Adyghe

Adyghe, also known as West Circassian (or Lower Circassian), is a Northwest Caucasian language spoken by the western subgroups of Circassians. Native to Circassia in the Caucasus, it is one of the two official languages of Adygea (the other being Russian), although it is mainly spoken in Turkey, Jordan, Syria, and Israel, where Circassians settled after the Circassian genocide by the Russian Empire. Adyghe literary language (Adyghe: Литературабз) is the standardised form of the language, based mostly on the Chemguy dialect which was chosen for its grammatical and phonological simplicity, it was also historically spoken by the Prince of Princes of Circassia. In addition to Chemguy, there was also significant input from Shapsug, Bzhedug, Abzakh and other dialects.

Adyghe is closely related to the Kabardian or East Circassian language; some reject the distinction between the two languages in favour of both being dialects of a unitary Circassian language, others argue they are closely related but technically distinct languages. Despite phonological differences, Circassian languages are reciprocally intelligible, with speakers being able to communicate with varying degrees of efficiency. While the self-designation for both Adyghe and Kabardian language is Adyghe, in linguistic and administrative terms, "Adyghe" refers specifically to the language of the western tribes of Circassians, while "Kabardian" refers to the language of the two eastern tribes (Kabardians and Besleney). Ubykh, Abkhaz and Abaza are more distantly related to Adyghe.

From Wikipedia · Adyghe language · CC BY-SA 4.0