Proto-Circassian

Proto-Circassian language

Proto-Circassian language

Reconstructed ancestor of the Circassian languages


Proto-Circassian (or Proto-Adyghe–Kabardian) is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Adyghean and Kabardian languages.

Quick Facts Reconstruction of, Reconstructedancestor ...

Phonology

ProtoCircassian
East Circassian
West Circassian
Kuban river
Black Sea coast
A Circassian dialects family tree.
The major differences in the Circassian dialects

Consonants

The consonant system is reconstructed with a four-way phonation contrast in stops and affricates, and a two-way contrast in fricatives.

More information Proto Circassian, Western Circassian ...

Aspirated consonants to plain

In the Proto-Circassian there was a series of aspirated consonants that survived in the Shapsug and Bzhedugh dialect while they became plain consonants in the other dialects.

More information Word, Proto Circassian ...

Plain voiceless consonants to voiced

In the Proto-Circassian there was a series of tense consonants that became voiced in the eastern dialects.

More information Word, Proto Circassian ...

Velar consonants to palato-alveolar

In the Proto-Circassian language there exist a palatalized voiced velar stop [ɡʲ] гь, a palatalized aspirated voiceless velar stop [kʰʲ], a palatalized voiceless velar stop [kʲ] кь and a palatalized velar ejective [kʲʼ] кӏь. The consonants гь [ɡʲ], кь [] and кӏь [kʲʼ] survive in the Shapsug dialect, in the Besleney dialect and in the Kabardian Uzunyayla dialect.[1] In other Circassian dialects they were merged with the palato-alveolar consonants дж [d͡ʒ], ч [t͡ʃ] and кӏ [t͡ʃʼ] respectively.[2][3][4]

More information Word, Proto Circassian ...

Affricate to fricative

In the Abzakh and the Kabardian dialects, the affricate postalveolar consonants became fricative.

More information Word, Proto Circassian ...

Labialized voiceless velar fricative

Proto-Circassian had a labialized voiceless velar fricative [xʷ] which survived in the eastern dialects while it became a voiceless labiodental fricative [f] in the western dialects.

  • хуf ф
More information Word, Proto Circassian ...

Labialized postalveolar

Proto-Circassian had a series of labialized postalveolar consonants (t͡ɕʷ, ʑʷ, ɕʷ and ɕʷʼ). These consonants survived in the western dialects while they became labiodental consonants in the eastern dialects.

  • t͡ɕʷ цуv v
  • ʑʷ жъуv v
  • ɕʷ шъуf ф
  • ɕʷʼ шӏу фӏ
More information Word, Proto Circassian ...

Grammar

Numbers

More information English, Ubykh ...

Schleicher's fable

Schleicher's fable in Proto-Circassian:

χʷǝ č́ʷara-gjǝ

χʷǝ ja laśʷam mә q́ˤ:an

č́ʷara pǝʎ́an;

mǝ χwanǝta k:ʷǝm q:irǝ,

mǝ čʷǝχʷa čʷam,

mǝ ć̣ǝm pasa mǝš́ʷrǝ.

χʷǝ č́ʷara q̇́ˤan:

"źǝʁʷǝ sā ǵʷǝ,

q:ać̣am ć̣arǝ č́ʷara ḳ́ʷarǝ."

č́ʷara q̇́ˤan: "q:́ˤʷa χʷǝ!

źǝʁʷǝ š́a ǵʷǝ ć̣arǝ,

q:ać̣a, ł́a, č́ʷara laśʷam

ʎ́ʷa ḳ́ač̣ʷǝm čǝ-wǝ,

χʷiara-gjǝ laśʷam mә q́ˤ:a."

nǝ q:́aˤʷasa χʷǝ rǝq:ʷada q:ˤʷan.

See also


References

  • STAROSTIN, Sergei A.; NIKOLAYEV, Sergei L. (1994). A North Caucasian Etymological Dictionary: Preface.
  • Common West Caucasian: The Reconstruction of its Phonological System and Parts of its Lexicon and Morphology. Leiden, The Netherlands : Research School CNWS, 1996; xxvi, 452 p. : ill. ; 24 cm. ISBN 9073782732

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