Shapsug Adyghe dialect

Updated on Jan 22, 2024

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Native to Historical Circassia in Eastern Europe (present-day western Russia) Region Today worldwide due to the Circassian diaspora Language family Abazgi–Adyghe (isolate) Adyghe language Lowland Adyghe dialect Shapsug Adyghe sub-dialect

The Shapsug sub-dialect (Lowland Adyghe: Шапсыгъабзэ; Kabardian Adyghe: Шапсыгъэбзэ) is a spoken sub-dialect of Circassian. It is spoken by the Shapsug which are one of the largest Circassian tribes in the diaspora alongside Kabardians and Abzakhs. The Shapsug sub-dialect is very similar to the Natukhai and together, they make the Black Sea coast sub-dialects. Shapsug has three main varieties: Great Shapsug (North Shapsug), Small Shapsug (South Shapsug), and Hakuchi. The Shapsug sub-dialect is best known for its palatalized velar stops.

Varieties

The Black Sea coast sub-dialects

Natukhai sub-dialect (Circassian: Нэтӏхъуаджэбзэ)

Shapsug sub-dialect (Circassian: Шапсыгъабзэ)

North Shapsug, also known as Great Shapsug or Kuban Shapsug (Шапсыгъэ шху).

Kfar Kama Shapsug (Кфар Камэм ишапсыгъэбзэ): Spoken by the villagers of Kfar Kama in Israel.

South Shapsug, also known as Small Shapsug, Coastal Shapsug, or Black Sea Shapsug (Шапсыгъэ-цӏыкӏу).

Hakuchi (ХьакӀуцубзэ, Къaрaцхaибзэ)

Palatalized velar stops

In the Shapsug and Natukhai sub-dialects there is a palatalized voiced velar stop [ɡʲ] ⟨гь⟩, a palatalized voiceless velar stop [kʲ] ⟨кь⟩ and a palatalized velar ejective [kʲʼ] ⟨кӏь⟩ that were merged with дж [d͡ʒ], ч [t͡ʃ] and кӏ [t͡ʃʼ] in most Adyghe sub-dialects. Note that the Shapsug sub-dialect also has ч [t͡ʃ], дж [d͡ʒ] and кӏ [t͡ʃʼ] in words like чэмы "cow", джэмышх "spoon" and кӏалэ "boy".

Shapsug гь [ɡʲ] became дж [d͡ʒ] in others:

Shapsug кь [kʲ] became ч [t͡ʃ] in others:

Shapsug кӏь [kʲʼ] became кӏ [t͡ʃʼ] in others:

Retroflex affricates

The retroflex affricate consonants чъ [ʈʂ] and чӏ [ʈʂʼ] (that exist in the Temigoy and Bzhedug sub-dialects) merged with the palato-alveolar affricate consonants ч [t͡ʃ] and кӏ [t͡ʃʼ] in the Shapsug and Natukhai sub-dialects.

Temirgoy чъ [ʈʂ] became ч [t͡ʃ] in Shapsug:

Temirgoy чӏ [ʈʂʼ] became кӏ [t͡ʃʼ] in Shapsug:

Dropped consonants

In the Great Shapsug variety (like Bzhedug) in some cases the consonants н [n], м [m] and р [r] are dropped and are not pronounced.

The consonant м [m] is dropped before bilabial stops б [b], п [p], пӏ [pʼ]:

The consonant н [n] is dropped before postalveolar affricates дж [d͡ʒ], ч [t͡ʃ], кӏ [t͡ʃʼ] and before alveolar stops д [d], т [t], тӏ [tʼ]:

The consonant р [r] is dropped before a voiceless alveolar stop т [t]:

Aspirated consonants

In the Shapsug sub-dialect (like the Bzhedug) there exists a series of aspirated consonants (/pʰ/ /tʰ/ /ʃʰ/ /t͡sʰ/ /t͡ʃʰ/ /t͡ʂʰ/ /t͡ɕʰʷ/ /kʲʰ/ /kʰʷ/ /qʰ/ /qʰʷ/) that became plain consonants in others:

Shapsug пʰ [pʰ] ↔ п [p] in others:

Shapsug тʰ [tʰ] ↔ т [t] in others:

Shapsug цʰ [t͡sʰ] ↔ ц [t͡s] in others:

Shapsug шʰ [ʃʰ] ↔ щ [ɕ] in others:

Shapsug кь [kʲ] ↔ ч [t͡ʃ] in others (чʰ [t͡ʃʰ] in Bzhedug):

Shapsug кʰу [kʰʷ] ↔ ку [kʷ] in others:

Shapsug къʰ [qʰ] ↔ къ [q] in others:

Shapsug къуʰ [qʰʷ] ↔ къу [qʷ] in others:

Shapsug чъʰу [t͡ɕʰʷ] ↔ цу [t͡sʷ] in Temirgoy:

Others

In some Shapsug and Natukhai varieties there exists an alveolar ejective fricative [sʼ] ⟨сӏ⟩ that correspond to [t͡sʼ] ⟨цӏ⟩ in other Adyghe sub-dialects such as Abzakh, Bzhedug, Temirgoy, and Kabardian.

Shapsug сӏ [sʼ] ↔ цӏ [t͡sʼ] in others:

In the Shapsug and Natukhai sub-dialects (like Bzhedug and Abzakh) there exists a labialized voiceless alveolo-palatal affricate [t͡ɕʷ] ⟨чъу⟩ that correspond to [t͡sʷ] ⟨цу⟩ in Standard Lowland Adyghe (Temirgoy).

Shapsug чъу [t͡ɕʷ] ↔ цу [t͡sʷ] in Temirgoy:

The labialized retroflex consonants шъу [ʂʷ] and жъу [ʐʷ] in the literary Temirgoy sub-dialect are alveolo-palatal щу [ɕʷ] and жьу [ʑʷ] in the Black Sea coast sub-dialects of Lowland Adyghe (Shapsug and Natukhai).

Shapsug щу [ɕʷ] ↔ шъу [ʂʷ] in Temirgoy:

Shapsug жьу [ʑʷ] ↔ жъу [ʐʷ] in Temirgoy:

In some Shapsug accents (e.g Kfar Kama Shapsug) there exists a voiceless glottal fricative [h]:

Instrumental case

In the instrumental case the noun has the suffix -мгьэ (-mɡʲa) or -гьэ (-gʲa) unlike other sub-dialects that have the suffix -мкӏэ (-mt͡ʃa) or -кӏэ (-t͡ʃa).

Shapsug: Кӏалэр Адыгэбзэгьэ мэгущаӏэ ↔ Standard Lowland Adyghe: Кӏалэр Адыгэбзэкӏэ мэгущаӏэ – "The boy speaks (using) the Adyghe language".

Shapsug: Къэлэмымгьэ сэтхэ ↔ Standard Lowland Adyghe: Къэлэмымкӏэ сэтхэ – "I write (using) with the pencil".

Future tense

In the Great Shapsug variety (like Bzhedug) the future tense suffix is ~эт (~at) and in some cases ~ыт (~ət) unlike Small Shapsug that has (like Temirgoy) the suffix ~щт (~ɕt)).

Big suffix (~фо)

The Standard Lowland Adyghe suffix -шхо /-ʃxʷa/ which means big or mighty is -фo /-fˠa/ in Shapsug:

Positional prefix directly (джэхэ~)

The Standard Lowland Adyghe positional prefix -жэхэ /-ʒaxa/ which designates action directed at something or someone forcefully is -джэхэ /-d͡ʒaxa/ in the Shapsug sub-dialect:

Positional prefix merging (го~)

In the Shapsug and Natukhai sub-dialects, the verbal prefix го~ /ɡʷa-/ designates process of joining or merging with an object on a body. This positional conjugation does not exist in other Circassian sub-dialects. For example:

Sample text

Псэкӏодишъэ Зыгъэхъагъэр:

Сэтэнай-гуащэ ныо рэхъугъэу, е ыкӏуакӏэ къыщыкӏагъэу, е ынэгу зэлъагъэу сӏыф къыӏуатэу хэти зэхихыгъэп. Зэхихына, — Сэтэнае егъашӏи жъы рэхъугъэп! Мыӏэрысэм ыку фыжьэу тхъу сӏынэм фэдэр ынэгу щифэти; — фыжьыбзэу, ышъо жъыутэхэу къабзэу, моу укъищэу рэхъущтыгъэ; ышъуапӏэ ыжъоу, ащ ыпс ригъашъорэр — ыгугьэ кьэфэу, хьалэлэу, гукӏьегъуфо хэлъэу ышӏэущтыгъ. Ащ фэдэ мыӏэрысэ Нат ябын зэриӏэр Емынэжъ ышӏагъ.; Арыти, нэшъоу зишӏи, лъащэу зишӏи Сэтэнай-гуащэ дэжь къэкӏуагъ.

— Сэтэнай! — ыӏуи къегьагъ Емынэжъ,

— Шъыд? — ыӏожьыгъ Сэтэнае,

— Слъакъомэ сахьыжьырэп, сынэмэ алъэгъужьырэп, сшъхьэ акъыл чан илъыжьэп, сыгугьэ мэхъаджэ сыхъугъ, гъашӏэу къысфэнэжьыгъэри макӏэ. Джэуап къысфэхъу! — ыӏуагъ Емынэжъы. — Уимыӏэрысэфо ищэнсэн сэмышӏэу уенэгуя?!.

— Сэ симыӏэрысэфо ишӏуагъэ къыокӏьыщтэп, — ыӏуагъ Сэтэнай-гуащэ. — О жъалымэгъэ бащэ зэпхьагъ.

ӏэзэгъу къыритыгъэп.

«Ащ ишӏуагъэ сэ къысэмыкӏьынэу щытмэ, шъори къышъозгъэкӏьынэп!» — ыӏуи, чэщ горэм къекӏуашъи Нат ябын идышъэ мыӏэрысэ чыг Емынэжъы риупкӏыгь. А чыгэр яӏагъэемэ, нэпэ къагу натхэр псэоу, тхъэжьэу, жъы рэмыхъухэу щыӏэнхи!.

References

Shapsug Adyghe dialect Wikipedia

(Text) CC BY-SA

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