Kabardian | |
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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
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Cyrillic script Latin script Arabic script |
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Official status | |
Official language in
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Kabardino-Balkaria (Russia) Karachay-Cherkessia (Russia) |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-2 |
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ISO 639-3 |
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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.