in Temirgoy, they become simple voiceless consonants.
- Many ejective affricates become ejective fricatives.
- A series of labialized alveolar sibilant affricates and fricatives becomes labiopalatalizedLabio-palatalizationA labio-palatalized sound is one that is simultaneously labialized and palatalized. Typically the roundedness is compressed, like , rather than protruded like . The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet for this secondary articulation is , a superscript , the symbol for the labio-palatal...
in Adyghe, and labiodentalLabiodental consonantIn phonetics, labiodentals are consonants articulated with the lower lip and the upper teeth.-Labiodental consonant in IPA:The labiodental consonants identified by the International Phonetic Alphabet are:...
in Kabardian.