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

Phonology

Consonants

The consonant system is reconstructed with a four-way

phonation The term phonation has slightly different meanings depending on the subfield of phonetics. Among some phoneticians, ''phonation'' is the process by which the vocal folds produce certain sounds through quasi-periodic vibration. This is the defini ...

contrast in

stops Stop may refer to: Places *Stop, Kentucky, an unincorporated community in the United States * Stop (Rogatica), a village in Rogatica, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina Facilities * Bus stop * Truck stop, a type of rest stop for truck dri ...

and affricates, and a two-way contrast in fricatives.

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. * → * → * → * → * → * → * → * → * → * →

Plain voiceless consonants to voiced

In the Proto-Circassian there was a series of

tense consonant In phonology, tenseness or tensing is, most broadly, the pronunciation of a sound with greater muscular effort or constriction than is typical. More specifically, tenseness is the pronunciation of a vowel with less centralization (i.e. either mo ...

s that became voiced in the eastern dialects. * → * → * → * → * → / * → * → / * → /

Velar consonants to palato-alveolar

In the Proto-Circassian language there exist a palatalized voiced velar stop , a palatalized aspirated voiceless velar stop , a palatalized voiceless velar stop and a palatalized

velar ejective The velar ejective is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is . Features Features of the velar ejective: Occurrence See also * List of ...

. The consonants гь , кь and кӏь survive in the Shapsug dialect, in the Besleney dialect and in the Kabardian Uzunyayla dialect. In other Circassian dialects they were merged with the palato-alveolar consonants дж , ч and кӏ respectively.Studia Caucasologica I page 11
* → * → * → / / * →

Affricate to fricative

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

Labialized voiceless velar fricative

Proto-Circassian had a labialized voiceless velar fricative ʷwhich survived in the eastern dialects while it became a

voiceless labiodental fricative The voiceless labiodental fricative is a type of consonantal sound used in a number of spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is . Some scholars also posit the voiceless labiodental approx ...

in the western dialects. * →

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. * → * → * → * →

Grammar

Numbers

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.

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 Circassian Northwest Caucasian languages