Circassian language
| Circassian | |
|---|---|
| Cherkess | |
| Ethnicity: | Circassians |
| Geographic distribution: |
North Caucasus |
| Linguistic classification: | Northwest Caucasian |
| Proto-language: | Proto-Circassian |
| Subdivisions: | |
| Glottolog: | circ1239 |
Circassian
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Circassian /sərˈkæsiən/, also known as Cherkess /tʃərˈkɛs/, is a dialect continuum of the North Caucasus. There are two Circassian languages, defined by their literary standards, Adyghe (КӀахыбзэ, West Circassian), with half a million speakers, and Kabardian (Къэбэрдейбзэ, East Circassian), with a million. The spoken languages, however, merge, with intermediate dialects intelligible to both standards. The earliest extant written records of the Circassian language are in the Arabic script, recorded by the Turkish traveller Evliya Çelebi in the 17th century.
The terms "Circassian" and "Cherkess" are sometimes used as synonyms for the Northwest Caucasian languages in general.
Adyghe Alphabet
Kabardian Alphabet
Dialectal letters
Sound changes between West Circassian (Temirgoy) and East Circassian (Kabardian) :
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