East Circassian
| Kabardian | |
|---|---|
| Kabardino-Cherkess, East Circassian | |
| Адыгэбзэ (Къэбэрдейбзэ) | |
| Native to | Circassia (in parts of Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia), Turkey, Jordan, Syria, Iraq |
| Region | North Caucasus |
| Ethnicity | Kabardians |
|
Native speakers
|
ca. 1.6 million (2005–2010) |
|
Northwest Caucasian
|
|
|
Cyrillic script Latin script Arabic script |
|
| Official status | |
|
Official language in
|
Kabardino-Balkaria (Russia) Karachay-Cherkessia (Russia) |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-2 | |
| ISO 639-3 | |
| Glottolog | kaba1278 |
Kabardian (/kəˈbɑːrdiən/; Kabardian: адыгэбзэ or къэбэрдей адыгэбзэ or къэбэрдейбзэ 
qabardejbza ; Adyghe: адыгэбзэ or къэбэртай адыгабзэ or къэбэртайбзэ), also known as Kabardino-Cherkess (къэбэрдей-черкесыбзэ) or East Circassian, is a Northwest Caucasian language, closely related to the Adyghe language. It is spoken mainly in parts of the North Caucasus republics of Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia (Eastern Circassia), and in Turkey, Jordan and Syria (the extensive post-war diaspora). It has 47 or 48 consonant phonemes of which 22 or 23 are fricatives, depending upon whether one counts [h] as phonemic, but this is contrasted with just three phonemic vowels. It is one of very few languages to possess a clear phonemic distinction between ejective affricates and ejective fricatives.
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